It’s The Little Things; A Baxter House Announcement

I had the coolest experience last week. A woman came into the antique market with a guy, and as they went around the corner past the showcases, I had an epiphany. “I know her!” I said to my co-worker. “I’m almost positive that she was on Season 2 of this TV show that Ken and I love to watch!”

And what show would that be? It’s called ‘Best In Miniature’. It’s a competition show where miniaturists (that’s people who make miniature things, not tiny people) compete for $15 000 Canadian, which is a lot of Bordens (that’s the Canuck equivalent of Benjamins) even once you factor in the exchange rate. Also, in Canada, you don’t have to pay income tax on prize winnings, so you get to keep it ALL. And the show is awesome—they start with the contestants each building a tiny house in whatever style they want, and then each week, they have to create the stuff for each of the different rooms in their house. In Season 1, there was a guy who created an entire tiny Edwardian mansion complete with a miniature floor-to-ceiling library, and you can imagine how I reacted to THAT. Anyway, I was sure this woman was from Season 2 of the show, but I didn’t want to just come out and ASK her—I mean, what if she wasn’t, and then she would think I was some nutbar with a dollhouse obsession? So I broached it like this:

Me: Hi there, how are you today?
Woman: Great, how are you?
Me: Good, good. So are you looking for anything specific today? Perhaps…miniatures?
Woman (smiles): Miniatures…interesting that you should say THAT.
Me: Are you…?
Woman (smile gets bigger): Possibly…
Me: YOU ARE! YOU’RE FROM THAT SHOW!!

And she was LOVELY. She let me ramble on about how much I loved the show, and told me all kinds of interesting details about where and how it was shot (4 days for each episode), how they had to have any supplies approved by the producers, how they all had to go out after the first episode and buy their own utility knives because the ones provided by the show weren’t sharp enough—I was in 7th heaven.

And having her in the store was SO much better than Gangrene Man, who made not one, not two, but three appearances last week, still on the hunt for rings for his ‘lady’. He was no longer wearing any kind of protective wrap over his stump, and it—and he—was looking even more unhealthy than before. At a certain point, we all decided that there was no ‘lady’—that he was buying all those rings and reselling them or something. Then on Thursday, I wasn’t working, but I got a text from my co-worker:

CW: G-man is back. And he brought ‘his lady’ with him!
Me: OMG, she’s real! What’s she like?
CW: She’s just walking around and pointing at stuff, and he’s buying it all for her!
Me: At least one of them can point omg I’m going to hell for that.

There ought to be a show about this too—hit me up with some good names.

In other news, the first book from Baxter House Editions has just been released: The Places We Haunt by Cecilia Kennedy. Here’s the synopsis of this very cool book:

“When a pastry-obsessed ghost follows Audrey M. K. Summons back to her apartment, Audrey feels compelled to write the story—along with a few others she has collected. The resulting manuscript becomes The Places We Haunt, which a literary scholar discovers when Audrey dies. To the scholar’s surprise, the pages magically fill with more stories from beyond the grave, so she publishes the book in order to put Audrey’s spirit to rest. This collection of 13 eclectic dark tales takes place in museums, swimming pools, houses, restaurants, the cemetery, and outdoors in nature. The stories told are sometimes humorous, absurd, pensive, or cautionary. Those who tell them, don’t even realize they’re dead.“

And you can by it here!



36 thoughts on “It’s The Little Things; A Baxter House Announcement”

  1. barbaramullenix says:

    Interesting that this was your topic today, as last night I was watching a reel on Facebook about a woman who paints tiny 3-D faces on computer keys. She did Peter Pan and Tinkerbell in the video I saw, but she had already done several other keys. I would be terrified to use the keyboard, but she did wonderful work on such a small surface. Miniatures had always fascinated me as a child, but I was never allowed to touch them, now I just admire the talent it takes to make them!

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    • I know, miniatures are so cool, and this show was fascinating in the way they showed HOW the miniature furniture and accessories was made–one woman actually had a tiny pottery wheel and she made teeny pots out of clay!

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  2. I remember watching The Incredible Shrinking Man and Fantastic Voyage as a kid and being fascinated by the idea of going inside “small” things. Small is all relative, of course, as I realized looking at very small bugs and through microscopes. And I also just love watching people craft things. Meeting someone from that show is a nexus of wonderful things. The opposite of Gangrene Man whose show will be “Lend Me A Hand” or maybe “I Don’t Have A Point”.
    Baxter House’s new book is now also on my list.

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  3. Although I can’t say much about miniatures, I’ve been absolutely enchanted by model trains from a young age. Ever since I was a little girl, the idea of having larger versions of these trains, big enough for both me and my dog to ride, captivated me. Unfortunately, my parents never really understood the appeal.

    Regarding Gangrene Man, it’s clear that some stories are better left for the screen. The reality of gangrene is not kind to those with noses. Trust me. (Yuck!)

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  5. Congrats on the 1st Baxter House book, it sounds great!

    You could also knock up a pulp fiction comic book style tale about Gangrene Man & The Lady who are on a quest for a special ring (and anything else she fancies).

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  6. I’m a fan of those bookshelf nooks that light up and reveal a tiny world of various, usually fantasy themes. I think they come as kits in fact.

    Septicemia still kills tens of thousands of folks in this country. One can imagine how worse it was prior to antibiotics. Game show ideas? Combine it with that favorite of yours Cake it or fake it — only it’s amputated appendages.

    Ghost writer theme: [sic] sense perhaps.

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  16. Man, I am really out of the loop. I didn’t even know there was a show about miniatures…but no matter. Some serious binge-watching ahead.

    Congrats on the 1st Baxter House release! Sounds like an engaging read.

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  17. Miniatures are the the best! Years ago I found a metal teacup after a heavy summer rain by the foundation of the little house that I lived at the time. It looks Victorian. It’s a tiny marvel. At the time, I imagined that some little girl had lost it.

    Congratulations on the book! It sounds like a fun read.

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