<![CDATA[Ontario Miniature Enthusiasts of Guelph Area - Blog.]]>Tue, 29 Sep 2026 07:15:54 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[Bonanza at our Bazaar!]]>Sun, 27 Sep 2026 21:22:21 GMThttps://omegaminimakers.weebly.com/blog/bonanza-at-our-bazaar
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Thanks to our vendors, visitors, volunteers and coordinators for a very successful Bazaar on Sept. 20th. Lots of big smiles like the one above were evident as shoppers picked up mini bargains. Club volunteers loved chatting with all of you about your purchases and plans. Many club members also shopped for some great pieces to help fill up our club projects - iconic Eaton's storefronts -  that we are working on this year's show. Be sure to save the date for our Annual Show and Sale on May 16th, 2027  to see how our projects look when completed. 

Our Bazaar was quickly followed by our monthly online meeting on September 23rd.  We firmed up club plans for the 2026-2027 year and discussed our projects. Our next in-person meeting is October 14th where we will be making decisions on the exterior of our Eaton's stores and see a demonstration of how to turn a simple light string into a whimsical gathering of glowing mushrooms. See you soon!
]]><![CDATA[Hurray for new beginnings!]]>Sun, 13 Sep 2026 03:11:06 GMThttps://omegaminimakers.weebly.com/blog/hurray-for-new-beginnings
Hurray for the start of our new season at OMEGA! Our in-person meeting on September 9th was a great start to what promises to be a great new year. We were very pleased to welcome several new members as well as familiar faces. We were also excited to start our new group project. We are creating individual takes on Eaton Store windows which will be on display at our show and sale in May in Cambridge ON. It is going to be fun seeing different takes on such a Canadian iconic memory. 

This year blog followers will be able to follow along to see the construction of our projects from start to finish. Pictured above are the first steps in assembling our store fronts and top. Many thanks to Edna for connecting with a source to cut all of our lumber as well as so thoughtfully packaging all of the kits with labels and instructions too. 

For members who were not in attendance to start assembly, the pictures above and the instruction at the bottom of this post may be of assistance...

In other news, we also discussed plans for the rest of the year. Do you have a mini making skill or talent you would like to demonstrate at one of our meetings? Or do you want to plan a 'make and take' project for our group? Be sure to get in contact with Edna or Marg.

We also discussed volunteer roles for our upcoming Bazaar on September 20th. Connect with Edna or Marg to sign up for a volunteer shift. The Bazaar will at our club meeting location (23 Brock Road S, Puslinch) and runs from 12-3pm. Door admission of $5 helps with club expenses. Be sure to check out our homepage and Annual Bazaar page for more details. Come check out the bargains to be had on the 20th. We may just have the perfect finishing detail for your project. 

See you soon! XO

Instructions to assemble the Upper window frame and store frontage and window. 

All  pieces will need to have rough areas sanded. Each piece is numbered with a piece of tape. Do not remove any of the numbers on the pieces until they have been glued together. (Note: there is no 9 piece)

Build the Upper window (roof) using the bundle with parts 5,6,7,8,10 and 20. Glue pieces 5,6,7and 8 into a frame shape using wood glue. Make sure that the joints are even and square using materials such as clamps, squaring jigs, lego blocks etc. Ensure that all of the recessed routered ledges are all facing the correct way - all toward the back to eventually hold a plexiglass sheet. Glue part 10 to the top and front of the frame. This part will become the handle that will allow you to lift the roof and access the interior of the store. Part 20 will be glued to the inside of the window opening once you have painted the frame and handle. For now you can set it aside.

​We discussed making the buildings a consistent outside colour and have settled on grey. We will be discussing the colour further at a future meeting. In the meantime, if you are concerned that your green wood may warp, it has been suggested that you can prime both sides of walls with anything primer or stain. 

Next build the store frontage and window using the bundle with parts 11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,21 and 22, If interested, you can consider widening the gaps on the parts that have bead board by using a stylus - start at the middle and work outward so as not to splinter the wood. Glue parts 11,12,13 and 14 together in a frame shape. Again, ensure it is square and level paying attention to the orientation of the pieces so that a future plexiglass window can be inserted. Dry fit and tape parts 15 and 16 to the front sides of the front of the frame. Glue part 17 near the top of the front window opening and butt up against parts 15 and 16. Glue parts 15 and 16 flush to the edge of the front sides. Glue part 18 to the top of part 12, this becomes the window sill. Centre and glue part 21 on top of part 11. Glue part 22 on top of part 12. Finish the inside of the frame in your choice of colour or design and paint the outside of the frame in our chosen grey colour (to be discussed further.) In the meantime, consider if you need to prime both sides of walls with anything primer or stain to prevent warping. 

See OMEGA's newest email for suggestions of wallpapers and decorating ideas. 

]]><![CDATA[We're Not Loafing Around!]]>Sat, 25 Jul 2026 20:46:47 GMThttps://omegaminimakers.weebly.com/blog/were-not-loafing-around​Unfortunately, due to poor weather our February meeting had to be cancelled but lucky for us we were able to have a make up meeting in July. 

Pat lead participants through a workshop on how to make very realistic looking rolls, banquettes, loafs and boules from polymer clay. The instructions were certainly top crust and members didn't loaf around but got right to work. The tips and tricks provided were much kneaded and minis were created that looked good enough to eat. It was the yeast we could do to give Pat a hearty thank you for sharing her skills with us. You can crust me - it was a fantastic meeting! (Okay, I was on a good 'roll' with the bread puns but I think I am officially tapped out at this point!) But seriously, it was great having an extra opportunity to get together and learn something new from such a knowledgeable teacher. 

Our next gathering is on September 9th when we will begin a whole new season of learning, growing and sharing our skills as miniaturists. We will also begin working on our projects for our club display as part of our May 16th 2027 Show and Sale. You will have to stay tuned to learn more about what is planned but suffice to say that ideas are already percolating and it may be our most un-bread-leviable show yet! (Okay, I lied. I had one more pun in me!)

Don't forget our Annual Bazaar on September 20th in Puslinch. Our vendor list will be available shortly to help with planning your purchases. If you are interested in having a table at the Bazaar contact us soon as only a couple of tables remain available. Our Bazaar is the perfect way to kick off a new season of creating and connecting. Hope to see you there!
]]><![CDATA[I scream! You scream! We all scream for ice cream!]]>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 03:51:55 GMThttps://omegaminimakers.weebly.com/blog/i-scream-you-scream-we-all-scream-for-ice-cream
After such a very long winter and very cool spring it seems very ungrateful to complain about the weather - but wow is it hot! The only thing getting me through these last few hot and humid evenings is the promise of a night cap consisting of an ice cream cone.
Imagine my delight attending yesterday's OMEGA meeting in our air conditioned building while learning how to make polymer clay ice cream sundaes! Vanilla butterscotch ripple, chocolate and mint chocolate chip drizzled with chocolate syrup and topped with whip cream and a cherry! Can tiny life get any better than this? S provided us with lots of tips and hints on how to create the perfect sundae that looked good enough to eat. It is always fun learning new skills surrounded by friends who enjoy taking time to enjoy the little things in life. Good company, good times and tasty treats - I guess I have no reason to complain at all! Keep cool out there!



]]><![CDATA[How did you do that...??]]>Wed, 27 May 2026 15:01:59 GMThttps://omegaminimakers.weebly.com/blog/how-did-you-do-thatHave you ever looked in awe at a mini project and asked the maker - 'How did you do that!?'. I found myself saying that a lot at our recent show and sale. 

Anyone who was at our recent show and saw Luna's project (Morgaine's Tower) knows the feeling too. If you didn't get the opportunity to see it in person, check it out on our Annual Show page - seriously, you need to check it out! The stonework on the tower is jaw dropping!

Luckily for our group, Luna shared her mini making secrets with us. At our May meeting, Luna taught us how to make realistic looking stones, stonework and stone walls. It is hard to believe that all of these 'rocks' were created out of Pink Panther XPS foam. We learned to cut, shape, texturize and paint the foam to make such realistic looking rocks that you had to pick them up to believe they were not the real thing. I know I'm not the only one who is now considering where I can start to incorporate some rocks and stonework into future projects. The detailed written directions Luna gave each of us are going to be seeing lots of action. Thanks for sharing you talents with us Luna!

Also at our meeting, members who attended the recent mini Gathering in Gananoque brought in their table gifts and door prizes. Attendees really outdid themselves around the theme By The Sea. Such creative energy! Keep your eyes open for information about the 2027 Gathering in Brantford - or better yet - get on their email list. 

Only a couple more meetings until we take a break for the summer. It is never too late to join us and start enjoying the small things in life. 
]]><![CDATA[Wasn't That A Party!]]>Sat, 09 May 2026 15:52:05 GMThttps://omegaminimakers.weebly.com/blog/wasnt-that-a-partyTo borrow the lyrics of the Irish Rovers - 'Wasn't that a party!'. Thank you to the visitors, vendors and volunteers who made our 42nd Annual Show and Sale such a great success! Much thanks also to our organizers, Edna and Marg who took on the big job of planning and keeping things running so smoothly.

We had a record number of people through the door this year. And there were lots of smiling faces leaving with full shopping bags. It took me a long time to even make it all the way around the showroom floor as there were just too many things to 'oh and awe' over. 

New to our show this year were demonstrations of needlework, wicker basketmaking and flower making. Thank you to Yvette Money, Kim Stewart and Pat Jay for sharing your talents with us. Not only did I learn new skills but I got to witness the next generation of miniaturists being guided into our love of the hobby. It was great day seeing familiar faces and meeting new friends too. A wonderful aspect of the mini community is not only our appreciation for the small things in life but also our contagious enthusiasm and support of each other. 

Luckily, the fun is not over yet! There are a couple more months of meetings for OMEGA before we break for the summer and we are already hard at work planning for our next season. Keep your eyes out for information about our upcoming popular fall bazaar at the Puslinch Community Centre (23 Brock Road S, Puslinch).

We also are busy planning our new group project - anyone remember taking a trip to see the Eaton's store windows in Toronto during the holiday season? Well, we are reviving the memory and feelings with our own special takes. You'll get to see our projects at our 43rd Annual Show and Sale. We have a new day and location for our spring show. Mark your calendars for Sunday May 16th 2027 at the Cambridge Hotel and Conference Centre located at 700 Hespeler Road in Cambridge Ontario. When faced with having to relocate our show and sale we scoured locations to find a venue that meet the needs of vendors and visitors alike. While changing locations after 15 years was challenging, we believe we have found a great solution. We are looking forward to seeing everyone at our new location which is conveniently located just off the 401 and accessible by public transportation. There are also lots of hotel, dining and shopping opportunities for people who want to make a day or weekend of it.

Check out our Annual Show and Show Gallery pages for pictures of our 2026 show and sale. Thanks again for making it such a success!
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]]><![CDATA[Tomorrow is the day! We are so excited!]]>Sat, 02 May 2026 18:56:12 GMThttps://omegaminimakers.weebly.com/blog/tomorrow-is-the-day-we-are-so-excited
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]]><![CDATA[April Showers Bring May Minis]]>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:44:01 GMThttps://omegaminimakers.weebly.com/blog/april-showers-bring-may-minisCool weather and rainy April showers have brought an abundance of time stuck indoors this spring but resourceful OMEGA members have been making the most of it! We have been hard at work putting the finishing touches on our Objects D'Art displays for our 41st Annual OMEGA Miniatures Show and Sale. We will be exhibiting displays made by members who have been creating for only a few months to members who have been active in making miniatures for decades and everything in between. We think you will be inspired no matter your experience level!

It is hard to believe that our show and sale is only days away! I hope you have made plans to join us on Sunday May 3 at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex (550 Belsyde Avenue East, Fergus, Ontario). We will be there for your viewing and shopping pleasure from 10 am to 4 pm. Check out the 'Annual Show' page on our website to see the complete list of returning and brand new vendors who are coming. Events that bring together this many vendors from across Ontario and even out of province don't come around very often. There is plenty of free parking and the low $8 admission fee (which helps our club put on events such as these) is a bargain compared to trying to visit all of these businesses in person or paying multiple shipping fees. Check out the links to the vendor's businesses and start your shopping list now!

Don't forget to take in our live demonstrations too. At 11 am, Yvette will be demonstrating how to do mini needlework. At noon, Kim will be demonstrating mini wicker making and at 1 pm Pat will be showing us how to make mini flowers. I'm looking forward to seeing all three of these demonstrations!

Don't worry about lunch, we have you covered. Fergies Fine Foods is once again catering with a great selection of beverages, snacks and lunch items. Our seating area will give you the perfect opportunity to relax and catch up with familiar faces and also meet new enthusiasts who share our passion for the small things in life. 

Amidst all the flurry of putting together our show and sale, we also meet in April to learn some new skills. Yours truly revived her childhood memories of the 70's with a demonstration of how to make macrame plant hangers. Everyone went away with a kit and instructions to make their own 1:12 scale macrame hanger. E.C. also gave a great demonstration on how to create 1:12 scale beach bags and we all went home with a kit to create our own. Mine is going to be the perfect accessory for my dollhouse entryway with tiny flip flops, a sunscreen bottle and snacks peeking out the top - a reminder that summer will come! As always, it was great to see each other and be able to sneak peeks at everyone's projects. I'm excited that there are still a couple more months of new skills to learn before we take a short summer break. It is never too late to join us!

Hope to see you at the show and sale! 
]]><![CDATA[March 2026 - Our March Meeting was Lit!]]>Mon, 16 Mar 2026 01:26:33 GMThttps://omegaminimakers.weebly.com/blog/march-2026-our-march-meeting-was-litFor our February meetings we meet online. We had lots of discussion and planning to do leading up to our May Show and Sale. We also did some planning for a potential field trip this fall and long range planning for our 2027 club project. There are so many exciting plans afoot!

In a brief respite from the snow, we meet in person for our recent March meeting. It was so good to see everyone and get caught up! Much to our delight, several members brought in their May show projects. Pictured below are a couple of them offered to you as a sneak peek. I wish I had gotten around the room to take a few more pictures of other projects but these ones will have to wet your whistle for the creative treasures yet to come at the show.

A favourite part of every meeting for me and many others is learning a new skill and this meeting did not disappoint. JC brought a large assortment of lovely beads. She demonstrated how to make lamps from beads and jewelry fixings and lamp shades from vellum. She also provided us with lights and wiring and shared some information about lamp lighting options using LEDs, connectors and battery holsters. Such a simple idea that is also so utterly brilliant! See the pictures below for the materials we used and the variety of cute lamps that were created by members. We all agreed that this mini make is dangerously addictive! I think I now know the perfect way to wile away these last seasonal stormy evenings. If anybody needs me I'll be parked in front of the tv sorting through a box of pretty beads. After all doesn't every room in a dollhouse need a cute pair of lamps! Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us, JC!

We hope you have marked your calendars for our 41st Annual Dollhouse and Miniature Show and Sale on Sunday May 3rd (2026). Our show runs from 10 am to 3 pm at the Centre Wellington Sportsplex (550 Belsyde Ave E. Fergus ON). In addition to viewing our member's creations, you'll have the opportunity to check out 30+ vendor tables selling 1:12 scale and smaller items. New this year, we will have demonstrations of needlepoint, wicker and flower making by three very talented creators. Check out our Annual Show page for the list of vendors coming and visit their sites to start your shopping lists! You don't want to miss this!
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Caution: Lamp making is very addictive!

Sneak peek at some of our member's show pieces

]]><![CDATA[January 2026 - There's Snow-Place Like OMEGA]]>Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:33:17 GMThttps://omegaminimakers.weebly.com/blog/january-2026-theres-snow-place-like-omegaThis winter has been snow joke! What a record number of snowy days we have had this winter!

Our December in-person meeting had to be cancelled due to poor weather and potentially hazardous driving conditions. (Did you know our dedicated members travel from places such as Guelph, Fergus, Kitchener, Cambridge, Brantford, Ancaster, Hamilton and London?! Our meetings are definitely worth the drive!) Despite not being able to gather together this holiday season, we were able to celebrate the wonder of the season in a mini way. If you haven't already, check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for pictures of member's mini seasonal creations! Lots of ideas to get your creative juices flowing for next year! 

In a brief reprieve from the wintery grasp across Ontario, we were able to have our January in-person meeting. It was a lovely full meeting room with a couple of new faces joining us. We wasted no time getting caught up on club business and we even got to see S and J's work on their club projects. Absolutely amazing work ladies! Then W.L. had a treat for us. She brought us lovely hanging book shelf kits that she had created using her mini wood working tools. It just so happened that I had a blank wall in my book nook project that was begging for a special little something - and W.L.'s kit was just the thing. I appreciated how quickly and easily the kit went together and my book nook's squirrel inhabitant appreciates the space to store her books and little knickknacks. I'm curious to see what other members filled their bookshelves with. Speaking of book nooks...

Members are beavering away at a variety of club projects in order to have them ready for our 41st Annual Dollhouse and Miniature Show and Sale on Sunday May 3rd. Our show runs from 10 am to 3 pm at the Centre Wellington Sportsplex (550 Belsyde Ave E, Fergus ON). In addition to viewing our creations, you'll have the opportunity to check out the wares of 30+ vendor tables selling 1:12 scale and smaller items. There will be something for everyone! New this year, we will have demonstrations of needlepoint, wicker and flower making by three very talented creators. Save the date and keep checking back for more details. If you are interested in being a vender for our show, please reach out ASAP as tables are going fast!

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