To 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!

Cool 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! 

For 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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This 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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November's meeting had us all flipping our wigs! M demonstrated how to create tiny wigs for our dollhouse and room box inhabitants. We learned how to use tools like knitting needles and T pins to make a variety of hairstyles. M also displayed several dolls that she made while being a student of the master doll maker, Dana Burton. Such an informative afternoon that sparked lots of creative ideas for everyone! 



Fall 2025- Oh boy, do we have some news for you! 11/04/2025
 
How can it possibly be the fall of 2025 already! We have so much to update everyone about!

Our newest season started strong with our annual Bazaar on September 21st. There is so much to celebrate! Thanks to the hard work of our organizer EC, we sold out of vendor spots. We had 91 participants at the sale! And for the first time our group hosted a table and went on to sell out of all of our new and previously loved minis and materials.

It was exciting hearing the chatter of lots of happy mini enthusiasts planning and dreaming of current and future projects. With your help not only were we were able to raise funds to support expenses like our meeting rental fees and liability insurance, but our club was also able to purchase a group Sizzix Big Shot Machine and embossing plates. We have already been approached by vendors interested in going on a wait list for next year's bazaar which is having us consider expansion plans! Thank you so much to the organizers and volunteers who made this success possible. Thank you also to everyone who came out.

Our fall meetings have also been off to a great start. In September, WL demonstrated using a lathe for wood turning. This is something she has been doing for 20 years and we certainly benefited from her experience. EC then showed everyone different techniques to paint a faux marble surface. Such a useful technique for us to expand our mini making skills. And of course, there was time for a bit of show and tell with members bringing in work on a book nook and some beautiful furniture.

October's meeting was all about the Sizzix! S brought in her own machine and accessories while M brought in the club's new shared one. Members were treated to demonstrations and then could try cutting and embossing on their own. The machine can be borrowed by members to use at home for a month. 

We were also able to welcome a couple of new members at these fall meetings! Interested in joining us? It is never too late to join and share your enthusiasm for minis with others who get your passion for the small things in life! We meet in person the afternoon of the 2nd Wednesday and virtually on the fourth Wednesday of the month. You won't want to miss November were we learn how to wig a doll. Connect with us for more details! You will be warmly welcomed. 

Speaking of which - I should probably introduce myself. I am 'Carebear'. I became acquainted with OMEGA through attending a previous Bazaar and joined last year. I can tell you first hand how much fun it is to meet everyone and learn so many new things at OMEGA. Meetings are the highlight of my month! 

I'm new to helping with the website so please be patient with me as I begin to wade in! I'm curious who drops by this virtual living room.  Please feel free to introduce yourself and let us know what news you would like us to share with you. I thought I might start off with a new series of posts called "A Mini Maker Drags Her Family Off To See Any Miniatures Within a 50 Mile Radius From Any Vacation Spot on Earth". LoL! What would we do without our friends and family who are so supportive of our hobby. 

First up - a report about The Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys in Denver Colorado. Stay tuned for a new post soon. But in the meantime, I'm curious about where you have stumbled upon great mini displays, show, shops etc.? I'm always up to a good field trip to spur the creative juices.  

​Omega had another successful Fergus Show May 4th, 2025.  This being our 40th anniversary.  Our first in person meeting in May had a good turnout.  The discussion mostly was around the show's success and next year's project.  We took a lovely photo of our group with our Omega Show shirts, thanks to a visitor to our meeting who took a great picture of us all. 


Next year's project is still in the think tank.  But, several suggestions have been made.  Everyone agreed to a smaller project like a miniature book scene or miniature stand.  The club is still looking for ideas.  Hopefully, we will all make a decision soon.  One good decision we made is June's  meeting which will be Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 1-3:30 will be a potluck.  As well as a dish, be sure to bring a plate and utensils as well as a drink.  I am sure we will have lots to talk about.

I am the new club editor for the Omega Weebly site, so please if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.  I am still navigating the site.  Thank you to Luna for offering her help.  She has done a great job.  

Just a reminder there will be a July club meeting at Aberfoyle community centre on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.  Hopefully, most of us can make it.  The next meeting on zoom will be Wednesday, May 28 @ 7 pm to 8:30.

See you then!

Hello friends, we've spent today digging out from a massive snowstorm that started early (Feb 12) afternoon yesterday and continued until this morning. It's never good to drive in a storm so we cancelled our Feb 12 miniature meeting, and instead got together on Zoom.

We had a lot of house business to deal with regarding our upcoming 40th anniversary miniature show which will be on May 4, 2025 at the Fergus Sports Plex. We are anticipating somewhere between 275-300 people will come through the door and we couldn't be more excited to see each and everyone of them. I'm not yet able to announce any specific vendors but I can whisper in your ear that we will have a wide variety of vendors, some that have come faithfully every year and some new ones as well. This year, we will also have a special treat for you; we are planning to do some live demonstrations on miniature making. We're hoping to have 3-15 minute demonstrations in the morning and then 3-15 minute demonstrations in the afternoon. More on that once things get confirmed. Our member created miniature display will be a streetscape this year. Each member is creating a shop to go on the street and there will be different scales and styles. I caught a little peek of the bridal store yesterday and I can tell you it's looking gorgeous!

The February tutorial was a presentation by SD on safety in the craft room and giving your Dollhouse as much longevity as possible. SD did a very thorough research on what it means to be archival, whether the various every day things we use: glue, tape, paint, markers, pencil crayons, clay are archival, acid free or not. She also pointed out dangers that we may not be aware of that lurk in these everyday products, especially in things like resin or chalk pastels. For example, did you know that all uncured resin types give off toxic particles that can settle on surfaces around your work area and can last up to 30 days before they gas off. These are microscopic particles that you likely would not even be aware are there. SD cautioned us to NEVER have a coffee, water or food sitting beside us while using resin. She also let us know that resin can cause allergic reactions like contact dermatitis and respiratory issues if proper PPE is not used! I did not know that and while I was shocked and frantically trying to remember if I ever had a coffee sitting beside me, when I was using resin, I was extremely grateful to get that information. SD reminded us that simple PPE items like latex gloves and masks can keep us so much safer while we create our masterpieces.

I'm sorry to advise that we are still struggling with the photo glitch within the blog at Weebly and so for the foreseeable future I will not be posting any photos. I've had no help at all, on this issue, from Weebly, so I have been trying to figure things out for myself. I've eliminated photos having the same name as the cause, I did trials on whether adding photos before text or after text maybe would make a difference, whether adding single photos versus gallery style photos would make a difference and nothing seem to be the answer. For now, all that I can come up with is some kind of incompatibility between the mobile app and iOS. So .......if you're wondering what happened to all the pictures ......now you know!

Our next meeting is March 12. P is going to be teaching us how to make carrots and potatoes out of polymer clay. I'm very excited, I haven't worked with polymer clay yet, I'm looking forward to absorbing all the knowledge that P might be willing to share lol.

Be safe and if you got this big snowstorm don't overdo while you're shoveling.