Hixson resident Janie Galloway duplicated the cobalt blue and pale yellow decor of her living room in a miniature vignette — right down to the tiny blue-and-white chinoiserie jars hand-painted on the vignette’s silk-upholstered chairs.
A self-taught miniature hobbyist, Janie Galloway has developed her skills over 30 years.TRICKS OF THE TRADE1. Whenever you come across old silk ties or apparel at thrift stores, buy them. Today’s silk shirt is tomorrow’s chair upholstery; a patterned silk tie can be cut apart and sewn into pillow covers.2. Want a custom wallpaper? Reduce an actual paper to the desired scale on the computer.3. Never use hot glue, it’s too thick. Use Roo glue, which is made for miniatures; Ultimate Glue for upholstery and wood glue for wood are also recommended.4. To make a fountain’s waterfall, take a thin piece of cellophane and glue one end to the fountain’s spout and the other to the base (wherever the waterfall will end). Using a toothpick, guide a drop of epoxy glue down the strip until the “water” has dribbled the length of the cellophane strip. Let set, and it will give the illusion of water when dry.Source: Janie Galloway
Janie Galloway was downsizing long before it became the buzzword applied to baby boomers’ lifestyles.
Galloway is a miniaturist whose specialty is creating tiny room boxes, or vignettes, that mimic actual locations. Rooms from her own home, the White House, even the Palace of Versailles are replicated in diminutive detail within lit display cases throughout her home.
The Hixson resident says her talent is a natural carry-over from her “real-world” career.
“I’m an interior decorator. I design draperies, so I know the construction for them; I know how to upholster. And I love to gold leaf,” she says. “I try to get the detail as close to the actual room as I can.”