Munchkin miniatures began about 10 years ago, when my mother was recovering from a serious stroke. She needed to keep working her hands and fingers to regain full movement in them, but she was finding therapy boring. I bought some polymer clay and began making miniature food items. Since I only had one color clay, I asked her to paint the items for me. Since she was doing me a favor, she was happy to do it, never realizing how much therapy her hands were getting by working with the tiny pieces.

She had always loved making full-scale cabinets and bookcases, but that was out of reach now. So she began experimenting with small pieces of wood, learning as she went along. As for me, every time I went into a crafts store I saw something new that sparked my imagination. Things I couldn't do - like use a sewing machine, because for some reason they hate me :) - my mother did.

We talked for years about opening a brick-and-mortar store, but that wasn't possible economically. It looked like our dream would stay just that - a dream. In June 2014, my mother wound up in the hospital again with an acute infection. What was supposed to be a short recovery dragged on, as one complication led to another. I needed something to get her excited about recovery and working towards coming home. And so I opened this store, to make our dream a reality.

Munchkin, by the way, was her cat, who has since crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Vergil (the cat in the photo) was my cat, who has gone to join her. Using their name and picture was my small way of honoring them.


UPDATE: July 31, 2015, my mom passed away unexpectedly. She will be missed by everyone who knew her, because she was the warmest and kindest person you could ever imagine.

Thank you for taking your time to visit our store. I hope you find something you like, whether you buy it or it just makes you smile!

Ellie