Dori Allard – Blue Ribbon Pie and Jam Shop

When Desserts Have No Calories

by Pam North
Dori Allard always has loved miniatures, starting back when she was a child. Her career, managing 401k plans for a large insurance company “is not really a creative outlet”, she commented. Luckily, she has discovered. With that philosophy, iy was inevitable that she would seek a creative outlet for fulfillment. Miniatures became her passion. “I have been collecting and making miniatures since a child, but only in the last 5 years have I been able to really indulge,” she explained. “Now that my children are adults, I have more time and money to devote to miniatures. I have attended several workshops, and I love those. I can see huge progress in my work; I have more patience and take my time. I have found that having the right tools are important, and with so much information available in magazines and online, one really can learn a lot. I love attending mini shows; ‘miniacs’ are very generous about sharing their time, ideas, knowledge and expertise.”
Dori finds that her  family and friends don’t always take her interest in miniatures seriously. “Since I have been ‘doing’ miniatures since forever, friends or family will ask, ‘do you still do that?’ Yup, it is one of my real passions! They know it is just what I do!” She added laughingly, “ Now that I have had some of my work in AM magazine, they have to take me a little more seriously!” 
Dori’s latest piece is called Blue Ribbon Pie and Jam Shop. “I love the fall,” she exclaimed, “and I love making the first apple pie of the season. This little shop just makes me think of leaf-peeping in New England, and apple picking or stopping for cider.” She explained more about its construction. “This was a kit in 1:48 scale (also referred to as quarter-scale) from Debbie Young, at Young at Heart Miniatures. The kit, which included the building and the furniture, was part of a workshop at the Sturbridge Dollhouse show in 2016. Some of the accessories were kits as well. The pies, the donuts, and the baking station upstairs were purchased. Debbie had us mix in this powdery stuff with the paint, making it quite thick. We brushed it on, and after it had dried, we used emery boards to scrape a lot of it off, leaving the surface textured. The textured paint effect on the outside of the building really was fun to do. Another aspect I enjoyed was using several teeny 1:144 scale plants I had that I realized would work very well as house plants in 1:48 scale. Working with 1:48 scale is challenging; everything is so tiny it can be lost if you sneeze!” I love it, though, as it is easier to find places to put the finished projects! Quarter-scale seems intimidating at first, but there are many websites, kits, crafters, and vendors featuring it.”
Dori was quick to point out her favorite aspects of the Blue Ribbon Pie and Jam Shop: “It’s definitely the teeny pies and the teeny little plants. I bought the 1:144 plants  from Mary Kinloch, and I’m not sure how she gets them so perfect that small.”
She currently has no plans to sell the piece. “I’ll display it for sure! I recently bought a lighted curio cabinet with mirrors on the back wall to showcase my quarter-scale projects.”
Asked what's next for her and her creations, Dori replied, “I have several quarter-scale kits ready to start, and also a 1:24 scale (half-scale) lighthouse.”
Contact information:
Dori Allard
Email:  dorijk@aol.com
Phone: 860-680-9015
Address:  269 Coventry Rd - Mansfield Center, CT  06250