(Michell Bryant - Papa’s Cabin)
From Contest Kit to Family Heirloom
by Pam North
Since she was a little girl, Michelle Bryant had always wanted a dollhouse, and as an adult. she made herself a promise that by the time she turned 50 she would get one. Searching for many years in antique and hobby stores, she hadn’t found the right one until the spring of 2017 when she spied the perfect one in an antique shop. She asked her uncle, Lamon Small, if he would help her fix it up, and although neither of them had worked on a dollhouse before, they spent months refurbishing and remodeling the little house, finally finishing the project about a month before Michell’s 50th birthday. She had fulfilled her vow to herself.
The following year, in 2018, she talked her uncle into helping her with another miniature project, this time an entry for the 25th annual Creatin’ Contest, sponsored by Hobby Builders Supply, and this creation won them the First Time Entrant Winner award. The basis was the #92018 Three Gables House unfinished kit. Michell turned it into a rustic, ramshackle cabin of a bygone era, inspired by a photo taken of her grandparents outside of their first home, with the result being a creation inspired by family memories. “My grandparents (who were my uncle’s parents), were married when they were 16 and 17 years old in 1934.” she explained. “About 50 years later they returned to that first house they had lived in, in Alabama, and had their photo taken. Our project was inspired by that photo. We tried to use as many family items that we could in the decorations. The shaving brush was made from my grandfather’s shaving brush. The straw broom was made from my great-grandmother’s straw broom. The mantle on the fireplace is from my son’s boyhood rock collection. We even went so far as to crawl under my grandparent’s house and get dirt to cover the base of our display, dirt that had not seen the light of day in over 60 years. All the photographs inside are actual family photographs. There are both sets of great grandparents, my grandparents, me, and Lamon when he was a little boy. The siding is wood that my other uncle, Willie Small, found in an abandoned barn that he thinks is over 100 years old. The flooring is made from an old fence on my grandparents’ property that is about 40 years old.” 
Michell’s uncle, Lamon, has an extensive background in home construction, and her family owned a construction company, so they both had common backgrounds, and both are creative and artistic. “Lamon also is an artist, and I’m a photographer, cake decorator, and generally crafty person. We had little knowledge of miniatures other than the dollhouse, so tackling this project was trial and error, and we learned a lot during this experience. Anyone who knew my grandmother would know she kept a spotless house and would not be pleased with our interpretation of the cabin, but Papa would be laughing.” 
Most of the project was handmade, and Michell’s meticulous attention to all the tiny details made the cabin a mini-masterpiece. Materials used were: the Creatin’ Contest kit, wood, aluminum, Realistic Water, dirt, paint, cinnamon (for rust), fabrics, paper, rocks, sticks, straw, screen, PVC pipe, polymer clay, wire, and Bondo wood filler to make the trees. The ready-made accessory pieces were aged, painted, torn, and distressed. “It was all trial and error, Michell explained. “The hardest part about making it was realizing after we had put the inside walls up, we hated their appearance. We had to remove them, get new ‘old’ wood, and cut that to get the look we wanted. The part that was the most fun to create was making the fish guts. I know that sounds gross, but I loved it; it just looked so cute with the little cat looking at it. The cabin took about 10 months to complete, but it’s wonderful knowing that there is so much of our family represented in it. We hope this will be something that will remain with our family to be treasured in the future, long after we are gone.”
Working in miniature is enjoyable for Michell. “I find it calming to focus on such detailed projects,” she said. “It’s a wonderful hobby for any age or skill level. Even if you do not get your first doll house until you are 50 years old! I’m not sure what the future of miniatures will be, but I’m certain they won’t go away, I think people always will be fascinated with miniatures.” 
More fun may be in store for Michell and her uncle. She is trying to talk her uncle into their doing the 2019 Creatin’ Contest. “We have purchased the kit, and hopefully it will work out.

Contact information:
Name: Michell Bryant
Email: chellandjoshua@aol.com
Phone: (850 426-8926
Address: 5513 Baker Road, Milton, FL 32570