(Sheila J. Lester - The Wicked Queen’s Retirement Cottage)

Wicked But Wonderful
by Pam North
Chicago has museums with outstanding miniature attractions, from the Art Institute’s Thorne Rooms to Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle at the Museum of Science and Industry, and it was the latter that drew Sheila Lester into the world of dollhouses. As a child growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, she was taken by her mom to see Colleen Moore’s fantasy creation, which fascinated and inspired her. Now, grown up and working as a staff accountant in charge of catering for restaurants, she channels her free time into the world of miniatures. She has enjoyed participating in the Hobby Builders Supply (miniatures.com) annual contests, garnering herself Honorable Mention awards for her NOLA House and Craftsman Tiny House in the 2017 and 2018 contests, and the Grand Prize award in 2019’s 25th nnual contest for her Tudor-style Wicked Queen’s Retirement Cottage. The contest kits themselves spark her creativity, reminding her of a historic period or a place to drive her imagination into the minutia of the project. “A dollhouse is a way of making my own little reality or world,” she said. 
Sheila’s Wicked Queen’s Retirement Cottage encompasses many aspects of creativity. The kit, made of medium-density fiberboard, required bass and balsa wood to augment it, and cardboard for the roof. She bought some of the furniture as bare wood to be stained, while others were taken apart and altered to look more unique. “All the furniture in the tower was made to follow the curves of the walls, except the stool, which was a kit.” she explained. “The loom was a kit, but the drying racks were custom-built. I constructed the fireplaces in the kitchen, workroom, and stillroom/laboratory from scratch. I originally thought to have the fireplaces on the back wall, but after reading about the evolution of houses during Tudor times, and the separation of the kitchen from the rest of the house, I moved the chimney to the center of the house.” 
The #92018 Three Gables House Kit was used for the lower walls and gables, but the extended walls of the second floor were made from basswood. The tower is two oatmeal canisters, hinged at the back to open, and the third floor is a base of bass and balsa woods. with corrugated cardboard as the walls. The second floor is trimmed-down tongue depressors, as are the first-floor and second-floor ceilings. Starting out with the windows from the kit, she ended up using only the interior frames for the first floor. “The windows are all casement windows I made from wood, and the plastic ‘glass’ from the kit windows, with blackened aluminum mesh for the leading, and glaze to give the ambience of Tudor times. I used the same technique to make the bay window out of bass and balsa woods and trims. The second-floor casement windows were purchased and altered to look Tudor, and I made new frames for the smaller windows in the side dormer and the dormer over the front door. The shutters on all the windows in the main cottage were made from scratch, with purchased hinges, and the oriel window on the tower originally was two Houseworks bay windows that I microwaved to take apart. The hardest part was getting the second floor wired; the lights for the tables, bookshelves, and fireplace meant making the floor removable, and I had to rewire twice to get everything working.”
All the magical pieces were made with wire, hot glue, purchased cauldrons, and other household items. Also handmade were the astronomy equipment, most of the scrolls on the shelves, and many of the candles, candelabra, and sconces. All of the light fixture candles look as if they had melted wax, which was made from hot glue and paint. The bedding came from old lace handkerchiefs, material, and fur she had on hand, and she antiqued the purchased jars and books. The tree (a wooden dowel, wire, and candy tufts), garden, path, and garden walls also were handmade, with purchased gate and vegetables.
I love my windows and my apple tree, and all the magical touches I was able to add, but I think the tower is my favorite part. I’d never done anything circular before, nor attempted spiral stairs, and I’m so pleased with how the tower came out. The most fun was making all the ‘magic’ pieces (floating carafes, spoons, teakettles, and potions bottles).”
Sheila shared her views on the internet’s benefits for miniaturists: “The important thing is to keep putting yourself out there. Start a blog, go on Pinterest, comment on other people’s blogs so they know you exist. There’s a wonderful welcoming community out there, with a world of people who are so kind and generous about sharing their expertise via tutorials, which have taught me so much about achieving my own visions. Without them I’d still be stumbling along in ignorance, trying to figure out how to hide all those darn wires!”
Sheila has many projects planned for the future. “I want to do the next Creatin’ Contest, but I’m going to work on my other projects at the same time, such as my Victorian Bookstore with living quarters above it, and my Downtown Loft, and maybe a few other little things depending on what strikes me.”

Contact information:
Name: Sheila J. Lester
Email: sheilalester29@gmail.com
Phone: (940) 783-1085
Address: 1510 Laurelwood Drive - Denton, TX 76209
Website: http://shenandoahandstuff.blogspot.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheilalester29/