(Cinda Parent - Cinda Lees Miniatures)
A Rocky Undertaking
by Pam North
Far from being unfavorable, having “rocks in her head” has proved to have a happy outcome for Cinda Parent. Out of her inventive mind came an imaginative, rather off-beat creation where tiny fossils, geodes, agates, crystals, and assorted other stones are displayed in a perfectly executed, appealing microcosm of a rock shop. What a perfect project or gift for a geologist.
Cinda’s specialty is mostly room boxes and scenes. She became interested in miniatures when her daughter was small, and she bought a dollhouse kit from a craft store. “Building and decorating that dollhouse was so much fun that I just kept going, building other room boxes, a 1:24 scale dollhouse, and many small scenes.” she said. She is retired now, after having worked in human resources at a non-profit business. She  has a supportive family, but in degrees, according to her. “That would depend entirely on who you ask. My husband has been very tolerant of my hobby, and is always willing to help me if I ask him, though he will roll his eyes on occasion! My son thinks it’s cool, but my two daughters really like it, and have done many projects themselves. Both of my daughters really encourage me. I have a bedroom downstairs that I have turned into a workroom; it’s messy, crowded, chaotic! I have a nice big worktable, but end up working in a very small area. I always promise myself that after that project is done, I will get serious and clean up before I start another one. Hah! Luckily, I can close the door so no one sees the mess.”
Inspiration for Cinda comes from various sources. “Sometimes a picture in a magazine, or just an item in miniature will get my brain to start thinking of ideas.” 
Cinda hasn’t officially titled her latest piece; she simply calls it her “rock shop”. She got the idea when her oldest daughter, Michelle, bought her other daughter, Correen, two miniature geodes. “I fell in love with with the miniature geodes, thinking that a room box would be the best way to show my off new obsession them, and I was off and running!” she exclaimed. She constructed the room box from a kit, using brick paper for the outside walls, and painting the inside walls. She bought most of the display pieces, then modified a couple of them. “The clear acrylic display counter in the center was way too tall, so I used denatured alcohol to dissolve the glue seams to take the bottom part off; it worked well. I made the green display table from scrap pieces of wood I had. I also printed and framed the large photos on the back and side walls. I bought the display of bolo ties, and while it says ‘bola’ ties on the sign, I discovered that there are two ways to spell that word. There are many pretty rocks that were bought from rock shops and craft stores, and there also are many rocks that simply were picked up from outside sites in many areas of Minnesota and a couple of other states.”
The idea for the piece metamorphized slightly as she progressed through its creation. “I always start out with a general idea of how I want a piece to look, but it always morphs into something else.”
Cinda found one aspect of her rock shop as particularly fun to create. “Lighting made the rocks sparkle, and the way the crystals shine is my favorite part.” She plans on keeping her rock shop. “I really enjoy the act of thinking, planning and making miniatures. Then, I’ll either give it away or put it on the shelf. And, of course, like everybody else, I am running out of room! But, that doesn’t seem to stop me.” She does sell some of her pieces on her online store at: www.cindaleesminiatures.com.
She has continued to create, and now is working on an old, shabby 4th of July stand filled with fireworks. 
Asked what’s her biggest difficulty involved with working in miniature, Cinda responded, “Over the years we have lost so many brick and mortar dollhouse miniature stores. Now we order online and then have to wait until it arrives in the mail. Not being able to see an item in person makes it a little harder to judge if it is the right item to buy, plus it’s hard to be patient while waiting for the item to arrive. I think people have worried about the future of miniatures for many years, but it’s still here, alive and well. There are so many more ways to be involved with miniatures now, such as blogs, newsletters, Google and online shopping. It’s just changing, like the rest of the world, and we need to keep up with new ways of making, buying, and selling miniatures. As there is more presence of miniatures online, the younger crowd are and will be exposed to miniatures. I love the fact that you can build anything that comes to your mind. There are so many talented people who do such beautiful work, you can get lost for hours looking at Google, Pinterest, and Etsy.”

Contact Information:
Email: cparent5@hotmail.com
Website: www.cindaleesminiatures.com
Phone: 651-351-1693  651 216-6065
Address: 231 Interlachen Way, Stillwater, MN 55082