A Tiny Tale of the Spokeshogs

How Their Mama Became a Miniature Enthusiast

Over the years, I’ve been blessed to share my life with four hedgehogs. The first was Maxwell Earl, and from the moment I laid eyes on him, I was completely smitten—with him and with hedgehogs in general. I bought him miniature accessories to enjoy, including soft toys and a well-padded 1:12 scale chair he loved to climb into. I even decorated his little home with tiny framed photos of our entire human and pet family. He lived a long, happy, well-loved (and well fed 🤣) life.

After Maxwell came Olivia Pearl Beall, a sweet, cuddly little girl with a big personality. I shared many photos of Olivia on Facebook, and I truly believe she loved posing for the camera. A woman who owned a greeting card company noticed those photos and reached out to ask if I would create scenes featuring Olivia for a Christmas card line.

That’s when I began intentionally collecting miniatures.

At first, I used American Girl props, which worked beautifully for the holiday images. Later, I was asked to create photos for a general card line and other holidays, and that’s when I discovered how well 1:12 scale items worked with Olivia—and how much more variety they offered. One of her favorites was a soft, fuzzy bunny prop about 2½ inches tall. She loved it so much that she carried it into her home each night and tucked it under her sleep sack when she went to bed.

As you can imagine, what started small grew quickly. Before long, I had enough miniatures to fill a dollhouse… then another… and another.

Eventually, I began learning about higher-quality miniatures, and that’s when everything changed. The owner of Lockwood Tower Miniatures invited me to help at her tables at the Philadelphia show, and later the Chicago show. That was several years ago, and I’m grateful to say I still help at both shows to this day.

Through that experience, I was introduced to artisan miniatures—beautiful, detailed pieces I instantly fell in love with, though many were beyond my budget. So I did what made sense: I “talked” Olivia into helping me sell some of the miniatures we had collected together. She became my Spokeshog, and I was officially hooked on both collecting and selling.

I started buying miniature estates and the business eventually outgrew my home. We had a fully finished and temperature controlled “shed” built on our property exclusively for miniatures. It is aptly named “Olivia’s Cottage”.

After Olivia Pearl, my next Spokeshog was Willow Pearl, a curious and delightful little girl.

Today, my Spokeshog is Quilliam Earl—a feisty, adorable little albino love cactus. This little boy goes and goes until he just drops, sound asleep.

Some people even think my name is Olivia, which I find incredibly flattering. She was a gentle, beautiful soul who worked alongside me on countless projects, then curled up on my chest each night to sleep.

Rest in peace, Olivia, sweet prickle potato. You helped me to find my joy! I will love you and the others who have passed forever. 🦔💕