One of the lovely things about being a miniatures enthusiast is how naturally sustainable the hobby can be. We’re constantly looking at the world with creative eyes — seeing possibility in the smallest, most overlooked things. A scrap of fabric becomes a chair cover, a bottle cap transforms into a table base, and, as I recently discovered, a fallen twig can become a tree.
A few months ago, I was wandering through a local hobby store when I spotted a box of twigs — yes, twigs! — packaged neatly and priced at $15. I had to smile. Someone, somewhere, had gathered those straight from the ground and turned them into a product. Clever, perhaps, but I couldn’t bring myself to pay that much for something nature gives freely.
Then, the following week, a big storm swept through town. The next morning, on my usual walk, I noticed the footpaths were covered with the storm’s bounty — twigs of every size and texture, washed down from the trees above and collected in gutters, at the bottom of steps, and along the edges of the road. Before long, I had both hands full and couldn’t carry another stick.
So I cut my walk short, dashed home for my car and a few bags, and went back to collect them properly. I brought them home and laid them out in the garage — which, being quite warm in summer, is the perfect drying space. Within a few days, the twigs had dried beautifully, ready to be transformed.
Next step: creating my miniature foliage and building my very own trees. There’s something satisfying about knowing they’ll be made from materials gathered by hand — completely natural, completely free, and with their own little story to tell.
That’s what makes this hobby so special. It teaches us to look closer, to repurpose, to see the potential in what others might overlook. Sustainability doesn’t always mean high-tech solutions or expensive materials — sometimes, it’s just a morning walk after a storm and a handful of twigs.
Stay tuned — I can’t wait to share how these tiny branches become part of my next miniature landscape!
0 comments