You can find videos over all these projects on my Youtube Channel Here.
The Cardboard House is an on going project Ara Bentley began in 2020 during the COVID-19 Quarantine. This Cardboard House even comes with its own Quarantine Fairy made out of easily accessible materials. All items in this project use household products that she and other creators could find around the house. Items include: cardboard, cotton swabs, toilet paper, and more.
To see how some of these items were created click below:
Ara Bentley began The Captain’s Quarters project in 2019 as her love for and collection of miniature model ships grew. These quarters include a sleeping area, display area for the captain’s model ships, desk, spiral staircase, stained glass windows, and books created by members of the Bentley House Mini’s YouTube Channel.
This is a channel project that has evolved as Ara has used suggestions and accepted creations to be part of this project. Channel members from around the world have added books meaningful to them to fill the captain’s library, as well as a coat and desk chair to enhance the quarters.
Click on the links below to learn more about The Captain’s Quarters:
Treasure Chest: 3D Printer vs. Artist
For this project completed in early 2020, Ara Bentley collaborated with another miniaturist, Darkest Raven Designs. Each artist gave the other a household item to use, along with a word to convey through their project. Ara was given the word “alchemy” and the household item given was buttons. Ara used 50 buttons to complete this project.
As seen and featured on Jazza’s YouTube Channel.
For this project, Ara Bentley used Jazza’s Arty Games App to find a prompt that was used to create this scene. The prompt selected was “ An underground tunnel that has peeling wallpaper and features a puddle of spilled milk.”
The Addams Family Mini Mansion built by Ara Bentley. This project was started in 2009 and continues to be one of her favorite projects to work on. Visit the Bentley House Minis Youtube channel to see videos on techniques used in this project.
Tour Videos include:
Gomez and Morticia’s Bedroom and Dining Room
The Basement and Grandmama’s Kitchen
Videos of Items In and Around the House include:
A Hat Stand for Gomez from a kit
Videos of Transforming the House include:
The Siding for the Mini Mansion
The Shingles for the Mini Mansion
Making the Mini Attic Addition
Roof with Heather Tracy’s Patterns
Videos of Making the Characters Include:
The Abandoned Coffee Shop began construction in late 2017 and is still an on going project. Please visit the Bentley House Minis Youtube Page for many videos on the techniques used in this scene.
Ara Bentley created this Money Tree scene for a miniature competition in 2019. The competition required the scene to include the poker chips. She won 2nd place for her efforts.
She used a 3D printed skeleton to help convey the hidden meaning behind this piece of work.
No dollhouse is complete without its characters to live inside of them. These characters were completed by Ara Bentley to use in her projects.
The character body kits for the Addams Family Mini Mansion were created by Sandra Stacy and Ara used Sandra’s techniques of creating the dolls to complete this project. You can find Sandra’s kits at https://sasminidolls.weebly.com/. She has many different options to choose from.
Videos of Ara creating the dolls can be found here:
The Toilet Paper Fairy was complete during the quarantine of 2020 using household items. Her video can be found here: Miniature Fairy
The Alchemist’s video can be found here: The Alchemist’s Lab
This skeleton went from being stiff and unmovable to being articulated to fit in many scenes using several simple steps. His video can be found here : Dollar Store Makeover: Make a POSE-ABLE Skeleton
This project completed by Ara Bentley in 2019 was a YTAC (YouTube Artist Collective) miniature. The theme for this YTAC project was “Mythical Characters.” Ara was honored to be the first 3D artist to be a guest artist during this round.
The Trojan Horse was built by Ara Bentley in 2018 as a entry in a competition to use popsicle sticks to create a miniature. You can find the video of its creation by clicking here.
Ara created this Kraken scene for a miniature competition. The competition required the scene to include a real life size coconut (the boat). She won 2nd place for her efforts. You can see an overview of the project by clicking the link here.
The Derelict Writers Retreat was created by Ara Bentley in 2014. The original house was purchased at a garage sale for $2 and then Ara put it back together and created this scene. The textured walls and wood floors were all added with scrap materials, adding to the derelict theme of the project. See a full video click here.
This project was part of a Youtube Collaboration between Ara and 4 other miniaturists. The theme was “fictional Thanksgiving”. Ara chose to create a scene based around the idea that Jack Skellington would someday go through the Thanksgiving door. The dolls are purchased action figures but everything else was handmade by Ara… including Tom the Turkey and Zero the ghost dog. For the video over the making of this scene please click here.
This chain link fence was made by Ara Bentley in collaboration with another Youtube Channel Miniaturist. The chain link material is made entirely from string. Please check out the video here.
Most handmade items you find here were created by Ara for her store and then purchased by collectors. Please visit the store here on the site to acquire your own Bentley House originals.
Click on the links below for more information on these handmade items by Ara Bentley.
Upholstered Arm Chair (pink flower chair)
Upholstered Ottoman (yellow ottoman)
Miniature Retro Stove (kit available)
Miniature Hoosier Cabinet (kit available)
Cardboard Living Room Furniture
Shutters (kits available)
Hall Trees (kits available for both sizes)
To spread her love of minis to others, Ara Bentley has used her time, talents, and skills to create gifts for those around her, too.
So far, this includes (click on titles for YouTube video, if available):
Antique Store Front
