Schoolgirl, 12, earns £400 a month making miniature models of food
Arabella Duffy, 12, who is the voice of Betty the octopus in children's TV show Hey Duggee, also makes miniature Christmas dinners that she sells and displays.
A child star who features in popular children's TV show Hey Duggee has become the youngest-ever model maker at a prestigious London show.
As well as starring in the show as the voice of Betty the octopus, 12-year-old Arabella Duffy also makes miniature models - including tiny Christmas dinners and festive scenes.
She will be the youngest person ever to have a stall at the Kensington Dollshouse Festival in London - where most stall holders will be over over three times her age.
Arabella started making tiny models of food two years ago to go with her historical peg-doll collection.
Now she spends three hours a day after her studies creating tiny festive scenes, including little bows and wrapping paper.
Her pieces are one-twelfth of the actual size - so a plate of food is just an inch across.
Her mum, Sophy Smith, 57, an artist from Hampstead London, said: "Each one she creates is like a little piece of magic and wonder, and she makes them all because she loves to. Arabella is just super creative and has always been really good with her hands.
"She's really into detail and keeps going until she gets it right. It's a real hobby for her - she's just happier making a toy than having one bought for her.
Arabella creates her miniature pieces out of Fimo modelling clay, each taking 30 to 45 minutes to make, depending on how delicate they are. The 12-year-old fits in her crafting around her four hours a day of study at home, doing all of her work in vintage suitcases, boxes, and drawers all around her home.
Her festive scenes include tiny tables filled with Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, and a Christmas wrapping table with tape, paper and bows.
The creative crafter sells them on for £30 a table and £18 for a mini cake - making around £400 in sales a month. Her most expensive piece was a shelf stuffed full of sweets which sold for £55. However, her mum said her daughter gives a lot of pieces away and barely turns a profit.
Her creations have included a piece for popular chain the Breakfast Club featuring all the food on their menu, as well as a miniature model of Jungle Studio where she records Hey Duggee.
'A little bit of Christmas magic'
Now, her work will feature at the Kensington Dollshouse Festival in June where she will be the first miniaturist under 18 to be involved.
She said: "Hopefully I can inspire other young makers to start their own crafting journey.
"I'm looking forward to meeting lots of new people who share my passion for all things tiny.
"I have worked very hard to bring a little bit of Christmas magic."
Arabella reinvests any money she makes into craft materials and saves any extra for her university fund - where she hopes to go on to study to be an Egyptologist.
Her mum said: "She's just incredibly diligent and has a good work ethic. When she gets a commission she puts everything into it until it's done.
"I'm immensely proud that she's found something she loves, worked hard and persevered, and made it her own.
"I hope Arabella's story helps other people to believe in themselves. You can have a business at any age, just follow what you love."
What are the world's most expensive dollshouses?
While making miniatures is a popular hobby for many, it can also be quite lucrative, with some collectors willing to pay millions for the right creation.
According to Minimum World, dolls houses through history have sold for millions, with some even thought to be priceless.
The website includes the Astolat Dollhouse Castle, created by miniature artist Elaine Diehl, which features over 10,000 miniature pieces, including chandeliers, oil paintings, and working electric lights, and was sold for £6.7m ($8.5m) in 2015.
Also on the list is a dollshouse created by artist Carrie Stettheimer in the 1920s, which features miniature versions of paintings by Stettheimer and other artists, as well as furniture and decor designed by Stettheimer herself. It was sold for £9.9m ($12.6m) in 2017.
The Queen Mary's Dolls' House, commissioned by Queen Mary in the early 1900s and on display at Windsor Castle, features working plumbing and electricity as well as miniature replicas of paintings by famous artists and is considered one of the most valuable in the world.
Similarly, Titania's Palace commissioned by Sir Neville Wilkinson in the early 1900s features miniature replicas of famous European landmarks. It is apparently considered one of the most valuable dolls houses in the world, and is currently on display in Denmark.
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Grandad spends 30 years building working miniature railway in back garden (Yahoo News UK)
Tiny houses: why more people are living in miniature (The Conversation)
Artist makes incredible miniature-sized film and TV sets (Independent)
