The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

8- PORT PERRY STAR - Wednesday, October 15, 1997 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Scugog Island woman hosts visitor from England Pen pals united in Canada to share love of a hobby By Heather McCrae Port Perry Star Two women who started a pen pal rela- tionship across the Atlantic almost three years ago met each other here for the first time on Oct. 2. The mutual interest that brought Carol Ann Fagel of Scugog Island and Sue Paul of England together is the intricate work of miniaturists, who collect and make miniature dolls, furni- ture and houses, and do miniature needlecraft as well. Mrs. Fagel, a found- ing member of a minia- turists' club in Port Perry a few years ago, has always had a keen interest in the hobby. When she went about gaining information on how to hold an All Club Meeting Day in early 1994 she wrote to Dolls House World, an author- itative English maga- zine. FOR MAYOR Declared as of Sept. 31,1997 Thurs "They sent me lots of information and gave me Sue Paul's name as a contact, too," she said in a recent interview. Her soon-to-be pen pal had staged one of these successful events in England. "Sue wrote immedi- ately, sending me tons of information and also inquired if I'd like to be a pen pal," Mrs. Fagel said. Within a couple of days the Port Perry woman mailed off a let- ter, and the two have been corresponding since. Modern technology has also aided their friendship. After the two women began writing letters, they soon dis- covered the fax machine and have now pro- gressed to e-mailing each other several times a month. Mrs. Paul, who lives in Wisbech, a market town about the size of Port Perry, made plans ™ iy adda to come to Canada a few months ago. She also planned her visit to meet her pen pal at the same time the MET (Miniature Enthusiasts of Toronto) show was being held on Oct. 4. That's the largest minia- ture show and sale in Canada. She brought some pieces to enter in this show, too, as in England they don't have juried events; she was anxious to see how her work would be received here. And wouldn't you know it? ...To her sur- prise and immense plea- sure, Mrs. Paul cap- tured second and third prize ribbons with a four-inch by six-inch wallhanging, and one- inch square needlepoint cushion. It takes a lot of time and patience to make these miniature pieces. Mrs. Paul used 40 stitches to the inch for her miniature carpet, HOWARD HALL DOUG MOFFATT JOHN WOLTERS , October 30 Town Hall 1873 - Port Perry 7:30 PM. Sharp CANDIDATES FOR REGIONAL COUNCIL Declared as of Sept. 31,1997 and 54 stitches to the inch for her petite cush- on. She's been involved with the hobby since her family gave her a minia- ture doll kit as a gift at Christmas in 1987. The maker of the doll kit was Joy Parker, owner and president of Swallowhill, a world renowned manufacturer of doll kits, knitting pat- terns, and other crafts from Midland, Ontario. Mrs. Paul's first pro- ject was to make cloth- ing for the four-inch doll, right down to her lacy pantaloons. Next, she built a miniature house complete with several rooms and fur- niture, all built to scale, and she' been hooked on the hobby since. After Mrs. Paul accepted Mrs. Fagel's invitation to visit her home in Port Perry, she made her hostess a beautiful miniature Tea House. Of course, there's a story behind this. Mrs. Fagel says she wants to visit England some day and dine in one of the country's authentic Tea Shops, "complete with table- cloths, clotted cream, strawberries and scones." When Mrs. Fagel confided to her British pen pal about her dreams, Mrs. Paul made an appropriate gift for her Canadian friend. She made a miniature Tea Room, complete with tiny people, pint- sized furniture and lights powered by a transformer. One of the miniature people was custom made by a famous British artisan. "I was touched, to For The BEST DEAL around! FIREPLACES GAS * PROPANE + OIL.» WOOD FIREPLACE ZAR Sts [OIE] = 180 Casimir St., Port Perry OVERRIDGE I 985-0715 Pen pals Sue Paul of England (left) and Carol Ann Fagel of Scugog Island met each other for the first time October 2. Both are miniaturists who enjoy «collecting and making miniature dolls, furniture and small needlecraft. think Sue had gone to all that trouble for me," Mrs. Fagel said. This being Mrs. Paul's second time in Canada (she's visited a brother in B.C. before), she says her husband, Richard, wants to come to Canada to do some fishing and "land a big one." FIREBRIDGE FIREPLACE WAREHOUSE 11 Main St. N., Uxbridge 852-0369 ce 1980 - 1-800-638-4751 Since her arrival on Oct. 2 she and Mrs. Fagel enjoyed many days of sightseeing and shopping before she departed for home on Oct. 9. They made the rounds in Port Perry, attended the MET show, made a trip to Niagara Falls, dined at the top of the CN Tower and, of course, visited Cullen Gardens Miniature Village. Although there is 16 years difference in their ages (Carol is 59 and Sue is 43), the two women never think age is of no consequence to their friendship. "This hobby keeps us both young," Mrs. Fagel said. Now, she and her hus- band Larry have their sights on visiting England in the near future. "I've always wanted to dine in an English Tea Room. I've got a miniature one thanks to my wonderful pen pal," which, she feels, is the next best thing to being there. And, of course, the two pen pals will con- tinue their friendship on the Internet. "We settled in so well with each other," Mrs. Fagel said. "Just like we do in our letters."