Birkemeier Bios

Bob & Millie Birkemeier
Bob was the primary inspiration behind Studio B Miniatures. Over the years he developed two wonderful hobbies: wood working and photography. These skills have combined in his bird carvings from the one inch scale to full size decoys. In addition to making dollhouse furniture, he also created many full size furniture pieces enjoyed by family members. Although long since retired, Bob still teaches a bird carving class and photography has taken over his computer. A wonderful collection of Bob's carvings can now be viewed at the Museum of Natural History in Brewster, Cape Cod, a gift from Mr. and Mrs John T. deCamp.

Millie Birkemeier brought a keen eye for detail and finishing for the furniture pieces. She was an accomplished craftsperson herself with a focus on fabric arts and needlework. Every piece of furniture was carefully sanded and finished by her hands. She enjoyed creating a few pieces of fabric covered furniture and other miniature items for various rooms.

Bob and Millie are now both retired and they live in Illinois.

Wendy Birkemeier & Tom Degutis
Daughter, Wendy, had a talent for painting and creating small scenes. Her paintings, done in acrylics, are very detailed reproductions of Early American Primitives. Husband Tom Degutis joined in as the framer for Wendy's paintings.

Painting has taken on a new dimension for Wendy as she has shared her passion for Ukrainian egg decorating with children and visitors to the various libraries and book stores where she has worked and lived.

Tom and Wendy now live in Illinois and both work in a public library.

Bill & Peggy Birkemeier
Bill grew up making models, working with tools, and creating scaled projects. Working with tin, brass and soldering irons was a natural progression for his talents. Peggy grew up working with fabrics and sewing just about everything. Making tiny candles and learning toleware were new activities and fun to do. Peggy expanded her interests by making foods, dolls, and other accessories out of FIMO and Sculpey, as well as making wreaths and trees for the holiday. These items were sold in a store in Duck, North Carolina under the name Beechkins Collectibles.

Their most recent miniature venture is the creation of the Town of North Birk, a "N" gage train community filled with tiny vignettes and enclosed in the shape of a coffee table.

Home for Peggy and Bill has been on the Outer Banks of North Carolina for the past 24 years.

Bobbi Birkemeier Bell
As the youngest of the children during the peak years of furniture activity, Bobbi developed her skill turning spindle after spindle on a lathe (and hundreds were needed!). Her attention to detail and follow through was born during her time with Studio B.

Bobbi currently lives with her husband, Jim Bell, in California.

Sara Birkemeier, daughter of Bill and Peggy, developed a strong interest in all things little after receiving her first dollhouse at the age of 2, filled with handmade furniture pieces. She lent a hand in building and furnishing her second house, made by her folks, and earned several Girl Scout badges in the process.

Today, she lives with her husband, George, in North Carolina and they are partners in the graphic design firm that created this website.

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