"I got very excited as it was perfect and helped me finish a great model broom.

"It was quite a fiddly job, but that's all part of the fun – it's the challenge of working out how to make these things by adapting everyday objects," she said.

Group member Lynn Shaw, 52, agreed: "If you are a Miniaturist, shopping is never quite the same again.

"You find yourself staring at household items thinking what could that be used for."

Since launching in early 2000, dedicated members of Matlock Miniature Club have used this keen eye for detail to produce a wide range of weird and wonderful works.

Ornate models of Egyptian tombs, vegetable markets and fairground stalls have all been constructed using a combination of skill, patience and steady hands.

Some have been raffled for charity, but others are lovingly stored at members' homes.

The club meets every the third Tuesday at the Whistlestop Cafe in Matlock Bath, from 6.30pm to 9pm.

Individual models can be completed in one evening, but full projects take around a year.

Vivian, 57, from Oker, said: "There's nothing we cannot miniaturise. I even made a mini-wizard's shop after reading Harry Potter."

The group works in the 12th scale, so a foot becomes an inch and an inch becomes very small indeed.

Lynn, who runs an online miniature firm from her home in Derby, said: "Working in the 12th requires magnifying glasses for some, especially as we get older.

"But people are working in the 16th, 24th, 48th and even the 144th scale these days."

She added: "I love how you can let your imagination run wild. I once produced what looked like a book set, but opened into a miniature shop and a mini version of Tutankhamun's tomb. You can do anything."

The group holds an annual fair at the Imperial Rooms in Matlock and organises regularly visits to clubs across the country.

It currently has around a dozen members but would welcome new people of all ages.

To join, call Vivian on 01629 734307.