Crazy mode, time on my hands..

So yeah I had the house to myself today.. I was a busy bee =)

I posted a new tutorial on prep boards and cutting boards, just kinda making them more fancy for your scenes or sales.

I worked on prep boards for sale at the mini craft fair:

I love this one particularly, I am getting better on my mushroom making.. less sicking to my hand and falling on the floor. =)

 

I even did a few more pieces of the Holiday Inc. House ..time to make the doughnuts...little ones :)

 

 

 

 

Project: phase one...of 1000?

I just wanted to post the gingerbread house quick to show its completion:

 

 

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To continue: I started the "very basic start" on the Holiday Inc. build, the base and walls last night.

I have to go pick out some wall decoration and stain..and flooring..and..well you know how it goes ;)

 

 

MiniFanatics, around this house

My 5 year daughter is my biggest fan ;) She was my inspiration from the start and always has great ideas in case I get fog brain when I sit down to the clay table.

From time time we did projects together until she told me she wanted her own clay and tools.

Most children play with clay or playdoh from time to time and you find some nice food stuffs in there or a funny little character but usually a big hand sized ________<insert thing here.

 

My daughter went from lumps to some pretty nice stuff.

 

And of course were not talking about big old hand sized chunks here.. I think she is going to outdo me by age 7.

 

 

At least I can be a good assistant in her shop ;)

 

 

 

Christmas goodies..making tools..to make the goods

I started messing around with creating stamps and new tools today, I now have ambitions of being a mini cutter maker.. my cutters would be like little embossing cutters so you would not only stamp detail into something but also cut a nice sharp shape out... <<<this is all fantasy you know? A gal can dream>>

I worked out a few kinks on the piping method for random items:

I made a pumpkin pie..since its already too late..ehh I still wanted to try one. I used my new handy dandy extruder gun on the whipped cream.

This one is still the prototype but I used a mini medicine syringe from a leftover vet visit to construct a really small piping gun.

 

 

It is filled with the standard tls/frosting mix.. just a little thicker. The hardest part will be to perfect a star shaped piping tip which I am messing around with utilizing metal tubing snipped bent and dropped into the syringe.

 

Think of a really small caulk gun

 

 

 

I also did not want to be the only girl on the block who didn't do a gingerbread house for this upcoming holiday craft fair...yeah so I started that. I just hope to perfect the piping gun for the decoration.

 

 

ps.. you see them gumdrops?  Pretty damn cute ain't they? Translucent/ color mix covered in fine sand and fine glitter ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Workshop...in the..workshop

I only had a few mini Min's today so I started to work on a display counter and a simple table:

 

I am running out of balsa wood packs I will have to start searching more than just Michael's for the 8.00 packs of scrap wood. They do have a hobby lobby about 40 mins from me. Last time I went there tho I think I spend about 2 1/2 hours just looking around at small packs of "things" just to see how many mini ideas I would come up with.

 

I better pack a bag lunch for my next trip ;)

 

 

You will see tho I have upgraded my dollar store table for this $2.00 table I've made form balsa wood.. hey its a start :P

I took a break from the clay today *shocker*

Yes I know, I must be low in zinc.

I am getting excited now, I've ordered the Taft General Store from Greenleaf and my big project will soon be started.

So in anticipation I picked up some of the piles of wood I've had laying on the wood shelf...forever...and started working on some of the workshop furniture:

 

Now this isn't to showcase my artisan skills with popsicle sticks ;) .... they are rough and unfinished but I will get some nice detail wood and stain once I figure the color palette for the room.

 

This is supposed to be a workbench and shelf...or will be when I'm done. :)

Black Friday..aka stay in your house and cleanup..

Well I should have been resetting the house today but instead the mini fever took over.. it started the night before as I stared at the decorated dishes for Thanksgiving.

Then this morning the "ideas" pop in your head..you know if you don't start on them or sketch them out your going to be just floating around anyways... So I took the morning to work on some new skills.

Platters/Mugs/Bowls and fruit:

 

I decided to attempt a few different things this morning, I never really work on platters or cups so I though that would be a good start.

As you can see here its your standard Polymer punch plate: punch circle then press a smaller circular object in the middle slowly and rim will lift. I used a couple of small nail decals on the plates just to add some contrast.

The 2 decorated bowls are done with a stylus, Ill have to get more into that one at another time, its a few steps for that

 

 I worked a bit on twice baking clay, starting with a standard shape and adding clay to it with details. A simple mold pressed cup... baked it, then added the base and fancy handle. This way you can grip the cup and press details in.

 

 

This platter was done by punching a simple circle then adding indents, I ran it though the pasta machine once and it turned out to be a perfect oval.

 

The cookies I did cutting with a exacto and hand shaped..just to see if i could

 

The fruit bowl is something you have to keep working on but I wanted to get a baseline to see where i was at in making small fruit.. first time bananas here.. they don't look to bad ;)

 

Ps...my nails and hands are jacked up... yes...yes I know

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving:

I just want to wish you all a happy and healthy day today!! May your bellies be heavy and your hearts be light!!

Making a few more...

I know a lot of us are into the holiday spirit recently involving minis..and the macro's ;)

I was going to join this little craft fair a local school was having this year..then I saw how big it actually was..then I chickened out.. I ADMIT IT.  Also in my hide under a rock defence, I really did not have any stock items to sell.

There is another smaller fair..library style ..*lol*.. I may look into. That one may be the best to dip my mini toes into.

Sometimes its hard to come out of your mini shell but even the smallest turtle does it from time to time. ;)

So I am working on a few display items since its a holiday fair, I love every ones little Christmas cookies and while you HAVE to HAVE a few cookies for display.. you also need something pretty to put them on :)

 

Cookie Plate Tier:

This is very simple to make:

Make three polymer clay plates in varying sizes. You will want to bake and paint/glaze those plates before assembly.

Use a large sewing needle to punch a hole into the center.

Clip a bit of wire make it straight, then slide your plates ..then the bead/ jewelry ring/ stiff paper circle, into place by applying a bit of tack glue . I do use super glue from time to time on the bottom to really place the wire.

Hold each section until dry < insert elevator music here>

You can then glue the entire piece onto a wooden circle or clay circle base to make it stand.

You can do 2 tiers maybe add a shiny bead to the top.. have fun with it ;)

Upgrading and updating your store:

I said to myself as I looked at the turkey platter..i said Jane..cause that's how I talk in my head..I said Jane..you can do better:

So I did..I updated the turkey platter itself with a better set of onions and potatoes.

but then I decided to make this into a feast..so I added a few little things to go with it.

I am not all about creating mini dishes as a norm, I like to create different mini items as my skills progress but I do think this set turned out pretty damn good for a "newb"

Still learning.. ;)