Baking in mini – my maiden voyage

I used to make clay foods when I was young for my childhood dollhouse, but that was limited to mostly hamburgers. :D Since rediscovering minis as an adult, I’ve seen so many talented food artisans online and at the mini shows.

I recently bought some suitable colors of clay and started experimenting.

Here is the first batch of cookies using Fimo clay in the color sahara. I started with bats and cats since making festive cookies was part of the to-do list for my Halloween display that I didn’t have time to finish before the holiday.

I used chalk pastels to give them some golden color.  After baking, they really do look like plump, warm-from-the-oven cookies!  :D

I used clay mixed with the Translucent Liquid Sculpey as well as oil paint mixed with the Translucent Liquid Sculpey to make icing for the cookies. The oil paint was certainly easier to mix and work with, so I will pick up a starter set of colors next time I head to the store.

Here’s a plate of skulls with white frosting.  I don’t know why, but these are my favorite.  :D

The pumpkin cookies are rather fun, too.

The leaf cookies could be used for the general autumn season or for a Thanksgiving setting.

I left some of the leaves bare and decided to try a different method, coating them in three shades of glitter to mimic sugar cookies.

The frosted Christmas trees have added micro beads in gold and silver.

I spent all day on these lovelies and certainly had fun, but after all that work…there aren’t any cookies I can actually eat!!!!  :O

Two designs of Halloween plates and Christmas plates from A Lavender Dilly. Plate with doily from Stewart Dollhouse Creations.

Categories: Miniatures, Polymer clay
November 3, 2012 | 0 comments

Jack-o’-lantern

What’s a Halloween display without a jack-o’-lantern?! Ophelia wouldn’t hear of it!

I’ve seen many techniques used online and in books for making hollow pumpkins from polymer clay. Most often something is baked inside: styrofoam, foil or a glass marble. Each of these has pros and cons. The styrofoam just seems noxious to bake, but maybe I’m wrong. The glass marble can cause breakage when you try to remove it, which makes me worry about all the effort to make it look good being ruined in an instant. The foil doesn’t seem the easiest to remove, but it seems the least noxious and easier than the marble…so that’s the way I went.

I used Fimo ochre clay around the foil ball and then added Fimo cognac clay around the clay ball. This way, the inside would be lighter than the outside once carved.

I added lines and texture but decided to carve my pumpkin after baking to minimize handling while the clay was pliable. I did plan to leave one or two of the pumpkins intact just for decoration, but I made all three the same way just in case.

I used pastels to color the clay before baking to deepen the color and emphasize the sculpted lines. Here they are after baking.

After the clay cooled, I cut the removable top, removed the foil innards and carved the pumpkin face. None of these things proved easily done. The clay was thicker and harder than I thought it would be. It didn’t ruin the illusion in the end, but I ended up making only this one for lack of time.

I used a grape stem for the top, an idea I saw on Joann Swanson’s blog. I used the larger main stem, though, and it was still green. I microwaved it to dry it out, and bleh…did it ever smell bad. Hahahaha

After gluing the stems on, I brushed on a thin coat of Sculpey satin glaze, even on the stems to seal them. It gives them a wonderfully realistic waxy finish. It also disguises the cutting and carving marks.

I drilled a hole in the bottom for the LED.

These are flickering LEDs from Evan Designs. They attach to a 3V battery adapter with a switch and come in yellow or orange. I bought both colors since I wasn’t sure which would look better, or if I would want a combination of the two. I ended up using a single orange bulb for my jack-o’-lantern since it was the better color of the two and plenty bright on its own.

I had already run the wire through the foundation so I could operate the switch in the cellar doors. Here’s the battery and switch in the cellar.

The light is on and pumpkins are in place! Hooray!

I think this requires a movie. ;D I apologize for the poor quality of the video, but it’s the best my camera will do. At least you get to see the flickering LED!

I will definitely use these flickering lights for the parlor fireplace, too. That wiring will be an easier endeavor to accomplish, though.

Categories: Polymer clay, The Haunted Heritage
November 2, 2012 | 0 comments

Happy Halloween 2012

There was a challenge posted on Mini Mod Pod to make a Halloween scene. Well, even though the Heritage is incomplete, grandma is open for business on Halloween!

Her kitchen broom is poised by the settee, and the local children insist they’ve seen her fly around the yard on it. Grandma says she wishes it would fly around on its own and clean the leaves off the front steps. Haaaaaaaaaa!

Grandma has a freshly carved jack-o’-lantern out front.

I apologize for the poor quality of the video, but it’s the best my camera will do. At least you get to see the flickering LED!

Carving one was hard enough, so she left the others whole. ;]

There are bats flying around the portico. :O

Mice are trying to break into the kitchen. :\

Mr. and Mrs. Scarecrow have stopped by to say hello. I made these for the tutorial I posted earlier.

I’ve borrowed the step stool from Baslow Ranch and the sunflowers from Baxter Pointe Villa for the front porch. The ceramic pumpkin basket by Alex Meiklejohn holds candy for trick-or-treaters. Grandma gives out full sized chocolate bars! She has more in the bag in case they go fast.

The chocolate bars are made by wrapping foil around tiny pieces of cardboard (1/4″ x 1/2″) and then applying a custom made label. The candy wrapper label came from Today’s Creative Blog, but I had to change the font. The original type was illegible when printed so small. I love the vintage feel and personal touch of these wrappers. I thought about using actual candy wrapper images, but grandma is more creative than that!

Looks like grandma has been reading Edgar Allan Poe outside while enjoying the crisp autumn air. The afghan was made by Mary of Woodland Miniatures/Roslyn Treasures. I made the book for the Heritage parlor bookcase.

The two pumpkin birdhouses are by Whimsy Cottage Minis.

This one Lyssa bought for me. :D She also made the tree and owl picture you see in the front window by the settee.

So, will you dare to climb the front steps for a full sized chocolate bar?!!

Or, are you a scaredy cat who worries about ending up in the cellar?

Boo!

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
October 30, 2012 | 0 comments

Heritage – bedroom swinging windows, part 3

Continuing work on the swinging windows. I have a separate post for details on finishing the top of the bay window roof.

I crackled white paint over the outside and finished the interior with Vintage White by Folk Art. I glued in the acetate, and now the two window assemblies for the front swinging window are complete.

I tacked some acetate in place on the interior trim piece to complete the look of this portion of the window.

I touched up the white paint along the upper edges of the bay trim, added a paint wash of grey. I then glued the exterior arch window trim in place.

I put the swinging window together in mockup form and braced it underneath with a temporary board. This board is supposed to be painted to match the exterior, but I like the way it blends into bay roof in black so it will likely stay as is. None of it is glued in place.

Of course, even with all the careful planning, the windows don’t really close all the way…together, that is. They are too tight when both are closed. I like them partially open anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. I can close one or the other, or leave them both slightly open. At least they work and look mostly convincing.

I need to finish the bedroom wallpaper before I can install permanently.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
October 28, 2012 | 0 comments

Heritage – grandma’s neglected lawn, part 6

Continuing work on the lawn. I added a bunch of Woodland Scenics Field Grass tufts that I made for Baxter Pointe Villa but never ended up using. These were made from two colors of grass, with the ends dipped in clear gel glue and set to dry on waxed paper.

Once dry, I peeled them from the waxed paper and put them in a storage container.

For the larger tufts, I clipped the glued portion into smaller tufts and glued them into holes made with an awl. It gives a nice overgrown appearance. I saved the rest for later when I install the chimney and fence. I still have some loose grass, too, so I can always make more if I need it.

It’s time for a sprinkling of leaves. :D

The rake is by Sir Thomas Thumb. Grandma needs a weed wacker!

I’ve started setting up a few autumn minis in preparation for my Halloween photos, though I still have a few things to make and finish up. These birdhouses are from Whimsy Cottage Minis.

This one Lyssa gave to me. :D

There’s Ophelia, as you know, and the lovely horse statues are from Katie’s Clay Corner.

I think we’re getting somewhere now.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
October 27, 2012 | 0 comments