Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Mini Hippo


mata hippo preview
Originally uploaded by Snowfern

i'm really pleased with this handsome fella! he has lots of details on him, teeth, fingernails/toenails, hat, collar...and a secret at the back ;)

anyway.

phew! what a hectic day it has been!

i spent the morning sorting out some of my papercraft stuff, making mini placemats and trying to put a scene together...then fried rice for lunch and headed out for the post office to send off the quarterscale items...took Eva with me too! she tired out just before we reached the post office, so i had to carry her around...not an easy task, she's fast getting big :O almost 3 kgs!

so i took my time, even went to the library (yes, i snuck her in hee hee), picked up some repositionable glue sticks (they work pretty well!) and got some fruits for dad at grandma's request. when i got home, i was greeted by some pleasant surprises.

whilst waiting for the duckies' heads to bake, i checked my mail and discovered that a pair of duckie earrings had been sold to a first time etsy user, who seemed to have registered specially to purchase the ducks. i wondered to myself if the customer was from a local chit-chat forum i frequent, but left it as that and was happy for the remaining afternoon.

then i got a message from a potential customer (he's waiting for me to complete his order of duckies) that a previous customer's duckies looked great! so my last duckies reached their new owner! i went to the forum to check for the response, and wow! what a wonderful surprise!

so i got requests to make a mini clay version of a user's avatar, as you can see here, i have better photos but i decided to keep them to myself until he gets the package, there's a lot more detail on this handsome guy to be discovered ;) the commission isn't complete yet, will work on the rest tomorrow when there's more light.

i will have to head down to madam ang's to pick up a cake stand too for a different order, also have to work on a penguin. so checklist for tomorrow will be:

1) complete hippo order
2) post up pics of duckies for customers to pick their ordered duckies
3) print receipt and head down to post office to mail out ducky earrings
4) head down to madam ang's to pick up cake stand
5) purchase embossing powder
6) work on penguin
7) work on doll for CDHM contest

phew! i'm pooped from the flurry of activity, it's rare i get this many requests/sales in a day. to think it all started with a request for teeny weeny duckies :) (thanks Christine!)

okay! imma head to bed now, going to for the first time in months, READ A BOOK. hrm. then again maybe i shouldn't, since it's craft related and i might get too stimulated to sleep, ha!

Saturday, June 27, 2009

More squinty-sized stuff


Lettuce
Originally uploaded by Snowfern

okay~ i've been slow on picture taking, made some furniture for my roombox and forgot to take pictures of my quarterscale stuff -_-"

you can probably identify most of the fruits/veges, i think the worst of the lot probably has to be my corn/cucumber. i don't think i can 'save' the corn so i'm thinking of adding a little bit more detail to the cucumber by using acrylic paint....now -that- is going to be a challenge. so i might just use a sharpened colour pencil, but first i'll have to find a box, and then a good sharpener haha.

otherwise, on the whole, i'm rather happy with it. :) especially for a first try on whole fruits and veges!



oh and btw, i am trying to figure out why my feeds don't seem to be working. i don't think sites who subscribed to my feed deleted me, but since i've installed (and unsuccessfully uninstalled) linkwithin, things just don't seem to be working right. so i cleared my server and re-published everything to no avail. will slowly put up links to where they used to belong *sigh*

meanwhile i have to start designing a proper site, gee whiz that'll be a chore -_-"

Thursday, June 25, 2009

quarterscale apples and carrots


quarterscale apples and carrots
Originally uploaded by Snowfern

i have to finish up some items, these are just the first few of those, i have the rest (and then some!) in the oven baking now....

i prefer the carrits with the full greens, however i think they would be too fragile to travel :( the apples require a little more work, so in the oven are a different batch, a nicer batch (i hope!)

quarterscale items are really fun to work with, mostly because of the challenges they pose. well obviously, they're sooooo tiny. dropping them usually means my heart skips a beat, since picking them up would be difficult, that is, if i can even find them to begin with.

also, keeping the lint out. ah. what a pain in the tush. a piece of lint = almost half the item LOL. and colouration. please don't tell me i have to catch a fly in order to use the hair on its back to paint these items > < i specially bought a brush to work such details, it says it's made from 100% weasel hair (??) and it's pretty good to work with so far.

ok. that's about it for now. weather's messing up my sinuses, had a coupla asthma attacks recently, am feeling poorly, did as much as i could, time to get some rest.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Introducing: mimieyes, my cousin :D


Giraffe
Originally uploaded by mimieyes.handmade

ok. so that's not the name of the giraffe. but that's my cousin's work! a giraffe pendant i love so much, it's made out of polymer clay, NOT a mini (but she does mini work too) and now she has an etsy store :D

unlike me, she has a full-time job, so she doesn't spend as much time on her hobby as I do, but please, do take a look at her items, i love them all but then again i might be biased :P

http://mimieyes.etsy.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mimieyes/

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Rubber Ducky Race!




these two slackers!

these took me a whole day to make! they have wing details, beaks are the ones that took a longer time, and i rolled the teeny weeny eyes from clay too....

7 of them will go to a friend for a swap, the rest will be turned into charms/earrings, and 5 of them will remain bathtub companions for our wee pals ;)

email me at snowfern [at] gmail [dot] com if you're interested, i will be putting up some on my etsy too!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Rubber Ducky you're the only one for me~~~


rubber duckies 2
Originally uploaded by Snowfern

so! i tried something other-than-food today, here are the results! i prefer the smaller ones because i got lazy and used accent beads as eyes for the larger ones, which were what i started with, and made smaller, and smaller, and SMALLER versions.....i think the smallest one might even work for 1:96 scale LOL it'll be quite big a ducky though....

i cleared out my re-ment house today, am going to refurbish it into a 2 storey home...i think i should start documenting the progress...hrmmm :)

the duckies seem to be a hit! i will be trading some ducky charms for some plates, whee!!!

oh rubber ducky~ you make bathtime lots of fun!~

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

My first faceup!


strike a pose
Originally uploaded by Snowfern

so...i've made a coupla BJDs before but they turned out pretty terrible so I didn't bother with their faceups....which is odd cos they might look less terrible if i did give them faceups LOL

anyway.

bf (muaks!) got me this dollcena and she originally had no makeup, i pierced her ears and gave her eyebrows, lower lashes, freckles (<3! ) and light lip gloss...her eyeshadow is slightly frosted pink as well, and i'm loving her much! am going to make some shoes for her and a handbag/purse, accessories...and of course, LOTS AND LOTS OF FOOD!

also, i woke up due to the rain at 6.40am, and bought heaps off stuff online > < oh dear me....

Monday, June 15, 2009

ok now i'm annoyed...

i used linkwithin which was rather nifty, but realised that it slowed down the loading time of my page, so i removed the code to see if it would improve, and THE WIDGET REMAINED.

the linkwithin team were really good and fast with the bugs in my widget, but now i CANNOT REMOVE IT.

how odd is that.

:(

anyhow. had a great day, and here's a sneak peek into what i got from my lovely bf! ^ ^

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Quarter Scale experiment results....and a SALE!


new cookies 1 48
Originally uploaded by Snowfern

ok, so someone on CDHM was looking for 1:48th scale items, and i had been meaning to work on some (yea i know i'm always meaning to work on something or other but never get round to it unless inspired or challenged > <)....and since it stuck in my head the whole night, i got up a tad earlier to work on them.....here are the results!

she actually just wanted doggie biscuits, so i made some, but got bitten by the idea of making more quarter scale items (when i work i tend to work in batches and spurts) so i got round to the goldfish crackers that i wanted to make aeons ago....which led to some cookies cos i thought my old ones were disastrous..which led to the donuts cos i had leftover 'frosting' and didn't know what to do LOL!

they are all now ready to be mailed early tomorrow morning ;)

oh! and i am trying to clear some stock cos i intend to work on smaller scales and less complicated stuff. this is because i want to start on a competition project (cdhm.org is holding one!) and i wish to clear some space or i'd just feel unsettled. PLUS bf bought me a whole buncha stuff and i need the space! as i've mentioned before, who knew minis could take up so much space UGHHHH

going to clear the table now, and sort out the new stuff ;) more pics later!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

High Tea Treats & Chocolates






finally finally got them up for sale on my etsy store. i'm such a procrastinator. > <

and i'm sunburnt! hope you like what you see, cos i had much fun making them (the photographs part, not so much :( )

dinnertime.....

Friday, June 12, 2009

Do you love chocolates?


white choc necklace contents
Originally uploaded by Snowfern

i made some chocolates!

i'll post up more pics, better ones, tomorrow. finally put more stuff up on etsy......in time for the 12th June showcase!

so far all my customers have gotten their packages, save one, and my bf says that's cos it takes longer for packages to reach europe :( hope it didn't get lost along the way....

i'm also rather pleased that another customer likes her order so much she's ordering more from me :) yay!! go me~!

will be a busy busy day tomorrow, but i'm sure i'll have fun. HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND EVERYONE!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

they're here!


they're here!
Originally uploaded by Snowfern

omg omg omg! they're here!!!

they're exactly the size stated, but when i held them they look smaller than i visualized in my head! LOL!

i'm sooo happy~~ i know i shouldn't be spending before i earn, but aren't these just irresistible???? i also bought some cutlery today > < oh dear me.....

the colour's a little off, but those are my strawberries and i'm rather proud of them :) for my next batch i will probably colour the leaves a little darker to match the stems, but for now they look kinda cute so i'm leaving them the way they are. can you guess what they will become part of???

Strawberry Almond Cream Cake, and then some!


Strawberry Almond Cream Cake
Originally uploaded by Snowfern

i made so many cakes recently, i'm tired. i wanted to make some japanese food and desserts, but i felt like i needed to stock up etsy a little before the june 12th showcase on http://singaporeetsy.blogspot.com/

i'm also anxiously awaiting a purchase from ebay, and for my items to reach my customers, i hope they arrive safely!

ugh. it's late and i am nursing a really really bad headache. g'nite world!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Tips: Starting out with Polymer Clay in Singapore

LAST UPDATED: 18 April 2011

I no longer purchase clay in stores in Singapore. stocks are unreliable, limited and not fresh (very stiff and hard to work with). if you are keen, you can check out polymerclayexpress.com or clayalley.com.


as to food props such as plates, glasses etc, you can do a search on ebay, etsy, cdhm etc. prices vary greatly depending on quality and quantity. i myself am, looking for a good quality supplier...:( most of my plates i got either via swaps with friends or teammates on TeamMIDS (etsy team).

Also, i do not offer classes currently (but will after Aug 2011) please read this post carefully, most of the commonly asked questions are answered here. for general clay techniques, questions etc, please refer to links on the right, or go direct to

http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/contents.htm

thanks for looking ^ ^
======================================================


I have had quite a few Singaporeans ask me where to get clay, what to get, etc, and I thought I'd just share with whomever cares to read this my experiences so far...



Polymer Clay, Where to get, What to get that's suitable for us in this climate


Daiso polymer clay

I've tried the cheap Daiso type, which is quite rubbery after baking and might actually be desirable depending on what you wish to do, but i hated it. it was tough to condition, and the end results weren't that great. and it stuck like a )&@$*&@#$*@# to my pasta machine (which i'll touch on later if i remember)

Sculpey III

i hate Sculpey. it's too soft and sticky, and gets into my pasta machine, it doesn't cane well due to it being too sticky. if you're working in an air conditioned room (i believe thehappyqueen mentioned she likes Sculpey better) i guess it's ok. but i hate it to the core. if possible, i never ever want to use it again.

FIMO soft/effect clays (my fave by far, highly recommended)


i have very warm hands, and FIMO clay works great with me. it's a little harder to condition than Sculpey (which requires close to no conditioning) but i find it totally worthwhile. i initially purchased quite a few colours, like black, translucent orange, translucent red, white and caramel, but after working with more colours and pastels and learning to mix my own colours, i've only gotten white, translucent and some special effects blocks.

Kato Clay


i tried making some teapots and teacups, and they turned out disastrous cos the clay was too soft (i used Sculpey....i guess that's the problem). I know some places tell you to leach the clay if it's too soft, but i've found that once i've leached it to the consistency i want, it sometimes cracked when i'm trying to make curved surfaces, and that sucks bad. so i tried Kato clay, which is said to be the hardest of the clays...and it worked great! pity it's hard to find in SG too...and the shop that carries it is clearing back stock since they don't carry it anymore...


Where to buy polymer clay in Singapore?


Creative Hands - Orchard CLOSED DOWN :(
4th floor takashimaya

i got myself a membership with them, iirc it's $10 for 2 yrs, and you get 10% discounts off regular priced items. the orchard branch has some backstock of Kato and FIMO on sale, and some specials on Sculpey, so it's worth taking a look. be warned though, the sale stuff has limited range, and when i last went a few weeks back they were out of white/translucent FIMO. also, if you purchase a certain amt (not sure how much) of FIMO clay from them, you get a complimentary FIMO introduction disc. i don't know what's on it though :P

Art Friends - Orchard
Art Friends - Bras Basah

i've seen them stock mostly just Sculpey, they are slightly pricier here than at Creative Hands, but they are very well stocked.


Popular - Bras Basah
- NO LONGER STOCKS FIMOYay they seem to have restocked!
where I got my first bunch of polymer clay. their range isn't very wide nor well stocked, but i get 10% discount with my membership card, so i get whatever i can :P
oh. and get your liquid FIMO here, it's the cheapest i've found, at $14.15.

Urban Write - (under Popular management) - Tampines One/Orchard Central
Prologue - ION Orchard

decent range of FIMO and FIMO products including liquid FIMO. POPULAR discount card applicable in both places.


Garie International - East coast area?
Tinklearts - redhill area?
i've never been or purchased from either place, but i think they both sell FIMO at 4.20 per block too. you can probably google for them to get the addresses (it's late and i'm tired sorry)

What tools do i need?


http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/contents.htm
before i continue, please go through the website as indicated above. it is EXTREMELY useful, although wordy. i spent a little more than a month doing research online before i even touched my clay, so please put in some of your own effort, i don't mean to seem unhelpful or unfriendly, but i'd rather focus on what's pertinent to those living in Singapore (or similar climates) than re-hash whatever information is easily available on the net.



Rolling pin

for conditioning and rolling out the clay. i use a glass bottle that i got from a vending machine (vit-c drink) haha. please note that polymer clay eats up some plastics, so it's best to get an acrylic roller. you can read more at http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/contents.htm i didn't get the acrylic roller cos 1) i have a pasta machine, 2) i'm a cheapskate :X

Pasta Machine


i had to stop knitting and tatting due to RSI on my wrists, and conditioning the clay was so painful my hands swelled up all the way to my elbows. so my bf bought me the pasta machine :) you can get one at a neighbourhood homeware/hardware store (the ones that sell woks, bowls etc) for about $30, but it's made in china which means it's not very durable and has a tendency to spoil easily. but i don't care. it's cheaper by about $10 compared to the one you get at art friends. and back then, art friends didn't even carry it, so....

clay gun

only about $6 at art friends. i don't use it much, but when i do it's pretty fun, although a real *)@#$*# to clean. buy it if you can spare the $ and want to try out new stuff! i recommend it cos i like trying out new stuff ^ ^

sculpting tools

pretty much anything can be a sculpting tool, but my fave ones to use are the needle tools from a basic toolset i got (about $5 for 5 different tools)

also, the stylus tool is cool, art friends has a set of 5 different sized ball stylus(es?) in a pack, i think it was quite cheap, no more than $5 iirc.

toothpicks are also one of my fave tools. don't bother getting any fancy tools, i've found my fancy tools are just taking up space...but hey, you'll never know when i'll need them, right? :E


cutting mat

one of my fave buys, i got mine at 2 for $1.05 at the value dollar shop at hougang mall. it's slightly clear, polymer clay doesn't melt it (or stick to it, not much anyway) and it's clear enough for me to stick graph paper or cutting mat underneath for handy measurements! you can thank me later for this tip ;)

OVEN

ok. super important (duh). i bought one specially to bake my polymer clay with, it was on offer at carrefour for only SGD$29, and it had temperature control which is SUPER DUPER IMPORTANT. you don't want to breathe in toxic fumes when your clay burns, which is worse than throwing away hours of work on your clay and seeing it char. i would recommend getting a thermometer too (approx $10 at phoon huat or popular bras basah).

so my tip is to set it about 10 degrees lower than stated, and bake for longer. but since i work with minis, i don't have to bake it too long as my items are sooo tiny.
above tip is idiotic. i had read somewhere some artisan baked at lower temp for longer, and that's a NO-NO. bake according to instructions on the back of the packaging. these days i bake at slightly higher, as long as it doesn't char i'm happy. :X but be careful, translucent clays tend to discolour, so bake according to the instructions of your brand!

have fun with clay!