Miniature Christmas 2011

table and chair from Revoltech's Professor Layton set ^ ^ it's quite nicely scaled for 1:12, 'cept that Prof Layton must have really short legs ;P

Let's give Santa a snack break :) 

More Traditional Sleigh

 a little more modern

I made these sleighs and cookies around this time last year, and they sold pretty quickly, but i don't remember why i didn't list more (probably due to lack of time for international shipping) so they hung around until this year :P I finally assembled some items, and am coming up with a new range, which as i've mentioned before (in very very fine print) probably won't be ready in time for Christmas 2011 T-T

or maybe something more modern looking? these will arrive in my new snowflakes box designs ^ ^ also available as printables! you can read about it in this 1st post i made today (ahhh 3 posts in a day!!!)

i love eating gingerbread cookies, they're bound to give me a sore throat though :( 

but it's ok if you leave them as decorations on a tree? o.O our climate wouldn't allow for it though! XD

You can view more closeups and pics etc on my Etsy :)

(random pic of what 100 listings worth of minis look like at a glance XD )

((another random pic of the weirdest Christmas mall decoration i've seen to date. a little creepy but i find it gnomishly cute XD taken at harbourfront shopping centre))

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does the cupboard look familiar to you? :P thanks to theShoppingSherpa who alerted me to it, and Talina who suggested a swap for them! my items are still not ready for her yet *face heats up* but i hope to get to the graphics after i finish this post ^ ^ 

she's sent me LOADS more stuff, but i don't have time to sort it out just yet, trying to clear my table of all the WIP and there's other stuff going on...like this advent calendar at minitreasures wiki... and of course the I'm a giant challenge.....it's always a little hectic around this time of the year, but i enjoy it!

 although they're not sent to her yet, i've already sent her pics of  her swap parcel, so i thought i'd put them here since i really enjoyed making them too ^ ^ i love eating cherries as well! she asked for a few cherries and i promised to make her some cherry pits....then thought HRMMM there ought to be cherry stalks too....and now that i'm re-examining it, i go to "hrmm there ought to be one with a knotted stalk...."....see my brain just is never satisfied!!! :( hrgnngh.

there's more to make yet, i've initiated another swap, i'm not sure what it is but since i don't celebrate christmas, participating in swaps makes me feel more included in the festivities and giveaways and swaps and such going around blogland. i often feel like i'm lagging behind on the latest news and updates so imma have my own sort of fun *petulant pouts* yea i don't think i'll ever 'mature' :S :P i do so wish i were part of more swaps, but given my limitations i need to pace myself. :( so much to do so little time!!!! and here i am still whining away the time!!!!

speaking of giveaways.....i was going to participate in one and omg, look at the captcha T-T I WIN AT LOSING

oh and a reminder to those who haven't participated and who would like a chance, my giveaway ends on 1st Dec, please comment on the post itself here:

http://snowfern-clover.blogspot.com/2011/11/christmas-giveaway-and-sale.html

good luck to all!!

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on to more personal (non-mini) stuff.......

my fancy new paperweight

i mentioned in my previous post that my laptop died yesterday :( it's been a little wonky, turning off on its own whenever i over-exert my graphics card, so i thought it was probably (there're like a gabilliokillion reasons why a comp could go wrong) due to the overheating of the graphic card that was the issue, but after it blinked off for the umpteenth time last night, it wouldn't turn back on!!!! i was so worried about it that i woke up real early today thinking and planning how to retrieve the data from the HDD....but bf simply removed the battery and TA-DAH IT STARTED UP AGAIN WOOT WOOT.

makes me feel like i'm living on borrowed time, BUT NEVERMIND WHATEVER i'm HERE

:P

available here!
(uhh baby not included XD)

bf has been busy making some games, and he's made this cute little polar bear graphic!!! it's soooo adorable on this baby uh....'creeper'??? i was so pleasantly surprised by this simple and cute drawing, it's going to be in his latest game which he'll release soon, and i'll update about ;)

please show him some support by going to his Zazzle store! there are other merchandise there too, like t-shirts and caps for both kids and adults

http://www.zazzle.com/outsourced_christmas

it's also Thanksgiving for my American friends, which reminds me of a game he did last year..... it's a simple one, but quite fun :P

http://www.intigo.net/flashgames/turkey/

PHEW that was another long post! kk back to work......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'm a Giant Challenge Day 9

The lights are IN!!!! 

i'm a little late again this week, had a few things to finish up, and my laptop died yesterday T-T luckily, bf, who has MAGIC HANDS I TELLSYA (well in more ways than...NEVERMIND) fixed it!!! he removed the battery, which i think overheated and short-circuited something somewhere. i've done a little bit of backup for the more important stuff, like templates and graphics etc....this poor laptop has served me very well for over 5 years, but i'm not ready to let it retire yet! :P

back to the challenge...

before - with flash (lousy phonecam pic)

after - no need for flash! ^ ^ :P same lousy phonecam pic.

before - the left side...a little creepy....

ahhh much better!

i took apart 2 IKEA 'Billy Bookcase' Lights which i'd purchased a few months back, thinking it'd be perfect for lighting a 1:12 shop....why not for 1:24 too eh?

i was thinking of putting up a 'how i did it' with photos, but it's so dead simple i don't know if it's worth the trouble. but since i have one intact (i bought 3 ;P they were so cheap, i think not more than SGD$5 each excluding 2 AAA batteries) i might if i remember to in the future :X

Still need to find some nice mosaic tile printables and figure out what sort of wallpaper/texture i'd like for both inside and out. the roof still needs to be assembled, i've cut out the pieces but haven't quite yet thought through how i'll make the light switches accessible...i like the 'hidden access' sort better than visible buttons, so that'll require a bit more work and planning. which i don't have, the deadline for this is 3 weeks away, and there's lots more for me to do yet -_-"

one of the wires came loose, and i had to whip out my soldering iron, which i'm deathly afraid of, but i managed to get it back onto the circuit and now i'm itching to try out -proper- soldering for some of the ideas i have in mind for decorating the bakery. it -is- a decorating challenge after all, isn't it?

meager update, but i'm so pleased with how it turned out. how's your dollhouse coming along?

Miniature Printable Snowflake Design Boxes

I've got a new Christmassy Design available now on my Etsy for your personal use :)

I liked the idea of the design extending into the box itself, I think my future designs will incorporate this feature! I hope you like it too. The sizes are similar to that of my previous Macarons and Cookies boxes, but this design is so versatile, you can put decorations, christmas cards, even use it as a gift box, anything goes!

Here is a rough guide on how to use these printables, since they are a little different than the simpler printables i've offered previously:-

- Print your PDF onto your desired paper (I recommend 150GSM- 180GSM photopaper, any thinner/thicker and the boxes might not fit snugly into the sleeves)
- Spray with protective coating if desired

- Score using the arrows as guides. You can use a bone folder, ball stylus, or even your fingernail to do this. It may be easier if you place it on top of craft foam, mousepad or even kitchen towels. Be careful not to tear through or scratch the print off.
- Another way to do this is to cut notches onto the red arrows, and score along the BACK of the paper using the cut notches as a guide. I prefer this method if i have the time :)

- Fold along the scored lines.

 - Cut out along the dotted lines and outline of the box. Since everything has been scored and folded in the earlier step, it is easy to manipulate the small pieces now.

- glue the insides of the flaps and fold in. For these boxes, fold in the shorter sides first (the sides hiding the small flaps). Your folded piece should look like the above before you glue the sides into place.

And you're done!

I've made my templates easy to score, fold, cut as a batch, since that is the way I like to work :) it's very fast to fold these, to very neat results! Perfect for a small weekend project :)

I've also made them in different colours :) I went to the printers to get these on glossy (they called it 'art' paper) 157GSM papers....will fold them later. You can purchase the individual colours here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86885399/printable-pdf-file-miniature-christmas

Please indicate during checkout which colour you'd like :) 

The colours came out a little different, darker, than my own printer (which has run low on ink :( )...which is why the salmon pink looks redder than usual o.O

(oops no i checked again, i used the wrong colour XD have corrected the PDF for the salmon pink to match the macaron and cookies box printables, gotta get it re-printed now -_-")

 Christmas colours!!! You can purchase the copies here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86885399/printable-pdf-file-miniature-christmas

or perhaps, like me, your tastes run a little dark sometimes, you can get the same designs in Black, Navy Blue, and Purple. 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86957624/3-printable-pdf-files-miniature

Save $2 when you purchase this 3-in-1 listing! ^ ^ and don't forget, there's also a coupon code discount on in my Etsy store right now! Up till Dec 1st 2011, you will get 10% off all purchases if you enter the code NOV2011 upon checkout!

Hope you liked these designs :) And Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it, i might have to bake myself a pumpkin pie i'm so caught up in all the excitement i see on facebook XD

Miniature Marie Antoinette Cakes & Pastries in 1:4 Scale

This has been occupying me most of last week :) I had a request come in for 1:4 Marie Antoinette inspired cakes and pastries, and 'elated' would be an understatement of my reaction when I read the email! Although I'm not quite a frou-frou girl, growing to love pink (and Hello Kitty O.O) has been an inexplicable phenomenon that's bubbling just under my skin.

image from http://www.theage.com.au/news/fashion/icing-on-the-cake/2006/12/27/1167500043404.html

There were quite a number of stills from the movie on the web, but most were blurry, so i tried my best with what i could get off Google. ah. how decadent. 

the pink i mixed was a little more 'peach' in real life, then again it was almost evening when i took these photos. i don't have much rococo or french type scrapbook papers, so i picked one closes to the wallpaper colours in the movie photo. ooo i am really liking this photoshoot :O

since the topping on this 3-tier beauty was a St Honore, i'd suggested to my customer that it be a removeable one, for versatility. i'd forgotten to place a prop for scale, so here are my fat fingers again XD if you were wondering how large this cake is, it's approx 5inches wide at the base. i think this might be the largest 'mini' i've ever made! C:

I did likewise on the simpler rose petal cake. 

the white St Honore certainly does stand out on it :O

She'd also requested some strawberry eclairs, instead of the raspberry pairing that I had previously made. the raspberry went onto a pastry similar to the religieuse, but just 1-layer, more commonly known as "Nipple of Venus" where my customer is from. if you do decide to google for the term, please ensure that your SafeSearch is ON if you're at the office XD or if you have kids sharing the computer :P

i tried my best to photograph them (there are 3) but no matter how i arranged, my gutterbrain still registered something more sexy :P

MOVING ALONG! ;P ;P ;P

i tried but couldn't seem to take a good photo of the 'seeds' on the strawberries! This variation of the strawberry eclair was also off an image I found online:

image from http://www.bakerzin.com

i was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was from a local bakery! I really loved the caramel sea-salt macarons that they used to have, but i'd not enjoyed any macaron since i found out that they will no longer sell that flavour (or so i'd been told when i enquired) as it was a special seasonal promotion item :( :( :( :(

ah well. am on a perpetual diet anyway. :P

getting ready to be packed and sent to Russia! :D

some arty-farty shots i tried to take....with the evening sunlight -_-"

lol the rose petals kept flying all over the place with the window open XD

i want to some day write a 'fake food' book or magazine :E :E 

i can dream, can't i?

(oh man, i'm feeling so self-conscious and embarrassed for even playing with the photo my cheeks are burninggggg......*blush*)

i do want to try making this in 1:12, but piping in any scale is difficult as it is! so maybe another time, this venture bunched my my shoulder and hands, luckily bf is always around and quick to help me massage the pains away.............i'll be taking it easy before i move on to my next commission :) 

meanwhile, i was really surprised by the number of entries to my giveaway!!! wow i had an inkling as to the number of regular readers i have, but my comments had always been few (maybe cos i'm lousy at replying T-T), so thank you all for participating and for all the nice (and SUPER FUNNY omg i sometimes had to stop taking a swig of my drink so i wouldn't spray on my monitor) comments!! i do have to remind all who participated that i can only accept valid entries, multiple replies in one comment only entitles you to one entry...this is to be fair to those who have entered correctly :( I understand that this might be due to a language difference, but i'm so sorry i don't know how to phrase it or explain it better :( 

I will be preparing some Christmas printables and boxes, so watch out for those on my Etsy ^ ^ 

Have a super week ahead!

<3, Cindy