1:6 scale miniature playscale 80s Singapore tidbits

Cross-posted at http://clover-tea.blogspot.sg/

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The DSLR won this round. I am still struggling with the settings, and the macro clip-ons. I suppose the photos look good from far, but are far from good T-T They'll have to do for now because I am a little busy!

The request was for 1:6 items, a rare request! They are double the size of the ones I made for a personal 80s Singapore project. Quite a number of people have asked where I had obtained the images, all the graphics were made by me using inkscape, referencing photos I had found online.

Yotsuba is 12cm tall, which makes her about 1:10 scale, so these are a tad large for her! They would be suitable for playscale dolls like Barbie. Pullip, Blythe etc, but I think my customer ordered them for possibly YoSD sized dolls? I really ought to put them with some Re-ment but eh, already packed them away hehehhe oops

 1:6 scale miniature White Rabbit Milk sweets and Haw Flakes, polymer clay, paper, Inkscape, sealant, glue

1:6 scale miniature Mamee Noodle Snack, air dry clay, decal, plastic, paper, Inkscape, sealant, glue, acrylic paint

Some of these might not be familiar to those who aren't living in Southeast Asia, but I have had people reporting in from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and even the USA who say they're still available in Chinatown areas! Wooo!

1:6 scale miniature seaweed rings, Spin potato snacks, air dry clay, acrylic paint, sealant, plastic

These were the most time consuming to make, and there are 50 pcs in each package. The Spin crackers used to taste and look slightly different from these when I was younger, and had a flavour other than MSG :X I miss eating them! They also came in a cone, not packaged like this. As for how do I do my plastic packaging, let's just say, I still fail alot and so am not confident in revealing my methods :( But you can try and be creative with an iron, just be careful! :X

GROUP SHOT! I hope she likes them :) I certainly enjoyed making them, quite a challenge!

I have also opened up a pre-order for the 1:3 Ramen and Udon bowls that were pretty popular, you can find more details here:

http://clover-tea.blogspot.sg/p/pre-order-july-2014.html

however there are only 2 bowls left, they were snapped up faster than expected, thank you all :)

You are cordially invited....

...to SIM-RMIT Bachelor of Design (Communication Design) Batch 12th Graduation Showcase

:)

Event: SIM-RMIT Bachelor of Design (Communication Design)

Batch 12th Graduation Showcase

Date: 21 (Sat) - 22 (Sun) June 2014

Time: 10.30am - 8pm

Venue: National Design Centre 

111 Middle Road

Singapore 188969

Admission: Free

For more information, please visit http://tictalk12.com/!

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I feel really really lucky to have been picked by a group of talented designers to participate in their graduate project cum showcase, a big big BIG "Thank You!" for all the hard work, Chin, Esther, Jingting and Noeleen! They were all very professional and lovely to work with, and patient dealing with me, as I have very little knowledge of design and how to market my own works......they even came down all the way to my neighbourhood for their meetings for my convenience. I am really, really touched by their thoughtfulness! 

They did a stellar job and many congratulations to them on their graduation show!!!!

*deep bows*

If you are in Singapore on the above dates, please do drop by to show your support to them, and me *blush* The Singapore 80s tidbit stall was a personal challenge, and I am so glad that people other than my immediate family will get to view my hard work XD 

I will be attending the opening night and hope to grab some photos of the whole campaign, I hope I do their hard work justice! *goes off to charge camera batteries!!!*

As for those who are unable to view all the items in person, you can view the summary of the little individual elements below, in my Facebook album!

Post by Snowfern Clover.

A drink for the 1:12 tidbits stallholder....

1:12 scale dollhouse miniature milk coffee tins (aluminum, epoxy resin, acrylic paint, Inkscape, paper, glue, raffia string)

I am back from FAM2014!! It was a super fun and hectic weekend, I will try to blog about it in detail as per last few events, but meanwhile, am excited to continue work on some ongoing projects, namely the 80s Singapore tidbits stall :) I imagine the stallholder taking coffeebreaks, and this is one of the most popular ways to order a to-go coffee in Singapore when I was a kid!

 The tin cans had to be made first, and like the biscuit tins, I used actual disposable 'pie' trays (which are thicker than aluminum foil) and glue to hold everything together. Then also making sure to glue all edges before adding the resin, to ensure no leakage.

As for the label, I referenced some old photos found online, and picked out elements which I recall best matched my childhood recollection of the tins and printed it out on regular A4 paper, spray sealed, and stuck it onto the tins after the resin had set.

It took me, oh, all of 6 hours to do it, inclusive of all the whining and procrastinating that comes with graphic/editing work :X Poor Asuka and Chun bore the brunt of it this time XD XD XD Thank you two for putting up with my nonsense!!! :X

There is more news coming up in my next post! Those who are following the Snowfern Clover facebook page probably know about it already, but I'll do up a proper post on it soon, quite excited!!!

Post by Snowfern Clover.

More updates on the Miniature Tidbits Stall

I made a little more progress on the tidbits display counter...I think this will be the final arrangement for the sweets, gum etc. Although there were a lot more little toys and sweets that I would like to add, it seems like I've run out of space! (the blank spots are for 2 more items which I am still working on.....)

1:12 miniature Hudson's and Sugus sweets

 These are the little candies that I've added. Hudson's in 3 different flavours, the ones that I remember seeing in my childhood - Honey Lemon, Lime and Eumenthol. Although I would have liked to add Hack's sweets, I don't think I have the time or energy to keep wrapping more sweeties after this batch -_-"""" My hands are all cramped up from working with tweezers!

In the centre are Sugus sweets! It seems they're no longer sold in Singapore, and the closest match would probably have to be Fruit-tella? Maybe I'll make them for a different sort of tidbits stall :)

1:12 miniature Fusen Bubble Gum

Chewing gum has been banned from import into Singapore, so it was a little difficult to obtain any as models. I had to re-work the graphics for these from scratch (using Inkscape) and referencing photos I found online. These were a childhood fave of mine, behind the wrapper is a water-transfer tattoo!!!

1:12 miniature woven hand fan, with the abandoned first attempt at top :P

1:12 miniature woven hand fan

I suppose on warmer days, the stall owner would need to keep himself cool....I had wanted to solder up an electric fan but seeing how cramped the store was, the idea shifted to this little handheld fan. Although the detailing is terrible and weaving worse, I figure, it's not going to be -too- noticeable, probably even overlooked, what with so much detail going on. But....again, it's another one of those details I thought would be cute to have :)

I hope to complete the roombox by this weekend. There are SOOOOO many other little odds and ends to add to the realism of the scene, but I think I'll save them for another roombox.

On a personal level, I feel almost sad that this project is almost done. It's like, whenever I get near to the end of a good book or movie, I almost do not want it to end? Do you ever feel that way too?

Also, there's another bloodwork to be done tomorrow, part of my annual checkup. Probably going to get some stern looks and warnings from the doc, but I'll blame the Chinese New Year celebrations for my blood sugar and cholesterol levels :P :P :P

As for Dad, he's mending well and will also have another checkup tomorrow. :)

G'nite, and thank you all for the nice well wishes for Dad's recovery! He was really happy to read all of them ^_^

Updates on the Miniature Tidbits Stall

 1:12 miniature Apollo Chocolate Wafers, Lemon tablets (aka Gula-Gula Limau)

There's been a little bit more progress on the tidbits stall, while I busy myself with some stuff that's going on concurrently in my 'real' life.

1:12 miniature tidbits stall display unit, WIP

Almost there!! Lots of teeny sweeties to work on still....

1:12 miniature White Rabbit Milk Candy

Like these....they are still a favourite of mine, though I allowed myself just the 2 1:1 ones which I'd used as models for these :)

 Original 1:12 broom

'edited' (XD ) 1:12 miniature broom

So......this being a tidbits stall and all, gotta keep it clean! Decided to add the 'plastic sheathe' so it would stand out a little more. The stall needs a wee bit more colour!

1:12 Miniature Formica-Metal foldable table (non-working)

There wasn't really an original plan to put in a foldable table, but as I looked into the teeny space, the dimensions didn't seem to allow for a desk....so I decided to go with the (stupidly tougher) choice of a folding table. As I also did not have any brass rods of the correct width on hand, I went with 1.5mm aluminum wire. Now, I am fully aware that it's ridiculous to want to solder aluminum on a regular 40-60W soldering iron...learnt that the stupid way a loooong time ago! But gluing it together seemed equally stupid, so I went with another stupid idea....drilling holes - and thus breaking 4 drill bits -  to re-inforce the gluing of the joints. HAND DRILLED TOO I WANT A DRILL PRESS GDI

As for the formica top, I googled and found a wonderful texture set!

http://borysses.deviantart.com/art/Marble-103037913

Thanks borysses! I had a look through the rest of his portfolio (some are NSFW btw)....pretty good stuff!

If I had a more affordable source of brass rods, I would definitely keep a stash on hand! But there was a momentum going and you know how it's like an itch, and I can't seem to work on anything else once an idea kicks about in my head!!! Aluminum wire is a stupid idea btw, but since I'm going to glue it down into the roombox, ah well. And this isn't for sale anyway, so....JUST SAYIN', if you decide to try it out. Main reason being, it's too soft and flexible to be sturdy. Use brass if you can. Or other more experienced miniaturists can help with it, cos I am pretty new to all this and am winging it. The next one I attempt will be a brass one, I got myself a 60W soldering iron BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAH AHHAHAHAHHAAAAA

(ugh I need sleep.)

1:12 Miniature Formica-Metal chair

Of course, there has to be a chair! The poor shopkeeper can't be expected to stand or sit on the floor all day...:E In case anyone was wondering, I used the black rubber portion of a 0.3cc syringe as chair-leg stoppers :) You can thank me later *snorts derisively at haughty self* 

:P

PERSONAL STUFF AHEAD!!!!

Dad went for his 2nd cataract surgery today (he did his right eye a few months ago). It was a day surgery procedure that went without a hitch :) This is him before entering the operating theatre. I joked and said dad looked fashionable in the hospital gown, and he told me to take a photo XD

aaand, the joker an hour and half later! He said he's a one-eyed Jack and wants to steal a ship XD XD XD He's now resting, albeit restlessly. I seriously take after that dude XD Thanks for all the well-wishes, those who follow my Instagram! He was quite happy to read them :) :) "Practice for my good eye" he said! XD

We had a pretty good few hours of chat, and I always cherish these few moments when we're pretty much stuck with each other. Growing up, I was a difficult baby/child, worse as a teen. Made impossible by our similar temperaments HAHAHAHA. But now that he's retired, and mellowed down ALOT, and I've learnt how to agree to disagree a lot better (thanks for the training, L!), I like to think we get along great and are much much closer. I can talk to him about pretty much anything and everything :) 

grarghhh the haze from Indonesia must be coming in ;P Anyway. GET WELL SOON DAD! STOP FACEBOOKING OR I'LL HAVE TO HAUNT YOU AS INSTRUCTED BY THE PREVIOUS EYE DOCTOR!

:E :E :E

Miniature Impulse Sealer in 1:12

1:12 scale dollhouse miniature impulse sealer. Resin, brass, aluminum, glue, acrylic paint.

Apologies for the blurry photo, it looked alright on the phone but it's really hard to tell after transferring it to the laptop :( difficult to take a photo with just one hand too hurhur.

My grandma had one of these at home, back when she ran a small provisions store. I was never allowed to touch it lest I hurt myself, or spoil it. So of course the tidbits stall had to have one, how else would the owner seal the biscuits ey? :P

I wanted to write a more comprehensive post with more photos of my progress NEXT week, but something silly and funny and surprising and probably life-changing happened today, while having breakfast at Toastbox. But as usual, until things solidify, I dowanna jinx it. BUT I do want to jot it down, so I know I'm not hallucinating. Let's hope I know what nonsense this is about when I read about it in the future. :E

And no of course it doesn't work.

OR DOES IT DENGDENGDENGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

(lame joke, I know)

More items for the 1:12 tidbits stall....

1:12 scale miniature Milo can register. Inkscape, aluminum, decal, acrylics

Just completed this moments ago. It was alot of guesswork what image to use/make, and I went with one from the late 70s/early 80s as it was simpler, and I could age it so it'd fit :D

This was a common sight during my childhood. Electronic cash registers were not affordable I s'pose, and many hawker stalls and neighbourhood shops used a pulley system with a large MILO can as their cash register!

 1:12 scale miniature wafer circles

 This wafer biscuit was a fave of mine (one of many haha -_-") and of course it had to be available in this stall :P For those outside of S.E. Asia, did you also get to try these, or do you have similar in your region? It's quite tasteless...a mild sweetness if I recall. Now that I'm done with making it in mini, it can be consumed bwa ha ha. Doubt I'd enjoy it as much as when I was a kid though :P

1:12 miniature lollipops. Brush bristles, clay, decal, Inkscape

 Can you guess how many lollipops there are in this half inch diameter container (really a pill blister-pack thingum)? Not sure how many baby teeth I'd lost to these.

1:12 miniature Ding Dang and Tora boxes. Inkscape, decal, paper

The Ding Dang boxes used to contain a toy and a few chocolate coated biscuit balls which were TERRIBLE. The centres were supposed to be a crumbly biscuity thing, but to me, it was plasticky and horrific, like a plasticized version of corn puffs (?!). When my brother would share his chocs with me, I'd suck off the chocolate and spit out the centres. No point chafing off the roof of my mouth! kekekeke. I don't recall trying the Tora ones though. Ding Dang put me off similar snacks until I found Maltesers.......... :E

SO that's what I've been up to. Still lots more to do, am quickly losing steam (AND TIME) but am really happy with what I've done so far. :)

Miniature Mamee and Kaka snacks from the Eighties - 1:12

 1:12 miniature Mamee Monster Noodle Snacks. Inkscape, Decal Sheets

Of course I have updates for this 80s tidbit stall project :P I just found out that Mamee Monster Noodle Snacks are also available in Australia! Since I was unable to find an exact photo of the packaging, I had to rely on Google and my shoddy memory to draw these up.

1:12 miniature Kaka Chicken Flavour snacks. Inkscape, Decal Sheets

The same goes for these. I also know that 'kaka' is also slang for 'poop' in quite a number of other languages (can anyone verify this? I only know this through watching foreign films and subtitling but don't know it for sure if it's just a homonym)

Also, the original packaging in the 80s IIRC had a white background, unlike the more recent foil type packaging. This is also difficult for me to verify, since Google threw up little-to-no results on these. Last I'd seen Kaka sold in Singapore was maybe late 2012 at some random mama shop. Don't know where I can get some anymore. My middle brother was the fan of these, and I vaguely recall these having some cheap toy in them. A friend told me it was random and not all packets had the toys! Interesting!

K. Time for dinner. Let me know if you can also find these in your country if you're outside of South East Asia!

A 1:12 scale miniature scale

1:12 scale dollhouse miniature mechanical scale, aluminum, paper, glue, plastic

 Yes, I really did make it myself, from scratch, out of aluminum sheets and drew up the scale face using Inkscape. It hadn't occurred to me that it would be unusual to find a metric scale in 1:12 until someone commented on it in my Flickr stream. It is rather an interesting thought eh? kekekekekeke

This scale took me over 8 hours in total to make as I did it through trial & error. I've long stopped looking for tutorials and such since there's no real way of making anything in mini anyway. Haven't found a suitable material for cutting out the ...hand?(? is it called that? the pointer? wuh?) or i'd try to make that more convincing. Toyed with the idea of even spring loading the top bit but eh, it's going into the roombox...

I'll go more into detail about why this scale is so important to me once I've completed this project!

1:12 scale dollhouse miniature flying gliders. Paper, glue, sealant

There will be a few more novelty items to go into the tidbits stall, here's the first of the lot ;)

Chinese New Year was fun and I'm glad that the first few hectic days are over. Here's to a more productive year!!!

Miniature Biscuit Shelf in 1:12 scale

 1:12 scale miniature biscuit shelf, WIP

It's all coming together! AND, this is the 401st post on this blog :O AAAND, tomorrow will be the eve of Chinese New Year, am looking forward to the reunion dinner steamboat with everyone ^ ^

Minus all the Instagram makeover XD

This is probably going to be the final position of the shelf, though it's quite undecided at this point. Might not even glue it down.....hrmm. gah.

 A look at all the packaged biccies.  I get asked alot how I do this, well, my usual response is, please refer to my FAQ :X

1:12 miniature plastic bags, plastic

Will continue work on adding more details, and continue work on a different display counter :)

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! HUAT ARR!!!!!

Dollhouse Miniature Biscuits 1:12 - part 3

 1:12 dollhouse miniature pineapple jam and chocolate sandwich biscuits, air dry clay

the pineapple jam could be a little darker, but it looks pretty like this....am a little torn about it haha! maybe a different batch in the future.....sigh.

1:12 scale dollhouse miniature sugar crackers and butter coconut biscuits, air dry clay

and then there's the sugar coated crackers, which IIRC are my cousin's fave ^_^ the ones on the right are supposed to be butter coconut biscuits. Might have gone a little overboard with the sugar...hiaks.

Here's progress this far. I have 3 more biscuits in mind, but they're the hardest to sculpt so I think it's time to take a break and start packaging these. :)

wonder how many biscuits there are here...almost 800 maybe? do sandwich biscuits count as 2? :P

Dollhouse Miniature Biscuits 1:12 - part 2

 1:12 scale miniature sugar gem biscuits (again!), air dry clay

Compare and contrast!

2009 versions, polymer clay

These sugar gem biscuits are still pretty popular these days :) Back in April 2009 (!) I attempted to reproduce them in mini using polymer clay. Since they weren't strictly 1:12 back then, I never did quite let it go, and seeing as how it would fit great in my latest 80's Singapore project, here they are again! 

1:12 miniature cream crackers, air dry clay

Classic cream crackers. As usual, I tried to print the tiny letters onto the crackers...they're supposed to read "cream khong guan crackers" but .....the detail didn't come out so well :( will try again another time, kinda running low on time and I still have loads more to do......have to keep reminding myself that they're going into the tins and nobody's going to care anyway.....*heart pain~~~*

Also, I tried to edit a video but the stupid movie maker exports my video into a gibberish mess (audio is still intact though). I don't know what I'm doing wrong, and after wasting 3 hours on it, I GIVE UP.

at least, until it bugs me enough again. GRARRGHHGHGHHHHHHH STAY FOCUSSED CINDY

Dollhouse Miniature Biscuits 1:12 - part 1

1:12 miniature Khong Guan biscuits, air dry clay

Click for a larger image. It's not very evident here, but I did attempt to put the actual words on these sandwich biscuits.....as humanly possible as I could without a magnifier, had to take my glasses off for this task! *squints*

1:12 miniature folding door

Also, a more detailed photo of the door handle.....

moving along....