Miniature Pizza slices and more butter cookies in 1:12 scale

 1:12 miniature mushroom and pepperoni pizza slices, air dry clay, acrylic paints, sealants

Heyo~! Here're more 1:12 items that I've made recently. I want to couple these slices with boxes and perhaps drinks, but I need to finish up some commission work first. Hope to do them when I get some free time!

 1:12 miniature danish butter cookies, polymer clay, soft pastel, craft sand, sealant, paper, decals, Inkscape, tin

So, I've been getting quite a number (okay okay, maybe only 5 or so) of requests for similar versions of these tins since they were sold back in 2011 :O How time flies! Anyway, I decided to go with a more faithful approach so the cookies look more like their life-sized counterparts. The tins were purchased off greedbay, and I made the liners, cookies and graphics myself!

One of the tins is already spoken for, but I did make an extra, and it is available here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/199284602/miniature-danish-cookies-in-tin-24-pcs

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The past week has been a little busier than usual, as I finished up 3 large-ish requests, also because Ahma had not been feeling well, and was warded for a few nights just to make sure she was okay. I'm really close to her, and it sent me into all sorts of horrible panic attacks and crying in my sleep. But she's okay!!! I usually monitor her pill-taking (she's taking like, 7 different pills a day), but she'll require closer monitoring for her blood pressure, which seems to fluctuate rather wildly throughout the day, thus causing her giddiness/dizziness. The docs have sternly warned her not to go out on her own anymore. For a spritely 87-year old, that's not good news, but it is a relief to the rest of us who've tried to no avail to keep her from gallavanting for quite some years now.... we'll see how long she'll behave until she sneaks out again....-_-"""""  

Back to work!

1314

So...it seems there is a new anniversary date to remember from today onwards ; )

The proposal was inelegant and yet extremely memorable, echoing how he asked me to be his girlfriend oh.....8 years ago? I am still recovering from the shock and cannot stop smiling.  No wonder I can't get to sleep XD

He picked out a really apt ring. Surprising because our tastes are so diverse but I love it cos it's kinda masculine, and has a slight hint of steampunk-ishness to it :) if it were up to me, I'd wear a lug nut..but he wouldn't stand for it :-/  Will bring it back tomorrow for resizing, they didn't have my size for this design...so right now it's on my pinky finger kekeke.

Also, the moment came as quite a shock to me. He had had a rather hectic week at work/school (part-time degree program)  with an important mid-term assignment due today, and me just recovering from yet-another-cold..... You know how girls are supposed to always anticipate and imagine how their wedding would be like? Well I have never done any of that, so it was very interesting to experience the sort of elation and light-headedness that I had just barely 2 hours ago :P

As I lay in my bed staring at my ring he went, "aren't you going to whatsapp D the ring?" LOL . He even prompted me to change my fb status, and we did so simultaneously.  But as things tend to go with us, fb comically picked one of our friend's photos as the 'icon' of our engagement status change (it was mis-tagged with our names!)

Anyhow, I have rambled on too long but I guess I can be forgiven for it :P

=stares at sparkly ring one last time in the dim glow of my handphone= :P :P :P

p.s. 1/3/14 is significant because in Mandarin and Cantonese it sounds very much like "one life, one lifetime" :)))

From Wikipedia: 

• 1314: "一生一世" This sounds like "one life, one lifetime" in both Mandarin and Cantonese, and is often used romantically, akin to "for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part" in English.

 As you can probably tell, he's the romantic in the relationship :P

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)

Miniature Merlions!

polymer clay miniature chocolate Merlions 4mm x 6mm

Long time no see! Singapore's National Day is on the 9th of August, and I'm not sure if I'll have the time nor inclination to blog then, so here's my little contribution :) I had thought of making a range of local foods as a personal challenge, but I also wanted to do something iconic of Singapore.

For those who are unfamiliar with this strange mythical creature that was the inspiration for these miniature chocolates, this is the Merlion :)

Happy Birthday Singapore!!

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Speaking of Birthdays, August is a birthday month in my family, Dad's was on the 2nd, and my youngest bro's on the upcoming 8th...i didn't make anything in mini for them, we usually have a simple dinner and cake celebration at home :) There is one other friend who just celebrated hers recently, and I made this for her....

Polymer Clay Miniature Nasi Biryani 1:12 scale

I hope it is recognizable as Nasi Biryani?!?? there's like, many different versions of it, so I hodgepodged my version of a beef variety with cucumber salad and yoghurt, and 2 pieces of papadums....i hope it fits in her Maharajah's palace? :P

(you've probably guessed which friend I'm referring to then! HWA HWA HWA!)

((i didn't include the chrysnbon fork cos traditionally they're eaten with hands, and the fork was for me to check if the food was indeed to scale...hee))

Polymer Clay Miniature Pesto Spaghetti 1:12 scale

and then...cos another friend was here in Singapore for a visit, I made this for her....she last visited 2 years ago and back then, had made us a wonderful pesto spaghetti for dinner...it was the first time i'd tried pesto and LOVED LOVED LOVED IT! i was really surprised by it as i'm not a fan at all of fragrant herbs and spices (think cilantro etc), but i really could not get enough! i hope it is identifiable for what it's supposed to be. topped with shaved/grated parmesan cheese too :D :D :D again, the fork was just for me to check if i had the scale right, i think i did???

we shared a precious few hours together, the 3 of us, and i cherish those very much. more than i can ever express. helped me sort out and put my petty troubles into perspective too. thank you for letting me be a part of something very special, you two :)

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Miniature Mixing Bowl and Spatula 1:12 scale (Epoxy Resin)

and then, while i was 'away' being busy with 'real life', i took some time out to make some food related items that i've always wanted for my mini kitchen, but could not find nicely scaled ones. one of the purple sets is reserved for another purple crazed friend of mine, while the blue set (bottom right) should have arrived safe and sound with its new owner :D i hope they like it!

These are not for individual sale, sorry. They will be used in larger projects that I have in mind though. :) 

Polymer Clay Miniature Cupcake Baking Try and Bowl 1:12 scale

Like these....which are a sneak peek at what I will be offering soon-ish....:P :X

There have been so many things happening in my life, a few illnesses, a few deaths, and a lot of adjustments. it takes a long time for me to slip into new routines, and while I have been working on many miniature projects, none of them are completed. I am learning new things through self-experimentation (and heaps of wastage!! ARGH).

One of the few positive things I've learnt is that, I finally feel comfortable saying that I can sculpt in miniature, and not just 'craft', re: Merlion. Prior to this, much of what I had been making didn't seem very 'sculptural' to me. don't know how to explain it. I am still figuring out my mixed feelings about this and alot of other stuff in life, but don't worry, I always look forward to see if there have been improvements. 

AND I SHALL BE BACK WITH A VENGEANCE MWAH HAHAHAHA

but for now, there's this matter of curiosity landing on Mars that I have to check up on!!!!!!! NAIL BITING STUFF THIS

it's been over a month since my last post???

1:3 polymer clay and air dry clay custom request items

my customer wanted a sort of 'preparation board' type scene for a very chef-y BJD and i immediately got excited! i'd never really done a 'proper' prepboard, not even in 1:12 but sorely wanted the opportunity to, so although this request came in just as I did say I was going to cut down on commission-work, i couldn't resist :X

So I proposed a few items, like flour, sugar, icing, eggs, completed cupcakes as well as one 'mid-decoration'.....i think the potential for these props is endless! ^ ^

this little 'picnic cake' was my favourite piece to make :) made me want to go out and get some huhuhu, there's something about jellies and gelatinous stuff that i like, though i know exactly how it's made :S what, me eat glue? NEV--

nevermind. MOVING ALONG~!

these were particularly problematic to make with a very very sore shoulder and sprained finger *winces at recollection*

i did re-do the macaron box for the 'rainbow' range of macarons :D

few more random shots of the request.

i'd love a bite of not-too-sweet red bean filled mochi right now.....i especially enjoyed the ichigo (strawberry) chocolate mochi that my middle brother once brought back for me from Japan, took all of my willpower not to consume the whole pack in one sitting :S ah good times.

and on to why i've gone AWOL the past month or so:-

Reposted from my deviantArt journal (i post more personal stuff there, but thought to repost this here since it'll explain why i've stopped taking in students and what it means for my mini-making)

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how time flies! things over here have been rather hectic, and the worst of it is (I HOPE) over! within a space of a month, a few members of my family and bf started passing around the very fashionable flu that comes with April's weather shift....

which led to my youngest brother spending 2 nights at the hospital for complications arising from the flu (bad bronchitis/asthma attack, they're still trying to figure out why :S)....

then my pulled right shoulder muscle from carrying not-too-heavy packets of soupy foods around, was so painful i got on some 'fun' painkillers but took me out for a few days....

then finding out my dad's routine checkup turned out some pretty bad news about his heart - something about blood pumping back into chambers, possible blockage or not-blockage....i'm trying hard not to think too much about it but instead focussing on adjusting his diet so we can keep him around for a lot lot LOT more....my heart aches a LOT thinking about this. 

leading into news that the lease for the office is up, and a lot earlier than i'd been prepared for, so i'm in the midst of packing all this mini stuff up, all this while trying hard not to mess up my still-sore shoulder (at least i can move it and turn my head now...)

i was really down for a few days, being stuck in bed nursing the shoulder/neck/gastric flu(food poisoning??) but there's plenty ahead of me yet, and although it could have been so easy for me to slip down the slippery path back into *gulp* **lowers voice into whisper** depression, i went on an escape-from-reality adventure in Pocket Legends, which meant spending plenty more time with my youngest bro, simply not thinking or overthinking everything. i guess everything is falling into place, and it seems i might be going back into my old (and oft-role) of caregiver. but no WAY am i going to give up on minis. it keeps me sane, happy, and brightens up my darkest moments. so though i may be more subdued and less faux-cheery (huh) i am determined to come up with better works and figure out how to make bland foods appetizing for a funny old man with just a few teeth left XD speaking of which, grandma is getting new dentures fitted so....


*deep sigh*

ANYWAY. here's to me, surviving all this. :E GO ME RAWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

so that's it for April i think. i'm moving stuff back slowly and hope to have everything sorted out by mid-May (lease is up end-May) and try and establish my new routine and role in life (i'm awful at handling change, could you tell???? XD ). i have a lot of mini odds and ends still waiting to be listed, but i'm trying not to stress myself out, so i'll update over on my facebook fan page when i've listed something new, remember to 'Like' it for updates!

http://www.facebook.com/SnowfernClover

also, for those who were wondering about the googlefriend connect thing, i'm not sure if those who have 'followed' in the past are still getting updates, or if they (you?) would have to become a 'member' of my blog again?!?

thanks so much for accompanying me on my journey this far, here's to the next chapter of my life, i am glad that all i feel now is slight trepidation and not a full blown panic/anxiety attack XD

aiight. back to work. :S

2011 moments

I had been wondering if it's possible to make it to 300 sales before 2012 (at 267 as I write this)....it seems unreachable but wouldn't it be nice XD I've added quite a number of things to my Etsy, and am holding a Coupon Code sale to celebrate the end of a pretty interesting year.


Just enter 300FOR2011 to get 10% off the listing price.

You can view these and more photos at my Etsy store :D

http://www.etsy.com/shop/snowfern

Aside from miniature foods, I've decided to take better photos of my food jewellery.....and they can be found here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/snowfern?section_id=10871029

some old, some new!

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Personal stuff here :)

I don't think this will be my last post for 2011, have a few more things to update yet, but I've been feeling so emotional lately I just had to share. just last week I wondered aloud on facebook whether it'd be possible for me to hit 300 sales before the end of the year, and almost immediately after, be it coincidental or otherwise (i like to think otherwise, makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside *purr* ) i had a number of sales to familiar facebook acquaintances. I hardly interact with that many people on any regular basis aside from a few e-mails, as i'm painfully introverted (it doesn't show from the way i write, right?? but i am :( ) and socially awkward, so this show of support brought me very close to tears. heck my eyes are watering up as i re-collect that morning. 

i've even considered creating a separate blog to try and sort my head out over these personal things. but this -is- a personal blog. my little experiments and experiences with miniatures is what has helped me through very difficult times, especially my anxiety attacks and bleak emotional lows, which i suffer from pretty frequently (i try hard not to write about it though, how depressing! but i'm sure it shows sometimes :S esp the grouchy tetchy posts haha). 

it has been a really rough year for me, as i seriously considered whether i should push this hobby of mine forward into a sustainable form of income. i try to make light of it by saying stuff like "it's a good month i can buy dog food for Eva" (sad, but true)...but having had no form of stable income since 2008 (or longer, really. yea i've been jobless for -that- long, recuperating from various illnesses, chronic depression and whatnot) it has felt like an insurmountable task. I tried to distract myself with personal projects when sales and commissions were slow, as i mulled over numbers and sales predictions and SEOs and marketing and workshops etc. maaan, the 'serious stuff' made me nearly depressed all over again -_-" but making miniatures was actually what helped wean me off anti-depressants! so i was determined to try and give this a good go.

so in rounding up 2011, i want to remember the highs more than the lows. this requires a good look through my archive, let's see....(i don't even REMEMBER half the stuff that happened sheesh, that's why i journal so extensively!)

- TDA 2011 was AWESOME FUN. which reminds me, wonder when's the next one???

- Library workshop was AWESOME STRESSFUL FUN. but i'll have to seriously consider having to teach so many people at one shot again. 

- Moved all my mini stuff to bf's office was thrilling. and anxiety ridden.

- picked up Inkscape. i think this was my fave 'new skill' of all. feel so disinhibited!

- I'm a Giant challenge!! omg how fun was that?! and it's still going on! XD

- getting on dA's front page, was shocking and flattering

- getting on Etsy's front page, was a little stunned, but meh cos no sales came from it XD

of course there are other things, like catching up with friends, making new friendships and reviving old ones. it's always the hardest for me to talk about personal relationships, why is that so?

probably cos stuff that matters -most- to me is the hardest to put into words. i guess. plus no pictures la ;)

so anyway. i'm really grateful for all the good stuff that's happened this year. *chokes up again*

*sheepish*

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another egg. i might re-do the 2 eggs my customer ordered if she prefers to have them more similar, i find it hard to replicate colours if i don't work in batches :( but i like the newer (the smaller yolk) one, so in future i'll try and make them more 'wrinkly' hehehe.

 These butter cookies were my fave to make :D i had some packaging prepared but never got round to making the cookies to go with it, so this was a good experience!

some more pics of the chocolate cookie, and some chocolate chip drizzled ones.

these drizzled cookies are extras that I made, plan to turn some of them into rings or necklaces. These are approx 2.1 cm, while the customer requested ones are approx 2cm diameter :)

But if you prefer them in smaller scale, this 1:12 miniature chocolate chip cookie set is now available here :)

there's a lot more photos i haven't put up yet, i hadn't realised how much i have to update about....but it's lunchtime! how prepared are you for the holidays huh? huh? huh?