Custom Requests Closed for 2014

Custom requests are closed for 2014. :(

http://clover-tea.blogspot.sg/p/custom-requests.html

Yes, the good old wrist brace is back T-T As some of you loyal readers may know (and thank you for following all this while!), I actually got myself this injury almost 2 decades ago from excessive gaming (Diablo II anyone?). It was further exacerbated by the crimping of the teeny cupcake wrappers, also why I stopped selling them individually. Looks like a recent order for 5 of the danish cookie tins has wrecked the hand again, even though I took care to pace myself :(

So, in a final *laughs stupidly at self* attempt at

(haha i took it off to type and it started to ache at the last sentence so now i'm typing with it back on)

let's try this again.

The swelling has gone down a little since last night, zheng gu shui FTW! But it is still very achy and throbby, so I will take it easy for these 2 days to see if I need to get to the doc again. I have actually gotten a diagnosis for it from a specialist before, hence the fastum gel and grotty brace, but the only thing I can do is NOT use/strain it. Good luck to me with that, I'm still tap tap tapping away with just my middle finger on my right hand hawhawhaw *stubborn*

I will still be fulfilling my current orders, thank you all so much for giving me the time to do what I do! I can still paint and such, but clay work is impossible for the moment, unless I train my left hand........


HRMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

*painful chuckle* ok imma be a good girl and rest this it's attempting to communicate via morse code again

Miniature Croquembouche in 1:12

For those who have been following my Instagram, here's what the little choux buns were destined for....

croquembouches! I've always wanted to make 'em but it just seemed a little like too much repetitive work. i was tempted to, but resisted counting the number of cream puffs that went into each tower. You know how when things just seem too daunting in the mind and never materialize due to that? No? Just me then? UNPOSSIBLE.

*snort*

aaaaanyways.

while thinking about how to decorate them, i had to first settle on a colour scheme. Much as I hate to admit it, I have finally fallen into pink this stage of my life. Having never been a 'girly-girl' (grandma has audibly noted several times the funereal theme of my wardrobe), this comes as quite a surprise to me. heck, even my new spectacle frames are a pale/translucent pink. the colour makes me look pale and sickly, which is a pretty accurate description of my physical state. of which i'll update later.

I also wanted to do a more classic version, at least, what i think is classic. Probably would prefer this one too, given my love for all things caramel. mmm my teeth ache just thinking about it. here's a medium version (will make smaller stacks once i sort out the hundred little itty bitty other things i have on my workspace)

AAAANDDDDDDDDDD a tall version. the only cream puffs i've really enjoyed are from Beard Papa, and really can't imagine it with a crunchy caramel coat. nmmmmmm. These miniature towers are pretty small, you can view more photos of them, and measurements, over on my Etsy store:

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

have also re-listed the charlotte cakes. please go have a look! Apologies for all the watermarking, i hate doing it, but lately a number of my photos have been used without my permission :( I'm super happy when people share my work but please please do credit me for them. a lot of work went into my creations, and usually this stuff doesn't quite bother me, but recently i was made to feel as if i were in the wrong to ask to be credited for my photo. which is absurd, doncha think? ah well.

PERSONAL CRAPPY STUFF HERE:

healthwise, i have finally gotten a diagnosis on why my monthlies have been increasingly painful, to the point the 'regular' painkillers don't work, leaving me in a sobbing heap for at least a week each month. Not just that, at least a week before the mess starts, i'm all moody and crabby, which to some might seem my regular temperament (hurhur) but it's just a pain to deal with. and then the week -after- the mess, i'm all unstable maybe due to painkiller withdrawals or fatigue from the debilitating pains. which leaves me just a week each month to catch up on minis and feeling 'regular'. and that's been going for the past year or so! PMS = perpetual monster syndrome it seems. so what is this that has been messing me up? Adenomyosis. given i'm still of childbearing age, late as it might seem, the gynae said if not for just that fact, he would suggest i go for a hysterectomy. oh and guess what, i'm one of the 10% of women who have endometriosis too. i always knew i was shpeshul. *smirk*

*heavy sighs*

well i've come to terms with all that. i know it's pretty personal stuff, and although i feel odd sharing it, i feel almost as if i had to explain myself, why i've turned down interviews, tv appearances, commissions etc...and the personal health stuff is just the least of what's going on at home. it's all scary, and anxiety levels are at an all-time high, but with the help of my bf and close friends, i'm actually coping quite well, all-things-considered. i hope the painkillers work, gonna start on a chinese medicine regime (bai feng wan?) and hope it doesn't clash with my heart meds. if else, would have to consider other options, and will delay the inevitable(?) for as long as possible. in some ways, there's also a sense of loss, for all the time and opportunities wasted due to this ailment, but there's also a sense of relief, where this is not just all in my mind. among other complex and unnecessary feelings and thoughts i have. grargh.

that was cathartic. thanks for reading. off to rest now, the wonky hip is aching badly from sitting here all day squinting at tiny buns LOL

Miniature Nuts, Berries and Cheese, in dollhouse scale this time!

yeah yeah, we can go on about how I'm going nuts here, and actually, that's exactly why I decided to post today. ;) here's something I made alongside a larger sized commission I did last month. miniature polymer clay nuts! I got the metal nutcracker off greedbay some time ago, finally! a chance to use it!

aaaaand, also inspired by the same commission, dollhouse miniature berries and cheese! polymer clay too ^ ^


==========================personal crap here=========================

so there's good news, and bad news.

the good news is that i've been taken off my diabetic meds cos my (semi-) strict diet and weight loss is keeping my blood sugar levels low. WOOT!

the bad news? the doc put me on 2 different antibiotics right now for a stupid infection that's causing my whole right inner upper arm (what's the correct term?)/armpit to swell. it's a little alarming, it all started with a typical sebaceous cyst in my armpit that started swelling to the size of a hazelnut, and overnight the surrounding area started hurting and a lump the size of a baby potato appeared T-T quickly headed for the polyclinic yesterday and was told that the inflammation was probably due to my diabetes. SIGH. can't win 'em all. if the lump doesn't go away (the potato one, the hazelnut one pretty much cleared up after 2 doses of the antibiotics), surgery has to be considered. wtf, i've had enough surgeries tyvm. NO MORE. PLEASE T-T the whole inner upper arm area is now slightly pink, and dad says it's probably cos the lump has to dissipate. I hope he's right. i'm skaird, HOLD ME PLEASE~~~~~~~~~~~~~

/drama off

so until i'm done with this course of antibiotics that'll probably cause my hair to fall out (AGAIN), my hands will be shaky (am trembling and sweating profusely now, which is why I'm not working now T-T), and so will not be taking commission requests until i'm sure this stupid problem is done away with. this and some other stupid ultrasound that I have to go for cos this whole body is falling apart. fret not, given my medical track record, i'll probably live a long and miserable life. it's usually the strong healthy ones that drop dead suddenly right? yeah, definitely not me. though, if my right arm drops off....OMFG HOW'M I GONNA MAKE MINIS!??!?! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

/CRAZED MODE OFF

k well. it's may day, and dad's gonna be at hong lim park at 4-ish, he's gonna speak for a bit, wish I could be there to support him. GO DAD GO!!!!

*apologies if this post is crazier than usual, i'm really not quite myself as you can probably tell.

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)

=====================================================

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

More Commissioned items in 1:4

i've been working on more commissioned works. I think i'm quite burnt out at this point, so i'll just repost what i've put on my dA journal.

Retinal burn and feeling burnt out. been working on cleaning up some graphics for another commission, spent far far too many hours (DAYS!) on it only because i'm quite more than a little obsessive compulsive about un-noticeable stuff. Staring at the monitor at the same spot for hours is leaving me with retinal burns that take a while to clear (saw a huge white letter 'S' for a few mins after i looked away from the image last night LOL) 

decided to limit my commission slots. made that decision last month really, have been working on wholesale/commission/custom orders since December, trying to catch up what with my various illnesses and on top of that giving lessons is wearing me out. i have some measure of social anxiety, meeting new people wreaks havoc on my gut and brain. not to mention, i'm not able to get my own ideas out of my head. and i'm still not done with commissions, customers have been kept waiting for over a month, and that's raising my anxiety levels to an uncomfortable level.

so before i crash (again!) i think it's time to round things up and try and concentrate on my own ideas etc. i've decided to place less importance on the business aspect, it is clearly not for me. i'll just sell whatever i can, and hope for the best XD

hope to also catch up to comments and looking around dA again  take it easy everyone ^ ^
Cindy

for more pics and updates, you can also view my flickr and facebook page. :) don't worry, i'm ok, i'll still be here, but i want to pace myself a little better this time. half my head of hair (whatever little is left!) is grey already!!!!

1:3 miniature subway sandwich and WIP photos, 1st of 3 posts today!

prepare yourself for 3 posts!!! :P i've got lots to catch up on, and am trying to make my posts chronological. Originally i'd wanted to make it all in 2 posts (one is a special feature ^ ^ ) but i think it'll get messier than my blog usually is..so...here goes!

this 1:3 miniature subway sandwich was a request i think around chinese new year? but my customer said there was no rush, and so i worked on some other requests first (re: previous posts) and although i got this done maybe 3 weeks ago(?) i never found the time to update.

the cookies that i made an even longer time back is part of the same request. :X

meanwhile, he added another item to the request, but i messed it up :( it's been a while since i made a 'fail' post eh??? that doesn't mean i haven't been mucking up, just means i haven't the time to dwell upon them XD so if you can't see it, it's the bleeding of the acrylic paints into the cream :( ah well. the real life stuff does 'bleed' too, but i'm just not satisfied and will have to give it another try. however, this again has been delayed another week cos i got myself another horrific sinus infection last week, and got myself another 7-day course of antibiotics -_-"""" on day 5 now, and it's clearing up well, i'm glad the antibs are still effective :P

i also haven't really been putting up WIPs, mainly because i haven't been working on any personal projects, but maybe you'd be keen on seeing some WIP photos i took for my customers. here are 1:24 jelly cups for a special request.

prototypes before i put on the labels 

yep i designed the labels myself! they took a while but eh, you already know i work slooowwwwwleeeeeeee...*blinks*
approx 3mm at widest. they could work as smallish 1:12 jelly cups too huh! for those who are curious, i made the cups using the vacuumform method i've mentioned before - here - actually built a new and sturdier box (version 3 o.O) but i forgot to take pics of it -_-"

gah.

which reminds me. the delay was mostly due to a wonky camera. it glitched while i was taking photos of swap items i received maybe 3 weeks ago?!?! which is coming up in the next post!!! but here is a photo of the new special effect my old camera is now ONLY capable of doing.

i panicked the whole of monday last week, i was trying to decide between getting a new camera (which i can ill afford, not even a cheapo one) and having the glitched one repaired. meanwhile, i called my brother to see if he had a spare camera he could loan me, and i made my way down to the Sony repair centre. oh man. the guy quoted me repair fees of $40, and additional charges for replacement parts. seeing as how it would cost me anywhere from $50-$150, i would have as easily gotten a NEW and BETTER camera for the price of the repair!!! i told my brother this and he told me to forget it, and that i could have his old camera :O :O :O
it's pretty awesome! it even has a "SUPER MACRO" mode XD but this also means i have been struggling to try and re-learn how to shoot with this one....yep, expect more whiny posts about my crappy photos....:X

(speaking of crappy photos, here's a coupla cute pics i took with my -old Nokia N95 phone- of Eva sleeping on her back, i seldom get a chance to take pics of her she gets all up in my face whenever i try...)
which leads us to....

MY NEW PHONE! not only did Ben lend me his old camera, he passed me his old iphone 3GS! hwa hwa hwa!! so apart from these mishaps, you now know why i've been MIA, those iphone apps are.....@ @ (come, play DrawSomething with me :P you can download the free version :D ) huhuhuhuuu~~! and of course i'm still playing triple town.....:)

armed with my 'new' camera, i took photos of the 1:24 tea box sets.....some of you might have seen pics of some of my above works on my deviantArt account, flickr or facebook page (please 'like' it if you haven't already! i update there sometimes if i don't have time to blog...)

ok this has dragged on a little long, time to get back to what i'd been meaning to photograph when the SONY DSC-S950 finally gave out. i miss it already but it has served me well the past almost-3 years!!

ON TO MY NEXT POST FOR TODAY