Social media links.

I'm slowly getting better at keeping up with social media. I have learnt over the past month or so to treat it as another part of my business. Rather than catching up with things when I have a spare 10 minutes  I now make sure I spend at least an hour a day liking, commenting, uploading and slowly but surely getting my name and my miniatures 'out there'.

Instagram My Instagram account 

It's useful to pick up my phone and post an in progress shot or a quick finished product shot before I do the more detailed ones with my camera. Hashtags are key here. I probably still don't use all the ones I'm allowed and I need to think some more about some the tags I use.  Does it bring in any sales? In reality probably not but in this media savvy picture orientated world I'm finding it a useful tool. 

Facebook - My Facebook account. 

This account has helped me connect with miniature groups and other miniaturists on Facebook. I was a little resistant to having a Facebook page but then I thought I was denying myself contact with a large number of people worldwide. I share lots on here from other accounts as well as in progress, what have I done today, pics of the cat etc etc. 

Twitter My twitter account

I'm not very good at twitter. To be honest I use it to advertising the things I list on etsy and I follow lots of people but I think it is the least useful bit of social media for me. 

Pinterest   My pinterest account

Like Instagram its visual, bright, bold and instant. I use it to for my miniatres I have for sale or have made as well as folders with ideas and other peoples miniatures. 

So if you want to like me on Facebook or follow me on Instagram or Pinterest  please click the pictures to take you to the links above. You can follow me on twitter too if you like. :) 

Pork Pies

Today as it's Bank holiday Monday there is a little bit of sunshine in the sky but it's still not as warm as it should be for the end of May. So I'm thinking of sunnier warmer days when I can pack a picnic and go for a long walk somewhere. A picnic has to be portable and able to withstand a few hours in a plastic tub and pork pies are perfect for this. So I made some in miniature of course! 

A Thermos of coffee, cheese sandwich and slice of pork pie ready for eating al fresco. 

Pork pie

I made a few pies but couldn't decide how to crimp the edges so I tried several different methods of doing it. I'm still not sure which one I prefer - the rustic one has a more handmade feel about it, but I do like a nice fluted edge, 

Pork pies

World Baking Day 2015

I didn't even know World Baking Day existed, but it does and as a bonus for me I made lots of cakes yesterday and this morning I've been photographing the miniatures. It's been a very busy morning. I love the finished pictures and I do like planning and staging them but it takes hours to set everything up, photograph, edit and make sure the miniatures are in focus.

So these are pictures of the finished lemon cakes which I'll be listing on etsy.

How to make lemon cakes with a little help.

After making all the lemons it was about time to make some cakes. The cat decided that he would be helpful in several ways - first by sitting on the table, then sitting on my lap, finally deciding that maybe he would sit in the chair!

One swish of a tail and my morning's work could be gone! 

He is trying to help...

Excuse the mess in the background, sometimes it is tidy.

When he finally moved to go back to sleep I could start again. I've also made some orange slices so I'm definitely going for the citrus fruit vibe.

Orange and lemon slices

TLS (Translucent liquid sculpey) mixed with oil paint for icing and pastel dust at the back for painting on a baked effect.

Left: Cane of feather icing.          Right:Completed cakes

Cake production line! 

The next post has the results of my day baking.

A bit of sunshine ..

I've made a few lemons, lemons slices and lemon halves. It must be something to do with the fact that altough it's May, there seems to be no end to the rain outside and I wanted to make something that was happy, sunny and yellow.

Lemons are made by using the caning method. Basically this means making a large scale model that looks like a stick of rock and then gently rolling, squeezing and teasing it to a smaller scale. As usual I didn't think to take any how to pictures along the way - this is the only one I took that shows the process. 

Along the bottom of the tray are the lengthened canes ready to be cut up, above the blade are bits of cane cut up and then to the right of the tray are the shaped lemons. After baking the lemons are cut in half to show the inside. 

I took some end of the process pictures!

I didn't texture the inside of the lemons. Each one is 5mm across and so tiny I didn't think that more texturing would add anything to them. 

After the lemon making marathon I made a few cakes. Shame I can't eat one with a cup of tea ! 

Giraffes have nothing to do with food...

.. but I like them. Don't know why but a giraffe will always make me smile. It's one of those weird things, like an internet cookie that follows you around for days, you see one and then you see lots more. 

I've seen a few and this week and I'm going to share my favourite three of them with you. 

This came up on my google+ feed.

It's from zsutta's blog - http://zsutta.blogspot.co.uk I would never have thought to use a picture frame in this way but it's such a simple but effective idea. 

I then found this little fellow - 

From Lotta's Ark on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Lottas.Ark.animals?fref=photo

He is a tiny crocheted giraffe measuring 7cm tall. I can crochet granny squares and have often thought about crochet in a smaller scale but I don't think I'm skilled enough. 

And finally this ... 

From Designs by Elisabeth on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/designs.elisabeth?fref=photo He is adorable! There are also earrings to match the necklace.

Miniature Wall Art

These are the latest miniature wall art display boxes I've made. The first one is 19.5cm square and has 9 different cakes displayed in it. The small boxes are 7cm square and have a tray of cakes inside. The last one is 13cm square with a variety of miniature cakes displayed in it, 

Minis go large!

You know what happens - you have an idea for some new minis or a technique you want to try or seen something and thought can I make that?  I made a few small minis that weren't cakes, or anything I could call anything really and they have sat in a drawer for a while. They were samples of things I was trying out with beads and glitter so see what happened made with odd bits of clay. I think I may have been thinking Christmas things as there are a few glittery things in there. 

I then had a bit of inspiration and made this - 

It isn't a miniature in the true sense but I have made other frame boxes with miniature food in them which I will put on here at some point in the future. I like the idea of the boxes as the miniatures are seen every day on a wall rather than behind the door of a dollhouse. The models in the picture above aren't as detailed as the miniatures I normally make, use cutters and have no texturing in them which makes it less time consuming to make and more stylised. 

I have a few more ideas in the pipeline, sometimes I wish there was more hours in the day.