Gingerbread Houses

I haven't written a blog post for a while but I have been really busy making things. My favourite newest makes are the gingerbread houses. They take a lot of time to make and a lot of time to prepare. 

I began making these around a month ago with a list of embellishments that I needed for the decoration. So I began making candy canes, snowmen, cookies etc. I may have overdone it slightly but as I have a catering background my old college tutor would be impressed with my mise-en-place! 

I completed the houses over three days - Day one - I built the houses then cooked them. Day two - put the decoration onto the roof and cooked. Day three - put the houses onto the tray and decorated the gardens. 

Each house is unique and individual as I didn't want to replicate any house. I've made twelve so far and I'm quite happy with my miniature gingerbread village. 

Pastries and pies

I do like a good pastry pie. The thing is I'm not the best pastry maker in the world. I more often than not  resort to a packet mix or a ready made version. Mini versions are a lot easier to make. There's something about adding the pastel shading or acrylic paint with a final brush of varnish that brings those little things alive.

I made a few fruit pies, pastries and fruit tarts. For the blackcurrants I used tiny seed beads and mixed some translucent liquid sculpey with a tiny amount of colour added. 

The orange segments were made from a mix of translucent fimo mixed with a tiny amount of ochre and orange cut into segment shapes and textured using a needle.

Orange tart

Orange tart

Orange and chocolate tarts

The custard and icing was made from TLS mixed with a tiny bit of oil paint. It also acts as a glue between the uncooked pastry base and the cooked preprepared fruit pieces. Cooked apple filling was made using translucent clay mixed with a bit of bright green apple colour clay. This was cooked then chopped into little bits, mixed with TLS then cooked again.

Danish Pastries

Shopping and Making Boxes

I normally buy most things that I need for my miniatures on the internet. Partly its because I work full time as well as making minis and don't have the time to go out and finding things I need in a real shop. The other reason is that where I live there wasn't any craft shops and 'normal' shops don't have the kind of useful bits and pieces we need. 

Then a shop opened in town and it's an emporium of paper sheets, bits and bobs, things you never thought you needed type of shop. I bought some paper, lace trim and a few other bits. I must look a bit mad looking at something like lace trim and working out if I could use in in miniature. 

I then made some box templates on a draw program at home and a box making production line started. 

Christmas Jewelled Cookies

Today's creations are sweet little christmas cookies. I took my inspiration from the boiled sweet cookies that I'd seen as Chrsitmas decorations. Shortbread cookies with icing and small gold balls and boiled sweet centres. I'd also made some christmas tree shapes and some snowflake fancies. 

Pizza and Garlic Bread

I've made a few pizzas for those lazy can't be bothered cooking days in the doll's house.  A classic cheese and tomato, pepperoni and red onion and pepperoni pizza. I cut up a a couple of pizzas ready to be eaten on a paper plate with some garlic bread slices.

New Listings on Etsy

Link to my etsy shop

I've listed a few new things this morning. I've made a few dozen danish pastries, belgian buns and apple danish. 

Belgain buns

Assorted pastries.

Miniature Needlework Bedspread

Something that I made for my own doll's house. It was made on 22 count aida fabric and took me 5 months on and off to complete. I had a vague plan of the design but I didn't really plan anything. I also made the cushions.

What A Start!

It's been less than a month since I decided to start selling my minis again and I feel like I haven't stopped! It's not that I ever really stopped making as I continued to do things for my own collection but I did stop selling.

The break has done my some good because I have a renewed energy and creative burst which has had me working on several new items. 

I'm selling on etsy, the shop name is Magenta Minis, link on the right. Below is a selection of the current items for sale.