Etsy is not my friend at the moment

I list my miniatures on etsy because I thought this was a million times better than ebay and in this internet age just having a website and hoping people will find you is a long shot to say the least.

I like etsy. I like the ethos behind it even though recently I have had my doubts as to the individual maker aspect of some of the items on there - not just miniatures but in other categories too. I like the fee structure and the charges. 20c for a three month listing and a 3% fee when your item sells blows ebay and their extortionate fees, terms and conditions out of the water.

However this week etsy did the unthinkable and changed the category listings for the whole site. Suddenly dolls and miniatures are no longer a category and instead are buried in toys as a sub section. Lots of people are complaining and I do really hope they have a rethink about it. I consider miniatures to be collectables, they are not played with as toys and  the majority of collectors are adults. Many of the things that are made by myself and other would never be considered toys although some dolls house miniatures can be found in toy shops to buy.

I'm hoping someone somewhere will see sense and put the dolls and miniature collectable category back. I'm now off to do some crochet ... 'real life' size as I've started another bedspread.

Lots of open sandwiches

This week I've made a variety of open sandwiches. I  may have gone a little overboard on the toppings instead of two or three varieties I ended up making 16 different types. From relatively simple cheese and onion to the more complicated avocado, tomato and cucumber canes. 

In a wierd way it's just like cooking in real life. Mise en place my college lecturer called it, getting everything ready in order to prepare the food. Sliced onion, cucumbers, tomatoes along with ham, beef, avocado, tuna mayo and cheese. I also had tin foil dishes with mayonnaise and tls to glue everything together as I was mixing precooked and uncooked clay. 

Some things were more successful than others. I like the fatty bits in the ham but I think it could have been a bit more random to look more lifelike. 

Trays of open sandwiches 

Trays of open sandwiches

Sandwich selection

Sandwich selection

Avocado and hummus sandwich

Cheese and onion sanddwich

Tuna and cucumber sandwich 

Sandwich and crisps

I'd made the bread rolls a couple of months ago but continuing the birthday buffet theme it wouldn't really be complete without some crisps. I've spent the morning making some as a side to the sandwiches.

And they are very easy to make:

*Make a mix of translucent, white, tiny bit of ochre and tiny bit if bright yellow -  I don't do quantities I tend to mix until it look right.
*Then pass the clay through a pasta machine on a medium setting and cut out lots of circles,
* Flatten each circle to be really thin and texture using a toothbrush.
* Pick up carefully and bend into shape.
*Cook as per packet instructions for the brand of clay you are using.

Yummy!

Party ring biscuits

Party ring biscuits were a favourite of childhood birthday parties, along with jelly, ice cream, cake and sandwiches. I'm slowly putting together a traditional birthday tea and these are the first things I've made in miniature for it. Each finished biscuit is around 5mm wide, and although the colours aren't authentic party ring colours they are bright which is what I remember of them. 

Carrot cake.

I've mentioned my minor obsession with Pinterest . I like the hidden surprise cakes or peek-a-boo cakes and have been pinning quite a few.

This carrot cake was found on http://www.thepartiologist.com/2013/03/easter-extravaganza. 

And this is my mini version. It's a first attempt and I couldn't get the leaves to do what I wanted them to do which is why there aren't any on top.

New year resolutions

Happy New Year! I don't tend to make new year resolutions but instead exist on a never ending to do list. I'm good at the planning stage - blank piece of paper and a cup of tea and I can quite happily make a long list of things I want to achieve and make. I like crossing things off as I do them and that sense of achievement when everything is complete.

How long it takes is cat dependant. If Nutmeg is in a ' I really must do something but I'll have a little nap first' mode I can get quite a lot done. And as he tends to sleep twenty hours a day I'm ok most of the time.

It's not a bad life as a cat is it ..

Cross stitch cushions

It started with a trip to an art and craft shop.  Rather than order it online I thought I'd go to a real shop instead because I had a little list - translucent fimo, brown and burnt umbre pastel, sticky labels.

The thing is I love looking around craft shops. Some people can spend all day looking at clothes, I can spend hours looking at card, beads and other bits. In this shop they had some aida fabric.  More importantly it was 18 count which is small enough to use in a dolls house. I bought the fabric and a pack of embroidery threads. The strawberry making went by the wayside and I started stitching some designs which will probably end up as cushions.