Thursday 21 February 2013

Soup and Sieves





                        soup and sieves a tutorial for your culinary pleasure!

"of all the items on the menu, soup is that which exacts the most delicate perfection and the strictest attention"
(Auguste Escoffier)



Now Ladies and Gentlemen,
Raise your hands if you remember THESE pictures!

 (I do, I do !)
Yes, it is the earrings that I took apart to give the frying pan a handle in the post. 'A Big MAC Attack''.  And do you recall me saying that there was more to come, with the front half that we did not use? 

hmmm?
  Well, run and get that extra piece because I going to show you now how to serve the soup, dipper the water, gather the gravy or scoop up the punch; ( all in miniature, of course.)

So let's begin
This is the earring in its original state.  All in one piece.
And here is another version of a clip earring that shows a slightly different style than the first.
'HELLO?' (this is 'scarry looking', isn't it!?)   Not to worry, it is just a pair of needle nosed pliers  about to  unhinge the front of the earring from the back, just as before.
(very friendly)
Now here is where I left off last time.  
For the frying pan, I used the top piece only; for the ladle I  will now use the LOWER SECTION  You can see it only needs a bit of tweeking to get it from here to there.
So this is where the actual 'work' occurs and it's not that much Using the jewelers needle nosed pliers, you are going to need to straighten out the stem of the ladle and make it as straight and smooth as possible. I do this by dragging the pliers down the stem of the bowl with consistent pressure, as much as possible, trying not to snap the stem off the bowl.

For those using an earring back with an additional circlet for the dangle that would normally be  attached onto it, well it has to go! 
This what I use for that!  These nippers will get right up close and personal with the excess metal.
I purchased mine at Michael's but most jewelry making outlets should carry them, too. These get right along the bottom edge of where you want to make the cut.
Now the circle is gone and the rough spot needs to be sanded smooth with a metal file.  Now you need to slightly bend the bowl of the spoon forward to enable you to dip into the soup.  I actually hold the spoon as if I WAS ladling it up just to get the proper angle of the spoon.  You have to be careful here, because THIS IS THE WEAKEST Part of the SPOON!  The more you bend it the more you weaken it so don't do it hard and don't do it too many times or you will find out the hard way and then there will be NO SOUP FOR YOU! hahah
Yes, hmm, moving right along....
This not the same spoon but is yet another version of a clip earring conversion.  I am showing it to demonstrate the fact that it has a hole in the handle that I have put a jump ring in to enable it to hang.

The spoon had been filed and shaped as earlier mentioned and it ready to now become a useful addition to the mini kitchen!  Now wasn't that easy?  Not even any glue!

These are some of the ones I made earlier and I have enameled them with nail polish in various colors to make them cheerful for those who enjoy vintage!
But this is not the end, oh no, not nearly the end!
READ ON...
 Now we are going to scoop up where we left off and make SIEVES, are you ready?
LET'S BEGIN!
I picked up these jewelry bits from the dollar store for $1.05.  Not bad eh?
There are 42 pieces in the package and they are 3/4" long with a hole in either end.
This is what they look like out of the package.
So for this you will need to bend only ONE end slightly forward.
Here is the side view of the bent stick
This is an assortment of the variety of pierced earring pans that are usually tied with beads from the 50's and 60's styles.  You can see that there are many sizes and finishes available but they are not all suited for the sieves, just the smallest ones that are no more than 1 and 1/2 cm or 5/8" in diameter.  If you can find them smaller use them, also.
Here is my selection and the jump ring is to be hooked through the straight end and used to hang the utensil on a hook or nail when not in use. (the jump ring that is in my hand is actually too big and I used a smaller one instead)
Hello Quick Grip, old buddy of mine. I ran out of this glue and went to WalMart to buy some more at the same time I bought my groceries, when I unloaded the bags to put the groceries away I forgot about it until later that evening when I needed it, couldn't find it ANYWHERE!!! 2weeks later and I STILL haven't found it, so I have had to buy it yet again! (I think it must have fallen on the floor) hahah
I was trying to move this picture to the end but it just won't stay put so, I am going with the flow.
This is what the final product will look like with the pans glued on and the jump rings thru the handles!  Now, that the picture is taken, I can see the big blob of glue along the handle!  I have picked it off with the tweezers just so ya know.  I  am a bit of a perfectionist in SOME things.  

Now tell me don't they look good?
Come along class, time to get back to work!
(Going backwards now.)  Here again is the handle with the proper sized jump ring through it.
Adding the Quick Grip to the bent end of the handle, THIS, by the way, IS WAY TOO MUCH GLUE!  Just a little goes a long way. But if you do get too much on it is easily removed and you can start again like I had to do, and even once the pan is glued in place, the excess glue can be picked off with a pair of fine tweezers so that the end product is CLEAN.  

The pan is glued onto the handle and needs to dry completely.

Sieve one, and
Sieve Two
NOW WASN'T THAT EASY?

And so dear friends, we once again come to the end of not ONE but TWO tutorials.  
I leave you with words of wisdom from a great American Song writer, Stephen Sondheim;

"SLOTTED SPOONS DON'T HOLD MUCH SOUP!"
yes amazing, but true
(.... thank you steve)






elizabeth





















49 comments:

  1. Thank you very much for both of the tutorials. I love your coloured spoons. Your sieves look great will try these for sure.
    Hugs Maria

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    1. Thank you Maria! These are probably the easiest things that I have ever done and I have done a lot! hahah
      Have fun, and don't try to eat soup with a sieve, or Stephen will have to write a song about it!

      elizabeth

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  2. Thanks for the tutorial. I'll be on the lookout for the pieces to make it.

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    1. Hi there Indy_Poppy! The best source that I have found for this kind of thing is the thrift store.
      There are many thrift stores around so check them out first before going to specialty stores and it might well save you some $$$$! Thank you for your comment and I am glad that you want to make it!
      elizabeth

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  3. Great tutorials--thank you! xo Jennifer

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    1. Hello Jennifer! Thank you for your comment and welcome to this blog! I am sooo glad that you enjoyed it and I hope that both Flossy and Sophie will be able to use these in their little cottage kitchens!

      elizabeth

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  4. Great tutorial once again. I'm going to have to file this one away if I ever do a kitchen.

    Great instructions and your playful notes really bring in a touch of fun that I really enjoy.

    Thanks!

    Dale

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    1. Thank you Dale! I appreciate your comment, very much! I started writing this tutorial several times and each time it was strained. Then last night, I began yet again and for some reason my fingers were like lead and I typed soooo slowly that I thought I would NEVER get it finished! I must have had to correct every third word, so I wasn't feeling very playful, at all, by the end of the evening. Then this morning, I revised it and WOW! everything started coming together! So thank you, for noticing, I enjoy it now, too!
      elizabeth

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  5. Another fabulous tutorial...you are a fount of creativity, Elizabeth! I've been pinning your tutorials to my Pinterest board(I have over 800 good quality mini tutes pinned, if you'd like to check it out here: http://pinterest.com/darrowby/miniature-tutorials/) I just love your blog♥!

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    1. Hello Kate! NOW I KNOW WHERE I HAVE SEEN YOU BEFORE!!!!! I am nearly ALWAYS on your Pinterest! Your collection is INCREDIBLE! I have been repining from your collection onto mine for quite a while now and your 'face' is on the majority! Thank you for all the attention that you have given to my tutorials, I appreciate it enormously! It is staggering how many people scroll through there and hours go by without even knowing it. Fatima, was instrumental in getting my blog out there by pinning my tutorials onto her pinterest boards which helped increase the traffic to this blog. So thank you Kate for your contribution as well. You can help yourself to mine and I will definitely be back onto yours!!!!
      elizabeth

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  6. Elizabeth tienes mucha suerte de tener una tienda de dolar con tantos artículos, y ser tú tan ingeniosa, gracias por compartirlo, feliz fin de semana:)

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    1. Hola Rosa Maria. Yes, it is very convenient to have not just One dollar store in my neighborhood, but would you believe that there are 2 side by side!!! ? How did that happen? Oh well, it suits me just fine. I think that maybe you don't have access to one? If that is the case then if you want to try the sieves, then I would try a small length of heavy gage wire that you flatten the end of, with a hammer, then cut down to the desired length. The sieves, are mostly old earrings that I have taken apart over the years to collect the beads from. I hate to throw anything away and so it occurred to me that they could be used as something for the doll's house, too! The reason that I used the metal bits that I did was for the hole in the end that I could hook a jump ring through but you don't have to hang them you could have them in a container on the kitchen counter. So keep an eye open Rosa Maria, dollar stores are only one place to look, but it is not the only place! Hardware stores are nearly just as good!
      Thank you for your comment, and enjoy Your weekend!

      elizabeth

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  7. Can't believe I was not the first to see the tutorials today. You are just getting really proficient at blog posting and fast. WTG....great tutorials yet again. Love love... Thank you
    fats

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    1. Hi Fatima! Are you slipping now that you have celebrated a BIRTHDAY!!!? Thank you, Fats for your comment. I hear that you have a great miniature show on the horizon and I am really looking forward to being part of it, again after such a long absence! I am glad that you liked this double bill, but if you think this was fast..... well it wasn't. It took over a week to work out and write and re-write and it was only earlier this morning that I decided to give it one more try and work out the bugs. In the end, I am happy with it, but blogging, as everyone who does it can attest to, is WORK!
      Fortunately, it is work that I really enjoy, and I'm glad that you do too! Thanks Fats!

      elizabeth

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    2. Hi Elizabeth....you should be proud of the work you are doing and you will be such a great addition (after so many years away) to the West Coast Show. You spoons created quite a stir on Pinterest. Lots of interest. In less than 2 months you are closing in on 100 followers. There is a reason!
      fats

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  8. Another winner, Elizabeth. Thank you so much!

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    1. Thank you Lucille! By the way Lucille, I really adored the pictures that you sent of your EDWARDIAN BED! I will ask my daughter to show me how to get them from my hotmail to my blog. I would be honored, if you will allow me, to show them to every one out there so that they can see the really wonderful job that you did with this bed! It is most impressive and you should be very proud of it and I am delighted that you took the time to send them to me. Thank you very much Lucille! Your a DOLL!!!

      elizabeth

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    2. Go ahead, Elizabeth, if it will make you happy. Why not! You contribute so much with all those wonderful tutorials that you give us that I can't refuse you. Also, it's very kind of you to go to all that trouble to show it. If you do succeed in transferring it from your hotmail, I can assure you it will seem very strange to me to see something I made showing up on a blog. I have never experienced that since I don't have a blog. I only wish the bed was dressed.

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    3. Lucille ,it is on my blog as I speak! LOts of fun. Enjoy sweetie! Now you are on the air!!!!!

      elizabeth

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  9. Brilliant tutorial. I really must keep an eye out for old jewellery and jewellery findings. Thanks.

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    1. Hi Sharee! Thank you!!! You have a very nice work room with a lot of natural light which is such a blessing and is so good for the soul. I think that you will find that once you start collecting metal bits and beads there will be a question of how to store them so that you can easily find what you are looking for. I have so many beads from old jewelry, that I now store them by color in old mason jars! I keep the metal findings in plastic organization boxes with a masking tape label outlining the main contents of each box. I have even drawn tiny illustrations to help the text. Collections have to start somewhere so stay organized right from the beginning so you won't go crazy looking for and not finding what you KNOW that you have!

      elizabeth

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    2. Thanks for the advice Elizabeth - advice I will take heed of. As I don't have a large work space I do have to stay organised.

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  10. You lady, are a spring of mini idea goodness ;)
    Thank you again hon for sharing !

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    1. Thank you again Jane for the encouraging words! How is the building project coming along? I will be in for a visit very shortly and I hope that you will have the tea on and some more tasty treats on the menu! You are such a GOOD COOK! Yum!

      elizabeth

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  11. Hi Elizabeth, The minute I don't check my reading list for a day new and exciting things appear!
    Another great tutorial. It is a nice little project.
    Janine

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    1. Thank you Janine! Sometimes, simple is not so simple, it just looks that way! haha The utensils were quick and fun to make, but it took longer to produce the blog, than I had thought it would. Not to mention that I am also "easily distracted", most recently by your fabulous mini French Garden! Great work. LOVE it!!!

      elizabeth

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  12. I found your blog today!!! Your blog is fantasic!! Thanks for all the great tutorials!!
    I´m a new follower now!!
    Greetings
    Melanie

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    1. Wow, Hello Melanie!!!! I am so happy to meet you! I hope that you will feel at home here and visit often. I love to do tutorials, and I am always inspired by such enthusiastic responses as yours! Welcome aboard!

      elizabeth

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  13. Everything looks sooo beautiful and easy to do!
    Thank you for sharing your tutorials...
    Ciao

    Ersilia

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  14. Thank you Ersilia! and THANK YOU, AGAIN! I just returned from visiting your blog and there is a post about the blogs you follow and as I scrolled through and took little detours here and there, I discovered to my great surprise and delight, a picture of My red, white and blue bedroom scene from the Fabric Foil tutorial! The company that surrounded this photo, were all artisans that I myself look to for information and inspiration! I want to thank you for considering my work, worthy to be included! It is like being nominated for an academy award along with Meryl Streep! WOW!

    elizabeth

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  15. Elisabeth, you Have a blog full of good ideas, helpful advices and amazing results. It is so wonderful to find people who share their ideas. Thank you so much.
    Hugs

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  16. Hello Mara! I am so happy to hear from you! I was going through Pinterest today and I pinned a wonderful photo of a Spiral Staircase made from a ladies sandalwood fan. It looked like cast iron and was so beautifully made that I clicked onto it and it turned out to be your blog and Staircase tutorial! I have never seen anything like it done so well! I thank you for sharing it and I went immediately and found the fan that I had, and then chickened out! You got me wanting to do it, Mara, but I want it to turn out just like yours! Practice makes perfect, but I only have one fan! I will have to just dive in at get it done and when I do I will be sure to let you know, but only if it turns out like yours because yours is the Best! Thank you for leaving a comment and for the compliment. Both are Greatly appreciated!

    elizabeth

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  17. Hi Elisabeth,love your ideas and tutos,amazing work!! Miniregards from sunny Spain.

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  18. Hola Sonia! Welcome and thank you for the comment and the compliment! I really love doing the tutorials. They are lots of fun and the energy that I receive from those that respond to them just make me want to do even More! I hope to hear from you again and envy you the sun in Spain, here in slightly warm western Canada, we have almost forgotten what it looks like!!! ..... ( Only Almost)

    elizabeth

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  19. I love all of your tutorials Elizabeth! I'm definitely going to make these! Thanks for sharing :-)

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    1. Hello Alice! I love that I am hearing from you again! How is the beautiful bed coming along?
      I left a message on that post of yours at Wisteria Lodge and I hope that you received it. I am so happy that you are enjoying the tutorials and as long as God will allow me to do it, I shall. If there is anything that you have questions about how to do, please don't be shy about asking. The last tine you asked me about the draping, it began a whole new set of tutorials and lots of response. Have fun and thanks for the comment, Alice.

      elizabeth

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  20. Thank you Eva! I hope that you will try these ideas out and be able to use them in your doll's house.

    elizabeth

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  21. I have a TON of those clip on earrings that I didn't know what to do with until just now!!! You are so clever! :)

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    1. Hello Lindsey! I think every self-respecting miniaturist, should have a good stash of clip on earring backs and jewelry findings GALORE!! hahha In truth, just about everything in miniature begins life as something else and you only have to look around to see the variety of things that have and are being repurposed into something else entirely. I am glad that you have these CLIP ON'S already because once you make one soup ladle,you will want to make many, and all in different colors too. I have recently decided to paint the sieves and they look even better with some white nail varnish and a vintage color applied to the back side,( just as I did with the soup ladles;) why I didn't show that picture, I'll never know but the added enameling makes a considerable difference to the final product. Have fun and keep me posted on the results or try it out for your blog, as you demonstrated with the light bulb/ pears! Now THAT WAS CLEVER!

      elizabeth

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  22. Вау это оказывается так просто!!!!!!! спасибо за урок!!!!

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    1. Yes indeed it is So simple! This fun to do because you can get it done right away and with almost no special tools other than a metal snip, a strong glue and a pair of pliers! I also painted my seives with nail enamel to add some variety and they looked even better. Have fun with this with and let me know how you make out!

      elizabeth

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    2. Спасибо))) мне еще понравился ваш виноград)))) из обувной коробки!!!! я обязательно позже попробую сделать это

      Delete
  23. Another fab tute from the Queen of Trash! Can't wait to do this with grandkids. Thanks so much for sharing Elizabeth.

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    1. Ha hahah Susan! I'm having a really good chuckle at this new moniker!!! "Queen of Trash" does sound better than some other choices such as "Garbage Girl" or "Dumpster Diva". Perhaps I shall have to adopt it as it does have a "regal' tone to it! ( hehehe)
      I don't know how much your grand kids will handle the sieves but as the handles are the most sensitive, I would suggest using a 5 minute epoxy to give them more strength. I wish that I had thought to use that in the first place. Anyway, Have lots of fun Susan! You give me such Big smiles!

      elizabeth

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  24. I love this tutorial. I cannot find the small "earring pans nor the "handles here in the states. Help

    Thanks

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  25. Hi Cathy! The pans for the sieves are mostly from vintage style clip- on or screw- tightened earrings popular in the 40's and 50's and 60's. Beads are threaded onto these " sieve pans" to form the design clusters. The "sieve pans" are of variable sizes depending on the styles. These earrings are more difficult to find since vintage jewelry is often vigorously scouted and then resold on Ebay, but try looking at the Goodwill, local hospital and S.P.C.A. charity shops, Value Village, the Salvation Army thrift stores as well as yard, garage and estate sales, all of which can still yield up these hidden treasures.
    The handles were found at the dollar stores in the craft section, but failing that, you could use the thin metal from tea-light candle pans, flattened and then cut into thin lengths as a substitute.
    I wish you " Happy Hunting" and don't give up Cathy. I I have discovered that if you want something bad enough, it will usually find a way to be found. :D

    elizabeth

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  26. Hey, I just came across this post from a picture link on Pinterest. Great work! I need to explore your other old posts. Troy

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  27. Hi Troy!
    Thank you for reminding me about this tutorial. ;D
    It was just a couple of days ago that my friends and I, spent some time making grapes following one of my old tutorials- "Grapes, They're a Shoe In". It was an interesting experience for me, to be instructed by- ME
    hahahaha

    elizabeth
    p.s. I will say though, that NOW I would use a stronger glue than Quick Grip for attaching the sieves to the handles.
    Just to be on the safe side.

    ReplyDelete

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