Saturday 28 March 2015

SERVING DESSERT, FIRST



I enjoy making miniature foods

 I know that it is not something that I excel at, 

 but I still like doing it. 

( Okay, having made that disclaimer right up-front, 
I can now calmly proceed. )

This past month, I have been busy trying to get stuff ready for this June's, West Coast Miniature Show, but to break up the monotony of sorting through much of my neglected collection, I decided to stop and make a few new things, 
actually, what I mean is; 
I decided to waste a lot of time and muck about with some mini food"recipes", 
as well as,
 re-work some "left-over" food items which I had previously made, in an attempt to use them up.


For example this tea tray pictured below:
I made four of these tea trays using some recycled plastic china from a previous project. The foods were part of an experiment, how to make miniature foods without having to use fimo.   Don't get me wrong.  I have nothing at all against fimo, I just wish that fimo had nothing against me!!! 
I keep trying to sculpt with different polyclays and my success rate with them is more "amiss", than a hit.  
In short,.. I suck 
 I have better success with non-conventional components, to 
"shake and bake" with.
These sticky buns are made primarily with packing styrofoam, slathered with my own "secret recipe" for a rich-looking caramel sauce and double- stuffed with whipped cream. 

oh, and by the way, 
I LOVE whipped cream,
both eating it and making it  
and have several pre-mixed containers of it stored in my Studio E "pantry" 
The recipes vary and some turn out to be Very Good while others continue to morph into something ugly. 
Even so,
I do it because I enjoy experimenting with new mediums and you just never know when a little 
"Eureka" moment
may be waiting right around the corner  
Both the large tart and the small one on the tea tray are more examples of my non-fimo baked goods and both are sporting different blends of whipped cream toppers. The large tart is placed on top of a Janet Uyetake plate.
This pretty china is only some of what I purchased at the Seattle Show.  They are wafer thin and very romantic. 

( Funny, but I seem to buy a lot of floral and girly minis, which is totally at odds with my real life, which is generally more simple and streamlined )

I guess opposites attract

meanwhile
I had to include these Fabulous mini shoes in this post about food.
Aren't they wonderful? 
These pretty little cork and leather wedgies are a gift from Janine,  recently purchased when she attended the miniature show in Brisbane, Australia.  She bought Fats a pretty pair too!  You can see more of Janine's 
Brisbane Show haul on her blog
"MINWORKS"


dear me! I nearly forgot to ask....
Would you have time to stay for tea?

 Well, of course you don't have to but..... 
 Perhaps
 I could tempt you with dainty sugared violets on orange flavored cupcakes and a few tangy lemon bars? 
( fimo nail ornaments, Air dry clays, beads, chalk and assorted paints and glitter)

still not sure?
(You can think it over while I read my mail.)
How about trying a slice of home-made mile high raspberry cream pie?
 (made from air dry clay and assorted mixes of paint mediums.)
OR 
My latest kitchen creation of lemon custard cream cake; 
(made with air dry clay, and rich and creamy, pencil erasers)
Or how about a slice of double chocolate fudge layer cake, 
(made from dense plastic sponge and frosted with a thick mix of assorted paints and glazes?)

"What's that you say, you haven't had your dinner yet!?"
 then, here's the menu for a
 main course.
***

"Serving up the Main Course!"

I had so much fun making each one of these savory cheese boards.  I made
6 in total.
I was able to use up a number of my past experiments.
The breads formed a part of those previous experiments.  

Although I try to remember to write down what I do when I do it,  I will often keep adding to the basic recipe. Later, I will have forgotten what I did; and then I can't duplicate it.
 ( this is what's happened with this bread )
typical....  

"Hey, are you hungry yet?"
 let's see if any of these savory munchies, are able to 
tempt your mini taste buds
Could I interest you in sampling some open-faced sandwiches, made from ADC ( air dried clay), styrofoam, silica beads, seeds, erasers, paints and some of my rescued Fimo Fails; 
i.e.
the boiled egg (
with real black pepper), 
dill pickle 
and thinnly sliced fimo tuna. 

Why not try some Big "juicy?" concord grapes, which have been kicking around in my collection for years. 
( they might even be raisins by now)
(seeds, erasers, styrofoam, dense plastic, and silica beads, paints, chalks and glues, make up this culinary composition.) 
Fatima's mouth-watering fimo sausage is a big feature on this rustic board along with my bread, cheese and jar of jelly 
and below is a jelly jar left-over from 
my very first blog tutorial;
"The Pony Bead Express"  ..... 
it's now famous! 
Isn't it amazing when you think of the origins of some of the strange  materials we use to make our miniatures out of? 
 Hopefully, they don't stay looking like what they came from, but rather like what they are suppose to represent.

I took some more photos so that you can have a good 

look-see at the individual cheese boards.
I am quite pleased with the way they all turned out.



Fatima's sausage slices, featured both on the open-faced cheese sandwich above and
on the cheese board below





These were lots of fun to make and I may eventually make some more, 
since I have a ton more 
Lots of past experiments still waiting patiently in the wings.
***

But just before you go, I would like to show you my very
 
first purchase 
 at the Seattle Show.

It is a garden trug!

(the cabbage roses are mine)

I bought it;

But then, I lost it, 


and didn't even realize, that I had lost it, even when it was broadcast over the P.A., that a parcel was found and would the rightful owner come and claim it.  
I heard them say it, 
but I didn't think that I had lost anything, that is, not until much later that same Saturday evening after the show was over for the day.

"Hey!" 
"Where did I put that garden trug?"

WHAAAAAAA!!!!!

I've lost it!!!! 

then there I was Racing back down to the hotel lobby and hoping against hope, that it had been turned in. 
AND IT WAS!

God Bless the person who found it and then turned it in; 
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! 

And So....,

 I would like to extend a personal invitation
 to that very special person, 
to share in a cup of tea with me here in the garden.
See!,

 I have already set a comfy place just for you
 It's all ready 
 And, yes, I'm serving the Dessert, FIRST! :D

elizabeth

Friday 27 March 2015

GIFTS FROM AFAR!

I had an opportunity to participate in a gift exchange with Jonquil of "Latchkey and Jonquil" blog.
Jonquil asked me if I could make her a pot of chives either for her kitchen or her garden as per the pot that she saw on display in Janine's "Minworks" kitchen table.  

Jonquil was kind enough to allow me to make the pot however I chose and so I decided to include not only chives, but also some golden oregano and some silver leaf sage.  I kinda got carried away and ended up adding a butterfly and a teensie weensie ladybug on the downward bending leaf. 
 hmmmm? 
Now that I've had time to reflect, I'm not really sure if it isn't just a wee bit too early for a butterfly in a spring garden?  
Ahhh me..... 
Jonquil, the butterfly can be removed, just so you know!

"anyhoosie" this is what I made for her and then I made some more potted plants, just for the fun of it.


Jonquil has already blogged about all of this, but since she is in the process of building her Daviot House kitchen,  I included some additional kitchen minis inside her parcel, and I was pleased to see that she has already managed to find places for some of them too! :))  Now, I would like to show you what she has sent to me.

I was delighted to find that her package contained first, this little white cushion with the lovely embroidered red flower on it!
I hadn't expected it and not only was there a flower but she had included my initial "E", on the cushion as well.  But that is not all.
This pretty little cushion is filled with the most intensely fragrant lavender that came out of Jonquil's garden in France!
It was pure bliss and sensory over-load when I held the little cushion up to my nose.  I couldn't put it down.  I just kept on sniffing and inhaling as deeply as I could, and let me tell you, it put a BIG SMILE on my face!
Call it a powerful "phlowersutical"
heeheehee

The cushion found a spot on the bed, but
the other half of what Jonquil sent me is in the bathroom.


Here is  the laundry bag that I desired for the bathroom door of #43.
This has more of the delicate hand embroidery that Jonquil is so famous for! 


Unbelievably tiny stitches!

I LOVE IT! 
and it is PERFECT for my bathroom door.
 Thank You Jonquil, for making me 2 FABULOUS
miniature treasures!
I consider them both
Precious
WORKS OF ART!

:D



and
Finally another gift that I have received. 
This kit came in the mail last week.
It was courtesy of HOBBY BUILDERS SUPPLY.
Let me explain...
At the beginning of March, I had a lovely email from Fran, of Hobby Builders Supply, asking me if I would be interested in blogging about this product which is currently part of their annual
"HBS CREATIN" CONTEST"
 I would NOT be participating in the contest,
which ends on December 16th,

but would be kind of like a "promoter" for it.

Currently this contest is already in full swing with a number of popular blogs either involved in the contest or doing what I am about to do, a non-entry "build and blog".
I have viewed some of the past entries for this Popular event and the results are ALWAYS ASTOUNDING!
You would not believe what contestants have done with some of the kits that HBS sells, so I was all for putting in a good word about it.
Now comes the hard part; making the time to do it.
I have a good idea of what to do with mine but now I need to find the time to work with
it, as well as get #43 completed.
I am not a very good Time Manager but

I am good at
panic-ing!
Knowing this about myself, I was on the point of passing this opportunity by, then I thought,
"What the heck!"
As long as I can make a good beginning on this kit, then I can divide my efforts between it and #43 with the doll's house obviously being the most urgent with its June deadline, then I can work on this new little cottage in between.
So next week is when I start, which will give me lots of time to draw up a rough sketch of what I am thinking of doing, to show you. 

And you know, I am rather stoked that I have something big to work on other than Green Dolphin Street because
sometimes 
I just don't feel like doing
ANYTHING, 
and
NOW

 I WILL HAVE TO! 
Thank you Fran at 
HOBBY BUILDERS SUPPLY 

stay tuned... :D

elizabeth

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