Tutorial: Easy 1:12 "Glass" Jars, Cups, Bottles etc.

As always, READ THESE FIRST:

1) items obtained from Daiso. it's a chain of $2 stores, meaning everything they sell there is $2 per item. you can check if you have one in your area here:

http://www.daiso-sangyo.co.jp/english/storeinfo/storeinfo03.html

otherwise, you can also probably check out your local hardware store to see if they stock anything similar. and if -that- doesn't work, then....:( sorry. you're better off purchasing ready made items then.....

2) it's not real glass. it's soft plastic, kinda squishy even, much like tubing for....fish tank aeration systems?

3) i'm sure you will find better ways of making or places to purchase nicer bottles, but i enjoy making minis out of found objects, with a little out-of-the-box thinking. so this isn't the most original idea, but heck, it's mine and so, be nice, don't steal images and stuff, ok? ^ ^

4) if you decide to share this tutorial, i'd appreciate it if you let me know first, or ask for permission to use my pictures. it's just common courtesy, and will make my day :) oh and uh, if you do make any of these via my tutorial, a credit would be nice too :) :) :) just link back to this tutorial page itself:

http://snowfern.com/2010/02/tutorial-easy-glass-jars-cups-bottles.html

on to the fun stuff!



these are 'terminals', they're sort of like wire connectors i -think-. i found them at the hardware/electrical section in my neighbourhood branch of Daiso. says here "Produced for DAISO", so for those who don't have a branch near you, or that branch doesn't carry it, sorry you're sh*t out of luck. but why torture yourself like i do? :P



looks remarkably like glass, right? for this set, the package contains 8 of these, and 8 smaller tubings (which i'd forgotten to take pics of). so that's quite a few jars, bottles and glasses you can make. :) at -least- 32 pieces!
again, this is pliable plastic. awesomeness.


i've indicated where you can cut with either your craft knife, or scissors. although i did use a craft knife for the trial version, i've found it cuts easily with scissors as well. just be careful not to hurt yourself, and try to keep it as straight a cut as possible.


you can decide for yourself how tall you'd like your bottle/jar vs glass to be. of course, the taller your bottle, the shorter your glass. if you don't understand what i'm referring to, the left side of the blade will be the bottle part, the right side, the glass. it will be made clearer in following pictures.


TADA! the bottle!


aaaaaand....the bottle standing up!

from here on, you don't really have to do the following steps if you don't intend to fill it, or don't care if it's a bottomless jar. but i -do- plan to fill it, probably with resin? but that's another project for another day. :)

moving along....



find a piece of thin plastic. any old packaging material will do. i used a file puncher to do this job. the plastic is a piece of laminating plastic i had lying around. beats me why i have it, i don't own a laminating machine, i'm a hoarder like that. HA!

at first i tried gluing then cutting round the base of the bottle, but it all just seemed terribly cumbersome and untidy, so i went with the hole punching method instead.

btw. if you're intending to add items to the bottle, like pickled onions, cucumbers, pickles (XD ) etc, this would be a good time to stick them in. easier to arrange the items from the bottom of the jar.


using PVC aka white glue, smear around the inner edge of the bottom. why PVC glue? ionos. guess cos it dries clear, is cheap and useful for almost everything, and well. it just so happened to work? haha.


stick on the round pieces of punched out plastic. let dry! this pic shows the bottoms after the glue has dried thoroughly.

TADAH!!!! GLASS AND BOTTLE!!! wooot woot! if you are worried that the bottoms aren't totally waterproof, i guess you could always give the bottoms a coat of gloss....i plan to do so later i guess....if i remember to....before i fill it with resin or whatever fake water medium you use. i wouldn't recommend liquid polymer clay since you really shouldn't bake these. they -are- plastic after all. i think i've mentioned that at least 2 times before.

SO THAT'S IT!!! oh no wait. there's MORE :P


looky here! this is also a connector/terminal. 6 sets....let's have a closer look shall we?


AHHH!! KETCHUP BOTTLE!!! or whatever squarish bottle you think it can be used for.


deng deng deng deng~!~~

if you don't wish to fill it with resin, you can always easily paint the inside of the bottle with acrylics to simulate whatever the bottle is to contain. alternatively, you could also simply insert a strip of coloured paper, add labels, paint -over- the thing.....possibilities are ENDLESS!!! i only got these today so i will be fiddling around with it more. soon-ish. XD no promises though....

so there you go. my latest tutorial. let me know what you think! and remember to share with us if you've made any of your own ^ ^

p.s. try to resist the urge to squish the bottle after you've glued on the bottom, or it'll pop off rather easily -_-" esp if you haven't 'reinforced' it with resin filling yet......

-----------------------------

update on tutorial, now that i've let the resin set all night ;)


did this like, 2am last night. so i didn't take care to prevent mixing in the bubbles :X don't matter, it's just practice and could pass for soda i guess.




that's not a goldfish. it's a drowning gummy bear XD i made a few 1:12 gummi bears approx 2mm tall, a little larger than i'd like but heck. it's a freaking gummi bear. i bite their heads off first OMNOMNOM.

(before people think i'm a sicko, i admit. i -am- a sicko! nono, i originally wanted to see if resin with resin sank or floated, and the smallest resin piece i had around was the gummi bear. verdict, resin floats in resin XD )


i filled on up to the top. this is because i recalled that resin does not stick to certain soft plastics, what better time to try???


my heart went "doki-doki" before cutting this. i guess if you had immense patience, you could finagle the set resin out of the flexible tube. but i don't, and i didn't want to pop it in the fridge to wait either (refrigerating the resin lets it shrink a smidge, and could possibly save 1 'bottle'). so i CUT IT OPEN. *evil laughter*

what i'm so excited about is that, the tinier bottle could be used as shoyu bottle, or a cute little snack drink bottle, and BEST OF ALL THERE IS NO SEAM.

again. i'm too pleased with myself. humility, where? XD

measurements of the tinier bottle:
4.5mm wide
6mm from top to base of neck of bottle (since the bottom cylindrical measurement is entirely up to you)

off to play with more minis, yay~!~

Introducing: Nyann

beautiful madelines and her oh-so-cute-strawberry-stalks!!!!
omnomnom, creampuffs, i'd like to try making these someday soon, these look scrumptious :9
and as she puts it, her 'zebraberries' XD see those cute strawberry stalks!?!?!

and this!!! THIS IS ACHIEVED WITH AIR DRY CLAY STUFF!!!! no baking, no messy fiddling with liquid polymer clay and baking! GOR-JUS! where i have failed, she's succeeded!!!

i'd like to introduce my friend, Nyann. i first got to know her via my blog, and i went snooping around hers, to discover that she's also from Singapore, around my age (YESSS!!!!) and although rather new to this mini-food hobby, her potential is immense! look at all her kawaii cute and realistic works! you probably would have noticed me mention her in some of my previous posts, where we were at the same event where Asuka held a booth too ^ ^

we have since been chatting online almost daily, i adore her sense of humour and her willingness to share. she's far more patient than i am with regards to her process, and boy does she have sources. head on over to her blog to see quite a bit of work-in-progress pics, as well as places where you can get air dry clay stuff.

don't forget about her flickr account! she takes beautiful pictures of daily stuff as well ^ ^

ok Nyann. next time we go jalan-jalan, dinner's on you ;)

<3!

send her some love!!

http://overthesilvermoon.blogspot.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/overthebluemoon/

An unexpected date and trade!

sooo, today i unexpectedly traded for some items. i'd picked up my parcel from the post office, i'd previously purchased some items from HeyYoYo, and they're SOOO CUTE! well packaged too ^ ^ Thanks Amanda!

you can see the reserved listing in order to identify which items i got, and how much i paid for 'em here:

http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=23980937

she's really friendly, and came highly recommended by Asuka!

the flowers you see are from Sans of The Dollhouse Diaries, part of a secret giveaway! woohoo~! there are a few more varieties, but i rushed to take pics so... :X see, comment spamming -sometimes- pays off. HA!

the flower pots and disposable 'styrafoam' lunchboxes are from Madam Ang *secret smile* i won't tell you what i paid for 'em ;) BWA HA HA *winks at Asuka*

the container i used for the shelf, and the acrylic little perch i have the 1:12 items on are from Muji. i simply couldn't resist! i have so many plans for them!

anyhow, i made this impromptu trip down to town because i hurt my hand this morning whilst working the frosting for the commission :( i got a blister on my middle finger (not from flipping anyone the birdie, i'm a nice girl. HAHHAHAHA don't choke), and my old thumb injury acted up again, each time i try to use it a jolt of pain shoots up my hand. and i was sooo moody and in so much pain, when i saw Asuka online, i invited her to join me on an impromptu shopping trip so that i wouldn't hurt myself further. i have a tendency when i work to not realise when i'm hurt, and aggravate my injury whilst i cater to my compulsions. taking myself away from the work environment usually helps.

well. mid-trip, i realised the reason for my moodiness :X LOL. ANYWAY.

sorry if i'm not really replying comments and stuff, i'm quickly realising i'm all over the place, in my head, and on the net. spreading myself a little too thin (and there's loads to go around har har), so to speak. i guess what's most important is to sort out the requests, fulfill the orders, and...STOP CHATTING ONLINE! aughghghghghg

that'll start tomorrow. g'nite :D


(oh and the colourful pillbox is just for Asuka's reference, i used it to contain my beads from aeons ago)

in the papers today.....

and in my very terrible translation of it...

Can touch, cannot eat
miniature food mistakenly taken for real

miniature foodmaking isn't a very popular hobby locally, but in the past 2 years it has increasingly attracted new enthusiasts, the mini food circle is rather large and some have even attracted international magazines and attention online. (i probably misunderstood most of it, doesn't make sense in english LOL HELP!)

although the foods are detailed, interest and passion is strong, to compete with the international miniaturists market and become a full-time miniaturist, is not an easy feat. let's listen to 5 food miniaturists share their joys and difficulties, see how they use clay to make these dreamy food shapes. (eh? lol literal translation makes it all wonky)





donuts, breads, crepes made out of clay, each cute and small, even smaller than a 5 cent coin, can easily fit over 10 items in a palm. no matter from far or near, all of them can be mistaken for real foods, some even more detailed than the real stuff itself. (huh?)

over the past 2 years, these "can see cannot eat" miniature foods have captured quite many locals' hearts, majority of fans are collectors, some try to make these and sell their works. although there are no official figures on the number of miniaturists in singapore, an insider revealed that the number of miniaturists who have achieved a professional standard but number no more than 20.

locally, the most famous miniaturist would be madam ang, from 2004 she has made miniature foods, initially under tutelage from teachers in Thailand and Hongkong, she has added her own initiative and developed her skills, and had many faithful customers from the start. madam ang specializes in mini steamed cakes, and angkukueh, both of which are very popular. many customers purchase them and place them on their altars.

in 2008, she opened a store in Sunshine plaza, at the same time she holds classes there. she has had approximately 50 students since, ages ranging from 8-58.

she says, "there's no lack in people who are keen, however the lessons are not cheap, and one must have plenty of patience. many don't take the first step, or if they do, give up mid-way"


Self-taught Miniaturists

even with a professional teacher it has been found that they give up mid-way, perhaps due to lack of passion or interest. in comparison, some miniaturists are wholly self-taught, this sort of passion and seriousness is precious indeed.

amidst the local food miniaturists, Zheng Yanling (33), Stephanie Koesuma (23) and Zhang AiWei(22)'s works lights up the eyes, like Zheng Yanling's works, which have been featured on CDHM and a Spanish miniaturist magazine (OMG BLUSH). They have over the last 2 years started making miniature foods, Indonesian Stephanie picked up her skills from an Indonesian teacher, Zheng Yanling and Zhang AiWei are wholly self-taught.

Rushing through the night, Getting hungrier and hungrier

after graduating last year from NUS, Zhang AiWei got hooked on miniature foods after viewing Angie Scarr's works, a partially peeled miniature orange.

she says, "although i've seen many miniature foods in the past, they were mostly mass produced goods, and looked rather fake, therefore unable to capture my interest. However Angie Scarr's mini orange looked extremely cute, moreover it was extremely realistic, so i decided to give it a try."

"at that time, i'd already started sculpting with Korean air dry clay, it dries rather quickly so i decided to try out another medium, polymer clay, and there has been no looking back since."

"there are countless tutorials on the web, moreover there are pictures and videos as well, extremely well-suited to autodidacts. however, faced with so many foods, during the sculpting process one often feels ones' mouth itch, especially in the dead of the night, the more i sculpt, the hungrier i get!"

Zheng Yanling started out with Sylvanian Families, and got hooked on miniatures since. she thinks that although sylvanian families toys are rather well made, the foods leave much to be desired. so she started looking for more realistic miniature foods. eventually, she found a picture on flickr that captured her attention. (i mentioned Petitplat but i guess being vague is better for a 'general' article on local miniaturists?)

she says, "it didn't look too difficult to do, and my heart started itching to try, however there was so much to learn. bf bought all the materials for me, however i daren't start immediately. i spent a whole month researching and collecting a treasure trove of information before attempting to make any."



Hard work and perseverence to produce results

be it self-taught or taking lessons, practice and experience are necessary. recent graduate from La Selle Stephanie, has plenty of experience in the arts, she first picked up her basic skills from a teacher in Indonesia, and through her own experiments and trials, tried different methods in order to produce extremely realistic miniature sculpts.

she says, "there is no strict rule on how to make the models, often it is through experimentation that you get results. the cappucino for example, simply using the clay will not give you a realistic frothy texture, sand must be added to produce it."

overseas, there's quite a number of miniature specialists who turn their hobby into a business, and for a living, one miniature chocolate can sell for a few tens of USD, moreover customers keep coming back for more. howevr local miniaturists say, turning this into a profession is rife with obstacles, and this interest is best left as a hobby rather than as a career.

in both business and experience, madam ang says, "locally there are many thai imports of mini foods, and due to the low material and labour costs, the prices are kept low. in comparison, our works wind up costing more, several potential customers are shocked by the price tag and retreat, thinking we deliberately raise our prices. many customers don't understand, just a small cake, would require several hours in order to complete it, inclusive of work hours, can you consider 10+ dollars for a cake expensive?" (sorry, really don't know how to translate this properly)

Prices offered by local customers are scary

the troubling issue faced by local miniaturists is, local customers love to haggle over prices, and the prices offered are terrible. some customers think, a small cake should cost no more than 3-4 dollars, for them to consider purchasing it. when selling online, buyers are often collectors or international customers, hence price slashing situations are seldom encountered.

Zheng Yanling confesses, when selling her items, the biggest obstacle is often pricing. because these are miniatures, each item requires not all that much material-wise, nor are the material costs very high, however there are other considerations, like workmanship and work hours, paints, and utility bills (polymer clay requires use of an oven) that have to be kept in mind. problem is, customers often only think of the clay as the base material, thus coming to the (wrong) conclusion that the items are overpriced.

Zheng Yanling says, "pricing our work low would be debasing our works to rubbish. each item is a labour of love, if i were to let it go for little to nothing, then i'd rather not sell them."

she has taken the advice and suggestions of other miniaturists and researched the market prices on the items, however kept reminding herself not to price too highly. for example, a month ago while selling at a local doll event named "The Doll Affair", she took into consideration the fact that doll owners prefer to spend their money on accessories and clothes, whereas props are mostly used for photoshoots, so if priced too highly, the doll collectors might not be willing to purchase the props.


Picked as one of "Asia's Top 10 Handmade Gifts"

currently in the IT line, Zhen PeiLi has been making miniatures for over 4 years. other than miniature foods, she also makes accompanying dollhouse accessories such as mini trays and furniture etc. although she has sold her works on Etsy, her work has garnered favourable attention, and was voted as one of CNNGo's "Asia's Top 10 Handmade Gifts". however, she still views miniatres as a hobby rather than a full-time career.

currently, she sells anywhere from 1-10 items a month, customers from Europe, Japan and Australia, but the prices depend on level of difficulty, priced from USD7.90 (SGD11+) up to USD100++.
Zhen Pei Li says, "Miniature making is enjoyed by a small circle of enthusiast, whether it will become popular, will have to depend on how deep an interest is developed. as the difficulty level increases, the time required to make them increases as well, so it would require lots of planning and patience. if one were to convert the hobby into a career, there would be many points to consider. ultimately, the most important thing is passion, to do it because you love it. other than motivation, creativity, imagination, you would require capital as well as business sense."

although requirements are plentiful, as well as difficulties that come up, local miniature food makers still swim against the current, like madam ang, zheng yanling and zhang aiwei all hope wholeheartedly to turn this into a full-time job. on the whole, other than selling their works, they also accept commissions.

affectionately referred to as "Madam Ang", she frankly admits that it is difficult to become rich making miniatures, but also reluctantly admits that sales are 'ok'. other than her store in Sunshine Plaza, she occasionally rents a cart at VivoCity during promotional seasons, to raise awareness as well as promote her works. madam ang does not frequent the internet, therefore does not offer her items for sale online.

The web is an effective platform for sales
to the majority of miniaturists, the web is their main avenue for sales, and the most popular platform would be the handmade webstore, Etsy. however, the number of sellers on Etsy can run into the hundred-thousands, to attract the attention of buyers, why not take zheng yanling's suggestion: join a team that sells and promotes items similar to yours, help out each other, as well as tagging accurately in order to more easily search for your works.

participation in events and exhibits, not only helps raise your name, it also raises your visibility to local communities, as well as raise awareness to your customers. however, school exhibits, although high in traffic, miniature lovers might be few and far between.

in comparison, events such as "the doll affair" focus mainly on doll collectors, and although the traffic is not as high as in a bazaar, the attendees have already a keen interest in miniatures. Zheng Yanling, Stephanie and Zhang Aiwei participated in this year's "the doll affair" (lol shld be last year le!) and indeed consider it a very good opportunity and experience, and gives them room for expansion.

Considering the Customer's Interests
of course, prior to making the items, one has to consider the customer's preferences and likes. according to madam ang's observations, overseas tourists prefer local food dishes such as miniature models of satay; other miniaturists have discovered, locals prefer the sweets and desserts in miniature.

(i'm tired. lunch break first. haven't read this much chinese in years)

other than that, in order to attract doll or dollshouse collectors, scale is extremely important, a little too large or a little too small is unacceptable. to attract new non-collectors, one has to invest alot of time and consideration, and convert the items into jewellery or accessories.

the interviewed miniaturists constantly stress this: no matter what sort of model, items should have their own style, and not blindly copy. madam ang reckons, those who enjoy gourmet foods and are familiar with cooking, helps in cultivating a personal style, and definitely adds to the object's realism; those who understand woodwork or sewing, can incorporate their skills into items such as tablecloths or display shelves.

I would like to try too!
to make such beautiful miniature items, one must definitely put in the effort. from which clay to use, where the materials are available for cheap, which colours and how to mix it to achieve realism, alot of personal experimentation and discovery would give the best rewards.

Zheng Yanling says, (omg this part makes me sound so arrogant =_="") "alot of ppl say they can't make miniatures, because they do not have talent towards it like i do. the problem is, you have to try it out to find out. even the best miniaturists, their early works are a mess, in the beginning i had no idea if i could make a decent-looking piece. the beginner has to be prepared to persevere for at least a few months, before they can see the true results." (i don't recall saying much of this LOL i think it probably sounded different in my head, since the interview was conducted in English)

View these outstanding local works online
you can check out the links below to see more beautiful works made of clay.

Hong Xiu Lian (?? donno how to read the last char sorry! will edit when i get berated :P ):
www.flickr.com/photos/mdmang/
Zheng Yan Ling: http://snowfern.com/
Stephanie Koesuma: http://asukas.blogspot.com/
Zhang Ai Wei: http://aiclay.blogspot.com/
Zhen Pei Li: http://miniaturepatisseriechef.blogspot.com


(ok i feel stupid now just found out http://www.zaobao.com/fk/fk100113_001.shtml is available, i guess you could run it through googletranslate or similar....ARGH) i'll edit the post again later....zzzzz.....back to work on more macarons :O

I am really angry right now

i ordered some items previously from poly mer clay ex press dot com and i'm am SOOOO PEEVED right now.

not only did they charge to my card an additional shipping cost of $20 without prior confirmation, after almost a week's delay in reply, the manager has informed me that they have shipped my order to CANADA.

HELLO???I AM IN SINGAPORE NOT IN CANADA WTF IS WRONG WITH THEM?

i'm so tired of this bullshit. it is a major annoyance to me. all i can hope is that my shipment arrives safely, and that it isn't delayed for too long. meanwhile, i have to inform my customer that not only might her order be further delayed, i am no longer able to accept commissions for Jan unless i can find another supplier.

* i understood that the shipping costs were just an estimate, but hello? isn't it business courtesy to inform the customer BEFORE adding an additional USD$20 to their card?

**********UPDATE

they've replied and apologized for their error, they had a customer who shared the same name who lived in Canada. my parcel is on its way here. well. it still doesn't make me less peeved abt the earlier incident, to which they've offered no explanation either, but i'm going to drop it. at least until mid-Jan. or until i get caught up in experiments i forget all about this. ha ha.

my cousin's new camera

cousin visited today with aunt, and he'd brought his new DSLR, alas, he hadn't purchased a macro lens as yet and learned rather quickly that it's hard to take pics of my minis without one XD well, when he does, i'm sure i'll have FANTASTIC pics, meanwhile, here are some rather good ones too ;)

Yotsuba has been featured in quite a number of my pictures, and i hope you enjoy these as much as i did posing her ^ ^

Rock paper scissors!

"Jan-ken-po !"

"HEY! stop that!"

"Let's do some gardening ^ ^ "

trying to get her to stop moving is...hard....:P

"Usagi love"
(usagi is japanese for rabbit)

GUNDAM!
(i purchased a whole keroro gunsou kit specifically for this set XD)

"Hey Yotsuba! Look at the nice cameraman!"

mm just like those oleskool studio portraits hehehe

i knitted the rabbit following a free ravelry pattern, but i lost the link cos it must have been a good 2-3 years ago since :( her rabbit water bottle is one of my super duper fave re-ment items. i hope i haven't lost the cap :(

Eva kept trying to get into the shots XD

ok this pic i took with my own camera the night before. LOOK AT THAT!! soooo adorable!!! i absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Stitch & Scrump (his little blue ragdoll) so when i saw this...i was ecstatic!

i took plenty more pics while i was at my very first dollmeet!!! pics are up on my flickr ;) (most of them are on flickr, don't know how many read the blog and i'm not sure about the protocol on using pics of others' dolls?) i was saying after many of them tried to persuade me to get one "WHEN you get one....." etc etc cos i was oooh-ing and aaaah-ing over the beautiful BJDs.....but yea. i still think of dolls as props to my minis, be it purchased (re-ment etc) or made by me....*scratches ear* sure, i love dolls, but somehow, the dolls seem more to me like props than the reverse haha. especially miniature containers/tupperware. ODD HUH?

it has been a really really REALLY fun start to 2010 ^ ^ i'm already exhausted! sheesh i'm weak.

going to a pyjama party tomorrow ;) can't wait! why do i get the feeling i'm trying to squeeze as much 'non-clay' fun in before my clay arrives? i think cos once the clay gets here, i'll probably lose all sense of time XD i hope by then my new friends don't think i'm avoiding them, i'm not, just very very obsessive is all :P

Event report: The Doll Affair 2009

First off, I would like to say, THANK YOU SOOO MUCH to my generous customers and friendly faces I met today! I'm so sorry if i seemed out of sorts, i am, generally a rather....out-of-sorts person XD special shout out to SassyStrawberry for being my first customer! ^ ^ and i also want to apologize for not taking a pic of her beautiful booth, i swear i thought i did, must have totally slipped my mind when i got distracted chatting with you ; ; WAHH~~ well my blurry pics won't do any of her work justice, so go to her blog to see them :)

i will try and breakdown the events that happened today, oh boy it started out something awful.....

WARNING, long droning post ahead. with accompanying blurry pics. cos i suck even at PnS cameras. bleh.

7.40 am - woke up later than usual since i slept at 2 to finish up the signs/pricings. messed about with jewellery findings, which i should not have, since nobody even took a look at the charms :( Asuka called saying she's already there! :O we were expected to start setting up at 11!

10.30am - still standing by roadside desperately waiting for a cab

10.45am - cab company hung up on me after being put on hold while the 'system processes my request', apparently no cabs were nearby to pick me up from the rain that started at 10.35 ; ;

10.48am - rain stopped, called Asuka to whine about situation.

10.49am - flagged a cab -_-" cabby was chatty and friendly, i only started to get nervous as the cab turned the road to the drop-off point.....woah..?

11.05am - reached hall!

11.06am to 2pm - random blur events. cousin arriving and having to ditch her drink and smuggle subway sammiches (OH YES SUPPERTIME WOOT) in, journalist from local chinese papers with cameraman stopped by to ask questions all of which i replied in my usual rambly-nonsensical manner whilst trying to figure out how to complete my display. good thing cousin was there to help me set up or i'd never get anything done -_-" Jocelyn aka Aiclay WON!!!! i don't think she even realised it until i let out a whoop of surprise and joy that someone we knew won XD now she can have a dolly to make foods for XD LUCKY YOU i hate you and am so insanely jealous! imma sneak into your house and steal it....:P

i met also aki, terminal_insanity aka pecan demolisher, and i'm sure a few others also from sgcafe, again, i feel so apologetic for not being more available mentally and physically to catch up....i shall spam post in sgcafe LOL

since cousin did such a fabulous job, we went for a wonderfully satisfying japanese meal, my treat, and her first meal of the day (at 7pm :O ) ; ; i really felt bad about this. s'ok, i'll make up for it ^ ^

for a first event, i think it went fabulously well, i shouldn't have complaints, but i have of course, lessons to take away from this. this blog was set up to jot down my forays into mini-making and the adventures it has taken me to, and there's always some lesson to be learnt, right? biggest lesson i learnt was to NOT TAKE TAXIS FOR GRANTED. ok i'm kidding. but really, it shouldn't take me 1/2 hr to get a cab from a main road ; ;

k. i gotta keep positive. no griping. ok i'll gripe a little. nobody liked the sushi ; ; judging from the attention my wares got from the crowd, hardly anyone glanced at the sushi :O i was a little mortified since i'd spent so much time on them ; ; frankly, i kind of suspected it, since from various conversations i'd had with Madam Ang, the younger crowd tend to go for the pastries and pretties, the office crowd for gifts celebrating local cultures and hardly anyone went for sushi. paid heed, i did not ; ; but it was a challenge, and i enjoyed the process. and the macarons ahhhhhh i really wish i had more clay. which i shall have to remedy once i get some rest. i only sold 1 set, i guess i should have made them differently and in more pastel colours. but dammit all. i really am quite proud of the details on them. so there. :P

i'm going to take tomorrow off, and then finish up some orders for sales i made on my etsy. it's also going to be hectic next week, when i take photos of leftover stocks and prepare for some post-christmas sales. yea. this is just a reminder of what to do. oh and that interview with the local paper of course. HI YOU READING THIS! LOL oh boy, i pity her having to filter through my rubbish to get a coherent thought out of me XD i think she'd honestly have better luck with Asuka or Aiclay XD

eh i'm still rambling. HERE ARE THE BLURRY PICS. enjoy, and for those with lower bandwidths.....time to upgrade :X

uh. i checked the pics and i'm too tired to post them here. i'll post one of my booth (AHEM) and please CLICK HERE to see the rest! SORRY! i think the adrenaline has finally worn off. imma head to bed.

or here :P http://www.flickr.com/photos/snowfern/sets/72157622711743949/

if i didn't get the booth names right, please let me know, they changed the layout at the last minute so i wasn't sure and frankly i was really zonked out by the time i -had- time to take pics.

ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU TO ALL WHO CAME TO SUPPORT US! HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT YEAR TOO!

Display units for TDA 2009

display units - part 1
Originally uploaded by Snowfern

i'm exhausted. i spent all of today working on these 3 units. reason why i took so long was that i had no clue what to make, so i hauled the mountain of materials/props that was sitting in the middle of my room into the hall, and slowly worked my way through it, seeing what i could make with what i had.

they're of no particular scale. the macarons and candy canes in the cylindrical jar are of 1:3 scale, and the canes in the cookie jar are an assortment of scales. i haven't even figured out pricings, i think i'll leave that till friday.

i still have many macarons to fill, i'm wondering if i should make the more 'frilly' macarons, but i don't know if i want to, as the macarons i see are mostly 'blockier' ? that and i'm lazy, the frilly ones take a lot more work and these are already rather labour intensive.

i'd originally meant the acrylic display to be for my 'manly cakes', but i ran out of materials.

and time. i'm wondering if i really need all that much sleep LOL!

OH YES! i also wish to thank all the lovely readers who have already participated in my giveaway! really, i'm overwhelmed by the response :O thank you for all the suggestions so far! and remember, the deadline is 19th December 2009 midnight (my time in Singapore) and if you haven't already, go to this link:

http://snowfern.com/2009/12/my-first-giveaway.html

to stand a chance to win uhhh....a mystery gift! :P

back to the grind.

Sushi, I'm almost sick of making them

spent much of this morning editing photos to print for the event. i don't plan on making all that much stock, especially of the 1:3 items, and am planning to offer only at most 2-3 sets of sushi, might make more donuts though we'll see.

OK LESS TALK MORE PIX!

manly cakes LOL i don't want to just offer girly stuff!

this 1:3 cake slice was hell to make. it's hollow in the centre to save on clay, and you can imagine how much clay it already uses :( no way am i making more of these unless i'm commissioned to.

the crab stick is a little too large for the maki, i got a tad confused while going back on forth making 1:3 and 1:4 items, messed this up totally. i think it looks ok for a 1:3 scale maki, but there's too little 'rice' :( am waiting for the glue to dry on my 2nd try on these, will post pics when i can.

made some 1:12 petit fours a few days back while mucking about with the 1:3 ones. LOL it was hellish, they are barely 2mm wide....and i've never eaten a petit four in my life either!

the 'fishy' sushi rolls on sushi plates i made from wood clay. i couldn't find suitably sized plates, so these would have to do. only made i think 9 plates though.

for the lesser adventurous, here are the not-raw sushi rolls XD i tried making 1 set of cucumber rolls in 1:3 scale, and they are made differently than the 1:4 ones. i prefer the 1:3 rolls but they're a little tricker to make. i might make more if i have the time or inclination to.

and, a gift from my youngest brother! i was so surprised by it, he remembered that i love Totoro XD no special birthday plans, i nearly forgot what day it was until bf reminded me yesterday. which isn't something new, i tend to forget birthdates anyway XD

More cupcakes, donuts and a new friend!

i'm driving myself crazy wondering how to price my work. all of the above are in 1:4 scale, the donuts are approx. 2cm across.

they are textured, dusted with pastels to show off detail, and after all the fancy stuff has been added, they're coated with varnish.

thing is, there are cheaper options available for cheap, anywhere from SGD$3.90-$5 on a keyring. but NOT at this size, NOT handmade, and NOT as detailed.

yet majority of locals have the impression that handmade goods are inferior and not worth paying SGD$8-10 per item, when you contrast it with the $5 keychain, or $4 eraser set.

what should i do? :(

that aside, i also made some 1:12th donuts, finally LOL i've been putting off making these because i keep forgetting to ;P ack. the colours make the ochre on the belgian waffles look so....unnatural XD

on a brighter note, bf surprised me 2 days ago with this! i'd been moaning about Yotsuba for a year before i got her, and whilst searching for her i found out that there was a Summer Vacation version, with more expressions and hands!!! OMG OMG!!!!
so bf secretly bought this online as an early birthday gift ^ ^ I LOVE IT! i really can't bear to open it, i know i will, but i also know a few fanboys who would look at me like i killed my dog if i did XD
speaking of my dog....LOL here's Eva looking all embarrassed...whenever she's munching on some random stuff (mostly her paw) i'll ask her to "Let me see" and she'll usually let go of whatever's in her mouth, or open wide for me to look into it.

this time, i called out to her for fun and she had no clue what wrong she'd done, hence the drooping ears XD XD XD poor girl. :P

note, her left paw is bald from her constant gnawing :(