What I've Been Up To

It seems inevitable that real life will always find a way to interfere with the fun stuff I would prefer to do.Don't get me wrong, I love being a REALTOR(R) - and the income helps support my mini addiction - but I do wish I could find the time more often to indulge in my hobby. 

 

Things have been fairly quiet mini-wise these past few months. Too quiet. Aside from monthly mini club meetings, I wouldn't get much done. This past weekend, I was FINALLY  able to play with some clay this past weekend.

So there I sat, my big bin of clay at my fingertips, and totally blank on what to create....

I did finally decide and was able to make these yummy quesadillas:

 

 

 

There's cheese, spinach (my favorite) and veggie versions.

 

Small Wonders Miniatures Club in Cary has decided on a garden shed for our group project this year and we've been working on a different item each month.

Last month, I taught everyone how to make a spider plant from paper.

It was easy & lots of fun to do.

 

This month, Crystal Johnson provided all of us with a fantastic kit for a potting bench. I have gotten mine assembled but will be aging and distressing it for more realism soon.

 

The kit went together very quickly.

 

Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the summer. I did get a chance to take a week off and visit family in PA.  Then, evidently, we brought all the rainy weather from PA back to NC. What a soggy summer we're having! But the mushrooms are big and beautiful.

 

Toodles,

 

Cyndy

 

 

NC State Day 2014

The Cary and Raleigh miniature clubs have teamed up to co-host the NC State Day events in April 2014. The theme is "A Room for All Seasons" and it's based on a three section room box - see my bumblebee kitchen room box in previous posts. Our clubs will be displaying our finished rooms - including a pathology lab, quilt shop and chocolate shop.

We have spent the last several monthly meetings creating tote bag favors. Several of us are creating the table centerpieces and finding creating items for the raffles. Looks to be a great day filled with fun, friendship and minis!  This will be my first State Day event and I'm looking forward to it. If you'll be in the Raleigh NC area April 5th, I hope you'll be able to join us. 

Toodles,

Cyndy

Mini Roscoe was the Talk of the Reception

 

This is Mr.and Mrs. Kyle (Eileen Hennigan) Desrosiers and their dog, Roscoe.

We enjoyed a beautiful wedding weekend in Syracuse NY.

 

 

The cake table where my mini rendition of Roscoe drew many comments and praise.

 

This cake topper was a great hit - right down to his butt wrinkles.  I'm pleased with how little Roscoe came out.  It was a challenge and a privilege to have been asked to make the cake topper.

Thank you Eileen and Kyle - may you have many blessed years together.

 

Love,

Aunt Cyndy

 

 

 

 

Meet Roscoe!

My nephew Kyle and his fiancee Eileen have made a special mini request. They would like a miniature sculpture of their dog, Roscoe. It will be the wedding cake topper.

 

Roscoe is a Colorado Bulldog, with an unusually large cranium!

 

Here's my progression thus far:

 

Looks a bit funny without front legs. The ears are just 'samples' at this time.

Mini Roscoe sits about 3 inches tall and will have a depth of about 4 inches including his tail.

 

 

 

 

Finally, four legs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost ready for eyes, ears and tail. Need to work on those legs some more...

I am using Super Sculpey; I've learned to smooth the clay with baby oil which works great but I have to be careful to use it sparingly.

 

 

I am pleased with my progress thus far. The wedding is in 15 days - and I have to leave in 14 days (travel time), so time to get busy!

 

Enjoy this beautiful fall weather. Toodles for now,

 

Cyndy

 

 

Something totally new for me

 

I have started my first mini doll sculpt!

And while other family members say she's "creepy", I'm pleased with my progress on this baby girl. Granted, the poor thing somewhat resembles a plucked chicken at this point. I hope to get the legs fashioned and all limbs attached this evening. My husband started back to school nights so I have three evenings a week to play!!  The head and torso measure less than 1 1/2 inches long at this point.

 

What fun things have you been creating?

 

Toodles,

Cyndy

 

I heart my mini club

I grew up in Massachusetts and have since lived in several states - brief stints in OK and ME, and 15 years in the PA snowbelt (brrr! goodbye snow shovel!)  I have been in the south nearly seven years now - last week marked the two year anniversary of living in NC.  This is the first time ever I have lived in an area that has miniature clubs close by.  I am a member of the Small Wonders Miniature Club of Cary, NC. We are a group of collectors and handcrafters who meet monthly.  We are a N.A.M.E. Blue Ribbon club and have lots of fun. Besides meeting great people, I have also met many talented people with deep roots in the miniatures world.

Last evening Sydnie Wagner again shared her amazing talents and knowledge with us. She provided all the materials for us to create mini bed sheets and pillowcase sets. There was a great selection of materials to chose from. Please excuse my poor photography skills.

I joked that I might create a mini Bed Bath & Beyond and next thing I knew, I was the recipient of 10 additional sheet kits so I may very well do so!  I am thinking of calling it "Dreams, Bubbles and More" ha ha.  In any case, the shampoo/conditioner sets I have recently created will work in the same setting!

 

Once I figured out how to prop these up, I've made quite a few in different colors.

 

I'm still plodding along with my kitchen room box. I have created some canned goods for the kitchen pantry, the cabinet is finished and awaits some goodies on its' shelves.

 

 

 

It's hard when real life keeps you so busy and you can't find any time for the fun stuff.  I do love creating my minis.  I've heard there is a mini shop in Mocksville NC - sadly, I still don't have the funds to bring that dream to fruition.

 

For my American friends, have a safe and happy 4th of July!  We're hoping the weather here allows us a bit of relaxation at the lake.  For my Canadian friends, a belated happy Canada day!

 

Toodles,

 

Cyndy

 

 

 

Valentine's Day Baking Blitz

 

I made a 'few' Valentine's Day cherry tarts yesterday. When all was said and done, I had 39 of them. Had I known, I would have made at least one more!  These are easy and fun to do. A touch of Triple Thick glaze makes the filling shine.

 

 

Another project keeping me busy lately is making dollhouse dinner plates. Love the bird cage! The plate on the bottom left has a small bee on it. It will be for my bee themed kitchen room box.  The hearts plate (upper right) is the one I made for everyone in my Make a Cake class this past Monday.

Making plates is easier than I thought and rather addictive. The darkish looking one has strawberries on it; I am disappointed that it printed so dark. 

 

Hope you're having a fun and creative week! If you are in the path of winter storm Nemo, please take care. Be safe!  Toodles,

 

Cyndy

 

Mini Cake Making Class

 Last evening the Small Wonders Miniature Club of Cary had a miniature cake making class. And I was the instructor!  Can't begin to tell you how nervous I was!  I was especially nervous as Sydnie Wagner is a member of our club - she wrote a book on making mini food  (http://www.amazon.com/Petite-Eats-Treats-Fabulous-Foods/dp/0938685120)  .  I was able to provide everyone with enough materials to make three cakes. I also made sample cakes in advance to show them the 3 primary types of frosting I use on my cakes: fondant, TLS mix and homestyle (modeling paste).  I also had written instructions complete with photos of my making the sample cakes. I made the sample board in the photo below for a reference.    It seems like everyone had a great time. They all made such different cakes! It was fun to see all the different ideas come out. And not only did Sydnie compliment me on doing a great job, but she gave me an autographed copy of her mini book. How sweet!!

 

Lest you think that I've been taking it easy lately, I have made considerable progess on my bee themed kitchen roombox. Here are the table and benches. I made the bee and flower decals with TLS.

 

 

And I have installed shelves into the pantry. I made the shelf paper edging yesterday. It's going to look great! I also have my lighting in hand - chip LEDs. So I've added making lampshades to my to-do list. 

 

 

My husband loves going to the Habitat ReStore.  I still miss the one we used to frequent in GA - lots of books, clothes, etc.  Here in NC,  they don't get that domestic.  Tools, windows, toilets.  Pretty much boring.   But I recently accompanied my husband one rainy afternoon. Reluctantly, I'll admit. And look what I found!

 

 

 

 Okay, it's hard to tell but what you are looking at is one "The Heritage" dollhouse kit from Greenleaf.  It cost $10!!!  I just stood in the store with this dopey big grin when I spotted it.  Someone had started it - the base is done; there's some parts primed.  The instructions and all parts are there. Along with it I received several dollhouse carpets and sheets of wallpaper.  But I've made myself promise to finish my current projects before diving into this one.

 

 

This little hutch is a birthday gift for my friend, Frances.  I'm going to load it up with photos of her family, a cake, and some other little trinkets. Once I get the base done, it will be on its way to her. 

 

Hope you're all keeping safe and warm. Have a great week!

Toodles,

 

Cyndy

 

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

 

Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar

 

Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
 

Joyeux Noel

 

Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto

Buon Natale

 

Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva i s Novim Godom

 

Nollaig Chridheil agus Bliadhna Mhath Ur

 

Happy Midwinter's Eve!

 

I'd Miilad Said Oua Sana Saida

 

Nollaig Shona Dhuit

 

God Jul Og Godt Nytt Aar

 

Feliz Natal

 

God Jul

Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia

 

Froehliche Weihnachten

 

Yuletide Greetings!

 

Feliz Navidad

 

 

 

Wishing everyone the very best this holiday season!  May your heart and home be filled with love, laughter and good health. All my blessings for the New Year!

 

Peace,

 

Cyndy

T'is the Season

Small Wonders, our miniature club in Cary, NC is preparing for it's annual Christmas party tonight. We exchange gifts with one another and thus I made this little cake to giveaway.  It went together fairly quickly and easily.

As for the snowman, he was fun to make and I see him as a cake topper as well.  I lost his nose once so I made sure to use some liquid Sculpey to adhere the 2nd one. I had made him a corn cob pipe but it's lost in the carpet of my craft room. 

I told my husband I need to have an apron of sorts in my lap for those oopsy moments.  Jim has suggested a sliding cooky sheet - he's so clever! And handy too!

Have a great week! 

Toodles,

Cyndy

 

Thanksgiving Dinner Table

I wanted to share my Thanksgiving dinner table scene I've created. I made the centerpiece, the napkins, the cake, wine bottle as well as all the fruit (except the red berries).  I did it as part of a "A Lifetime of Miniatures" Facebook group challenge.  As you can see, it's very much a work in progress - those bowls are crying out for cranberries and mashed potatoes! 

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  

Toodles,

Cyndy

Halloween is just 12 days away!

 

 

My craft room has been reorganized and rearranged!!  My dear husband ripped out the old, icky carpet and laid down a new floor. He built me a new shelf unit. I have gone through everything and sorted or discarded as needed. The result is a better space to work in and I know where everything is!  I even labeled all the totes, boxes and bins.  I'm still working on it but it looks so much better. 

 

 Here's a little witch I created over Labor Day weekend:

 

I've named her Hazel.

 

Toodles,  Cyndy

Busy in Real Life and Minis!

Things have been particularly busy for me this year workwise.  I also do open houses almost every Sunday afternoon.  It's a good thing but it sure does interfere with my mini life.

 

A mini friend from the Cary NC "Small Wonders" club just completed her roombox vignette with a Raggedy Ann & Andy theme and asked me to do a cake for her. Here's what I came up with:

 

 

 

A back view of the "hair":

 

 

I recently bought a Makins Clay Extruder. That's how I was able to make the "hair".  I delivered the cake yesterday. To say she was pleased is an understatement. :) 

 

Next up is a photo of my creations during the Small Wonders Sept. meeting. BJ was kind enough to bring all the supplies and let us go!  The pumpkin 'bag' started out as part of a string of Halloween lights. BJ has the mini 'eye'.

 

My husband, daughter and I will be participating in the annual Arts Fest at our UU fellowship in two short weeks.  I've been busy crocheting, sprucing up my mini inventory and creating new items.  This year I will be offering cake slice earrings. These have been fun to make.

 

Back in September, my daughter and I attended the mini show in High Point, NC.  It was a quick trip as we both had to work that afternoon.  I picked up a few goodies including this doll kit:

 

"He" is going to become the witch proprietor in my planned Witch's Bakery.  This is a Sherry Colvin doll - she has amazing kits and I hope I can do it justice with my final product.

I attended my first NAME State Day event last weekend. We're working on a revised alcove project and it will eventually be a library room box. My husband cut the kits for my daughter and I. I'm excited to see it coming together. Still in progress is my kitchen roombox with a bumblebee theme. Meghan is going with a sunflower theme. I need to get busy and finish something! 

Have a fantastic weekend. If you're in Raleigh NC stop by my office in Brier Creek tomorrow - we're having a client appreciation event with free pumpkins, a bouncy house, free food and lots of great prizes to raffle off.

Toodles,

Cyndy

 

Win Some Awesome Minis

And you get to choose your prize! Carolyn at Pixie Dust Miniatures is offering a nother great giveaway:

 http://pixiedustminiatures.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/competition-tell-friend.html

 

Don't forget to tell your friends!

I'd sure love to win one of these sets!

Playing with a "New" Technique

I previously shared my various frosting methods for miniature cakes. Yesterday, I tried the fondant type method of frosting a mini cake, something completely new to me. It is a bit of a challenge to wrap the 'fondant' around both layers but I had fun creating these little cakes.  And I like the results! The green one is my personal favorite.

 

 This purple cake needs something around the bottom edge, I think. A frill of yellow?  It will be going to a new home along with the pink cake below. I am donating them to a cancer patient bakery project. I could have sliced these as well but positioned the flowers incorrectly. 

It's a rainy, dreary day here. I wish I could be making more of these - hoping to perfect the technique - but work took precedence. Have a great rest of the weekend! Toodles,

Cyndy

My Gift from Cheronda has Arrived!

This gorgeous tea set was a gift from Cheronda at Cspykers Miniatures, a mini friend of mine via Facebook. She's well known for her tea sets in a wide range of styles and colors. I'm proud to be adding this to my collection. I'm thinking it will need it's own special display setting.

Have a fantastic weekend! I'm hoping to be doing some creating of my own.

Toodles! ~ Cyndy

Three New Cakes in Two Sizes

I worked on some unfinished objects last night and here are the results. The two pink cakes are raspberry cream layer cakes in 1 inch and 1/2 inch scale. If you look close you might see the raspberry jam between the layers. Also you'll see that they need a bit of touch up. (Photographs can really make an oops stand out, can't they?)  I'm debating on the spice cake - it seems to be lacking something. I keep thinking some carrots on top but it's a spice cake, not a carrot cake.... 

I was helping my daughter with her Easter table project. It's going to be really cute!  Maybe she'll let me show it off here. As I was showing her how to fix her plastic cups, I managed to slice my finger tip with a razor blade.   Amazing how quickly that can happen. I'm okay but the bandaid makes me clumsy with minis.

Have a great day! Toodles,

Cyndy

Danielle's Pendant

This is the resin heart pendant I have created for Danielle, who's married to my nephew Jake.  They have been living in Germany the last few years (he's in the US Army) and will be back home soon. I will wait to send it to her then (why give her one more item to pack?)  It's not perfect, but maybe that's part of the charm. Hope she likes it!

Toodles,

Cyndy

p.s. I'll still be making one filled with many smaller roses.

Posies, Pickles and a Plethora of Cupcakes

While real life has gotten busier lately (a good thing when you're a real estate agent!), I have managed to create miniatures in the odd spare moment. This past weekend I found a number of half finished items in my stash and this is what I came up with.

Three lonely pink posies and an unfinished square cake turned into this sweet confection. The leaves add just the right touch of extra color here.

A side product of my resin heart necklace project is excess resin. Thus I created a jar of pickles! It still needs a lid. I had a cucumber cane in my stash - always nice to already have something made when you're looking for it. The 'mold' used for this was a rubber pencil eraser - the kind that slips over the end of your pencil. I coated the eraser with baby oil and was able to pop the 'jar' right out.

Lastly, having a few cupcakes begging to be decorated led me to this collection. Some are orange cupcakes with a light sprinkle of orange sugar. Others have a small yellow flower with an orange center. They will look great on a bakery tray!

As for the rose filled resin heart, I may have a winner! I need to do a bit of light sanding and buffing before I show you.

Have a great evening! Toodles,

Cyndy

Fabulous Caroline is having a giveaway

and you get to choose which prize you'd like!  Caroline does amazing miniatures work - her items are lovely and unique (snails anyone?!) 

http://hummingbirdminiatures.blogspot.com/2012/03/birthday-cake-mystery-box-competition.html