This Little Light of Mine

One of the best things about making dollhouse miniatures is the variety of materials that can be used to make them. As much as I love my polymer clay, I also really enjoy making lamps such as these from beautiful art glass beads, cloisonne beads, and jewelry findings.
On the subject of jewelry supplies, I am very sad to say that my favorite local jewelry suppy store, JewelArt, is going out of business at the end of the month after almost 39 years :( The combination of competition with online suppliers, other local businesses and a deteriorating neighborhood has made it impossible for them to stay in business. JewelArt, you will be missed! I will have to see what the other local stores have to offer- I've never had a reason to check them out before.
I hope the new venues will carry some of what I need, and maybe some new inspiration?  Miniaturists are nothing if not resourceful.  I hold on to so many tiny bits and pieces because I just know they can be used to make something awesome.  And it never fails, as soon as I finally decide to throw something out, I think of the perfect use for it a couple days later.  Hello, my name is Katherine and I'm a Craft Hoarder.

Ok, fess up - what's the most ridiculous craft supply that you hoard?  I know I'm not alone!

By the way, those cute lamps up there are now available for purchase in my miniatures shop on Etsy.

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Calorie-Free Sweets!

I've been working on miniatures again the past few days.  It seems like "all the cool kids" are making mini food these days!  I see a lot of mini food on charms and other jewelry, and while those are really fun and I've made a few novelty pieces too, true scale miniature artisans always amaze me with their skill!.

Being self-taught, half the fun is in just figuring out a new way to make something look "real".  I look back on some of my earliest mini food and I know I've come a long way, but I'll never be done learning.  Which is why, even though the mini food market is pretty saturated, I'll still keep making mini food.  I love baking with flour and I love baking with clay!

I keep meaning to take photos of in-progress pieces, but I get so "in the zone" that I forget to pick up the camera!  But here are some sweet desserts that I listed in my Etsy Shop today:

Peach Tart, Strawberry Shortcake, and Pecan Pie.  Yum!

One of my other favorite things to make in miniature is kitchenware/pottery.  I love browsing through antique shops or vintage listings online to find inspiration.  A few years ago, I was commissioned to re-create this vintage cookie jar, based on one from an old family kitchen:

Cookie jars are fun to make.  I decided to find another vintage style to make, and I started working on this Dutch Girl yesterday:  (You'll have to excuse the poor photo quality - it was taken with my phone)

   

The top is removable and the jar is hollow inside.  It turned out to be a little over 1:12 scale, since she stands about 1 1/2" tall.  Sometimes it can be hard work to keep things within the proper scale.  When I finished sculpting the lid, I know she would be just a little too big, but I didn't want to waste that work, so I just finished her.  She could still fit into a larger scale setting, and I think anyone who collects this style of  antique cookie jar would appreciate her as well.  I just need to get some proper photos taken and then I think I'll put her on Etsy!

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