Wednesday 11 February 2015

Busy,Busy, Busy in my Showcase Cake Box.......

A slightly later post than expected this evening as I have spent hours searching for a miniature sweet supplier in the UK. I am looking for fake sugar and sprinkles for Honeydukes but have been unable to find a UK site. Lots of US sites but postage plus all our UK import charges make buying from the US prohibitive for small priced items. So now I have given up and ordered some fine glitter.
On the brighter side I have had a wonderful day in my workshop.
 I have been making jars of meringues using moulds. These moulds are great but they are certainly an investment, I get mine from Etsy normally but I have noticed more and more for sale a lot cheaper at fairs recently. You can also make your own at home using various mould making materials I have seen in Hobbycraft.
 My eldest son bought me a little, diddy oven for Christmas to go in my workshop. Perfect for baking clay.
 240 mini meringues of various sizes later I harvested just two jars, one for the cakeshop and one for Honeydukes. Goodness gracious is that all!! Hats off to all those wonderful food artists out there, how do they do it?!
 Having got into the swing I decided to keep out the pink clay and have a go at filling the display boxes I got from The Art of Mini for Honeydukes. I used tiny micro cutters in three different shapes after rolling out three layers of clay in two shades of pink and white for the middle of the sandwich.
 They all ended up in their own boxes that I sealed with the glue I use for windows to try and avoid glue marks on the plastic. For my very basic decoration I have used pale pink and silver caviar beads and a very fine white glitter. 
I now need to add ribbon and a label of some sort and they will be finished. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. 
 As usual I ended up with a pile of leftover fimo so I made a little pink sandwich cake that I hope won't disgrace my cakeshop!! 
I am in the process of collecting tiny embellishments at the moment from my new favourite shop, Poundland. These are my star buy this week from the Nail Art section. Teeny packs of self-sticking gems. I am sure I will be able to find a use for them one day!! See this is what happens when there is one empty drawer left in the workshop!!
I also made some tulips today but I am exhausted by my googling marathon tonight so they will have to wait for my next post.

29 comments:

  1. I have such trouble using these molds. I put polymer clay in and when I pull it out it is stretched and I have to cut off the ends. Any tips?

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    1. The moulds I use have really tiny pieces so they tend not to stretch at all. They are simply very fiddly and sometimes have to be prised out very gently with a cocktail stick. Not much help for you I am afraid. Perhaps try one of the polymer clay help sites or forums, they will definitely have more experience than me.

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  2. Your fimo sweets look delicious. Greetings

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    1. Thank you Kleine. It was very kind of you to drop by and leave a comment.

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  3. Que bonitos y realistas te han quedado esos caramelos!!!
    Besos.

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  4. HI Janice! Just wanted to tell you how much I am admiring your Pink Treats and the lovely way that you have packaged them. They look very professional and I look forward to seeing how you display them both in your Cake Shop and in Honeydukes!

    elizabeth

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    1. I do like these clear boxes although they seem a bit pricey they do look lovely and are exactly the right scale. It is so hard to find these sort of items in miniature.

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  5. Hello Janice,
    They look great. Such patience!
    Big hug,
    Giac

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    1. Hi Giac, I always appreciate your comments as I am such an admirer of your work. Many thanks.

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  6. Everything is perfect for your cake shop.

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  7. Hi,

    I really love your macaroons, who would think there were so many in those jars, but they look just perfect.

    Have you considered tee pee crafts for sprinkles, I seem to recall buying small bags of sprinkly stuff, which was iridescent but not glitter, in yellow, white and pink. You should also keep a look out in the pound shops for little jars or pots of caviar beads as these look good on cakes as well as wheels of butterflies, flowers and fruit. They are all found in the nail art section.

    Hope this helps

    Natalie x

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    1. Thanks Natalie, I will definitely head off to Tee Pee. I was trying to find a more granular sort of sugar rather than sparkly which seems impossible to track down in the UK. Just as I was writing this I remembered a pot of fake snow I have in my flower making drawer. Lo and behold this looks perfect for what I need!! I think I got this with some model railway scenic materials years ago......
      Caviar beads are perfect for too. Off to Poundland tomorrow definitely with a trip to a model railway shop nearby too.
      Thank you for the suggestions.

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  8. Janice, those moulds are expensive but worth the investment I think for good consistent results. I have read that you can use a fine embossing powder for sugar. Have fun with your creating!

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  9. Has hecho un gran trabajo con los dulces. Tienen un rico aspecto.

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  10. Great job, looks like you had fun making all these treats.

    Jenn

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    1. I have got a bit carried away as usual Jenn. I never know when to stop. I will end up with more than I need. What is it with clay it seems to quadruple in size as you use it!

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  11. They turned out better than I expected Jenn I have to say!

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  12. you did a great job on the sweets :)

    Marisa

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    1. Thank you Marisa. I have had fun with the clay for a change.

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  13. Janice
    You did a brilliant job with your confectionery treats...they look so real it makes you want to pop one in your mouth.

    I use to have a Minituature business selling my fruits, bakery items and veggies and loved creating them. This was back in the early '70's where there weren't so many options in regards of what you could create with. After that I focused on Russian Punchpoint Dollhouse rugs and embroidered linens, bed coverlets and pillows.

    I stumbled on your blog today and now you have me wanting to create again. I swore I never would after completing two dollhouses and losing them and our home in a fire. They are a labor of love especially when it comes to selling what you make. People look at your like your crazy..."you want me to pay how much for that tiny pillow?" lol.

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    1. I was really touched to read your comment. I hope you find the time and inspiration to go back to your work. All my friends and family think I am mad but I love it. I never question prices any more, now I know how long these little pieces of art take to make and I treasure each and every one.

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    2. I was really touched to read your comment. I hope you find the time and inspiration to go back to your work. All my friends and family think I am mad but I love it. I never question prices any more, now I know how long these little pieces of art take to make and I treasure each and every one.

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  14. Replies
    1. Thank you Ana. Two more cakes for my collection this evening. Mad Hatter's Tea Party next!!

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    2. Thank you Ana. Two more cakes for my collection this evening. Mad Hatter's Tea Party next!!

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I really appreciate all comments that readers take the time to leave. I try to reply to all of them.