One room down..too many to go!

Nearly a week later & I've actually finished one room.....WOW, my workrate in the home decoration field won't get me any offers to join a decorating business...thank goodness :-)) In my defence, at the same time as doing all the other "little" jobs around the house like the washing, ironing, hoovering etc etc, I was also trying to work on a huge mini order in the evenings. I'm nothing if not a glutton for punishment! I'm delighted to say that I managed to finish that too...wonders will never cease & I thought I'd share one of the pieces with you...it took me 3 full nights to complete...sometimes I think I really am a total nutter!!




The request was for a basket of mixed gourds & I was really quite pleased with the end result!
Just as I was congratulating myself (always a FATAL error!!) on being able to relax a little now that the order was done, guess what? YEP, just as I returned from posting off the 1st order, there was another waiting for me in my email inbox! Back to the mini sweatshop for me!

Who does this head belong to?! :-))

I told you I felt a more "gory" phase of mini making was coming on! Could be because I've decided that there are parts of the house (too many!) that can't go any longer without being re-decorated & try as I may, I just can't get my better half to either help or get someone in to do it...so, there was nothing for it...I just had to get on myself! The plan was that I'd decorate during the day & create my minis at night...I think Iwas being a little optimistic there, I'm cream crackered by the time I've cleared up the day's decorating detritus & then cooked a meal! I did get the urge though to make this...could it be that I was imaginging something else's head on that block!

The ugliest fish in the world!

Do you remember when I had the urge to make a lobster thermidor a few weeks ago & instead I found myself making Danish pastries instead? Well, I STILL haven’t managed to find the time to make the lobster, either in miniature or real....what with trying to catch up on orders that had to be “put on hold” while I was doing my babysitting stints & cutting the grass, tidying a house that has been occupied solely by a man for 3 weeks, re-filling my freezer & cupboards with food that seems to have disappeared & not been replaced...there really just aren’t enough hours in the day. Can somebody please invent a 48 hour day!
On the subject of men & their inability to see dust an inch thick & dog hairs from your 2 dogs, am I the only one to have one like this, or is it a common problem amongst husbands who’ve spent their lives being looked after by first their Mothers & then a wife/girlfriend? :-))


I’m getting sidetracked again..the story of my life....I may not have managed to find the time to make the lobster yet but at least I have made a break from the sweet things & managed to make a display using one of my favourite fish...the monkfish or angler fish, often called the ugliest fish in the world! You’ll rarely see the whole fish in the fishmongers as the head is downright frightening!
I got an overwhelming urge to represent skinning & removing the oh so attractive head from the poor fish & this is the result! I definitely feel a more "gory" creation phase coming on! If only I could get these orders finished......




Then I really fancied a monkfish provencale & as I didn't have the necessary "real" ingredients, well, it just had to be a clay version & this little display pictures a monkfish provencale in the making..not quite as filling as the "real" thing would have been, but at least I could imagine I was actually going to make it & eat it!

Home at LAST!

Home at last! I arrived home late afternoon yesterday & just couldn’t wait to get into the workshop! Unfortunately I had 3 weeks of post to wade through as well as unpacking to do so I didn’t make it in there until pretty late in the evening!
It was WONDERFUL to be back playing with my “little bits n bobs”!! I didn’t actually get round to making anything with my clay, but I did manage to put together one or two pieces...it’s so good to get back to it after all this time!
Whenever I travel through London, I always make it a mission to hunt out some macarons. I’m not too choosy about which patisserie I get them from, although I do simply LOVE the ones I get at Maison du Chocolat. Sadly they are only found in Piccadily & I was nowhere near there so I had to make do with a few from Paul’s Patisserie. I was so very proud of myself that I didn’t actually eat them all before I got home but I knew I had a special job for at least one of them.......



Needless to say as soon as the pic was taken, guess what happened to the macaron :-))

I haven't had a whole lot of time (so what's new?) to search for more blogs to send on the award to, but I have found 2 that are wonderful so here we are Sumaiya & Tallulabelle!


To Sumaiya Mehreen & her fabulously exotic dolls
Tallulabelle for her fab flowers at Tallulahbelleoriginals

Aaarrghh...I GIVE UP!! I thought I'd got inserting links into the blog licked, but for some reason today the link button just won't work!

The need for something sweet!

Gosh Blog Awards!!...Thank you Taenia! Having looked at your wonderful blog (in between changing nappies!) I’m honoured that you have given this to me!
Now....though just how am I going to find 15 blogs to pass this on to?? I think I’ll probably need some chocolate to give me inspiration!



Or maybe even more sugar in the form of some melt in the mouth pastel meringues....Oh dear, I can feel my waist growing!!



Now to finding 15 blogs to send the award to! If someone could tell me just how I can make the links work in the text body, I'd be sooo grateful...I just don't seem to be able to get the hang of it!!

1.Kim's Miniatures www.kimsminiatures.blogspot.com
2.Linda Carswellwww.une-petite-folie.blogspot.com
3.Rosanna www.lastanzadigiuggiola.blogspot.com
4.Taenia's Miniatures www.taeniasminiatures.blogspot.com
5.Fluffy Brickswww.fluffybricks.blogspot.com

The penultimate bath time & feeding at the zoo is calling so I'll have to come back to the next 10 later!!

A Celebratory Drink!

I’m counting the hours now until I can get back to my mini studio! Only 48hrs or so to go until I’m wending my way back! To celebrate my release from school runs, dirty nappies & homework, I thought you could all join me in enjoying some canapés & a glass of wine!!



I am going to miss the 3 little horrors, but not all the work that goes with them day in & day out...Once I have “mucked out” at home (having left my better half on his own for 3 weeks, I’m sure you can imagine that the 1st couple of days will be spent clearing up after him!! :-)).) I’ll be straight back into my mini sweatshop to enjoy myself!!

Desperation is Setting In!

Well, here I am, STILL looking after my 3 young grandchildren & in 2 whole weeks, I've managed to create the sum total of 3 pieces, some filled Easter egg halves & a basket of pink champagne truffles. Unfortunately, I can’t upload pics just yet as my camera & light box (all necessary ingredients to try & get a reasonable photo!) are at home...when I get back I’ll show everyone just how unproductive 3 kids under 7 can be! LOL
Just another week to go & then I’ll be back in my mini sweatshop, trying desperately to catch up on the backlog of orders that has built up while I’ve been away!
While I’m here, with the odd few minutes to spare to actually update my blog, I’d like to welcome all my new followers & to them I say, “please bear with me.....I will surely get more time to update once this final babysitting marathon is over!
Having cooked the kids some salmon tonight, I thought I’d show you some work I did last year, although I have to confess that I’m not a great fan of salmon...ssshh don’t tell anyone!
Salmon steaks cooked in a rich hollandaise sauce in an aged enamelled dish...well, perhaps I might force myself to eat that! :))
By the way, that’s a lemon twist on the top, just in case you were wondering!


This is an Atlantic salmon tail with steaks, vine tomatoes, celery & peppers. Although this photo doesn’t show it, the seeds are visible in the red pepper.



Now, perhaps I might be tempted to eat a salmon provencal dish made with these ingredients...plus some garlic, a few mussels, maybe some fennel.......

8 days & counting!!!