A time for weddings!

I'm not at all sure just why people decide to get married at the busiest time of the year...but would you believe that 2 family members ( the hubby's side...not mine!) decided to get married - one on the 17th Dec & the next on New Year's Eve! Wonderful....one the week before Christmas Day & one the week after.....&, on top of that, they are in opposite ends of the country!
The one in London is over & as a Christmas present for the newest member of the Cummings clan, I have just finished making a miniature replica of the brides wedding cake.....thank goodness it was a simple, classic design! Hopefully she'll like it!

oops...wishing my life away!

Oh dear....I know I can't wait for Christmas to be over for another year but even I was surprised to see that when watermarking my latest auction...a lemonade & cookie display (see I'm already thinking of summer!) I actually put 2012 instead of 2011 & just didn't notice!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110794666993?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649#ht_2432wt_1392

Here is the offending photo & for some reason I can't get my photo editing programme to change it so...here's to 2012!

Have a wonderful Christmas everybody & here's raising a glass of lemonade :-)) to a healthy & happy 2012!

A touch of nostalgia & a talented friend's blog!

I told you that I was finished for Christmas this year...wouldn't it be better if we could only celebrate it once every , say, 5 years!!
Before everybody shouts "Bah Humbug" & "Scrooge" (yes, I'm the original scrooge lol) at me, I thought I'd share 2 things with you poor, long suffering blog readers....
First...a touch of nostalgia...does anyone remember those sugary sweet pink & white mice from their childhood.....

& here's the "real" thing...yes, you can still buy the "real" thing!.... with tiny clay ones marching up its back!

Now I'd love you to take a look at my friend Aleah Klay's blog...she makes the most gorgeous teeny, tiny, cute animals...I know, I'm lucky enough to have a couple!

http://aleahklay.blogspot.com/

I've had enough of Christmas......

It hasn't even got here yet & I'm fed up with Christmas already! I've had enough of making Christmas cakes & cookies & gingerbread men etc etc etc....so.....I remembered  those little rose cupcakes I made a while ago & yay..I had enough left to put together this little sugar crystal filled vase!

It was so good to meet some of my internet friends at Kensington on Saturday....hello Rosanna! Now I've got tp try & make a start on the "real" preparations for Christmas.......

A week to go..panic is setting in!

Oh Oh...only a week to go..this time next week, I'll be down "in the smoke" unloading the car ready for an early start on Sat morning.......panic.....perhaps I'll be ready...perhaps I won't!

This is one piece, made with real love, that will be coming with me...you'd be amazed at the many, many hours that have gone into every tiny individual piece on this rack. If I ever needed evidence that I'm totally mad, this must be it! Anyway here it is....my overfilled baker's rack of goodies!

Confused & a load of washing up to get done!

OK....maybe I'm too old for all this social networking lark, but why all of a sudden do all the postings that I put up either on my blog or on facebook or twitter appear over & over again on facebook?...I'm beginning to feel as though I'm spamming......

Maybe that's made me feel so disinclined to tackle the pile of washing up after a spag bol & salad...all volunteers welcome! -)

Meat, meat & at last a finished lobster pot!

Kensington is looming so quickly now that I'm feverishly trying to get enough stock made to fill my table....
Over the last few days I've been concentrating on the "meaty" pieces & I must admit I've enjoyed the change from the usual sweet things!

I also actually got round to putting some European lobsters into the fabulous lobster pot (I've only had it on my workbench since May!) that I got at Kensington from the immensely talented Lidi Stroud http://intominis.com/service1.html & it is an exact replica of the one I used to have myself in my days in Cornwall.....How I miss those fabulous freshly caught lobsters, there's nothing to touch them!

A Christmas Cake That's Just A Little different!

After the sheer concentration that went on creating the special wedding cake tea tray, I decided I'd better get back to Christmas as Kensington show is 3 weeks today...HELP...how did that creep up so quickly on me! I just don't know how anybody can make enough stock to do more than 1 show a year...even enough for one 3 day show would be impossible for me...there just aren't enough hours in the day.  If anyone has any spare that they can send me I'd be really, really grateful! :-)
BUT...as usual, I got so sick of making the ordinary Christmas cakes that I went off on a tangent (which is not unusual for me!) & this little "snowball" Christmas cake was suddenly born!....I guess I'll have to get back to making the more classical kind now though!

How's this for a wedding cake?

Some time ago I was asked to recreate a wedding cake in miniature & of course said "yes"....a dangerous word for me...before I'd really taken a good look at the photo I had been given....oh oh! This was some intricate cake...although I'm not at all sure how the wedding guests got to eat it as it's an ornate teapot & 4 cups filled with tea coloured roses & a sugar bowl full of coloured "sugar" cubes all sitting on a tray!

I really didn't think that I'd actually manage to replicate such an ornate piece in  miniature but after working on it exclusively for 3 days & nights I finally finished it tonight & guess what...I LOVE it & am actually quite sad to see it go to the lady who commissioned it...I would love to keep it in my collection :-(

I'm not too sure that I'd want something like this for my wedding cake though!

Christmas is coming after all!

OK so I give in...Christmas is on the way...still too quickly for me.
It hasn't been a good week for me this week, my much loved black labrador died on Monday morning & I miss him terribly...he used to go everywhere with me..even to the loo! The house is just not the same :-(

I thought perhaps the idea of all this chocolate ( except it would need to be real!) might cheer me up a little!

Forget Christmas!

I'm trying to forget that Christmas is rushing towards me now....each year it becomes more & more of a nightmare knowing what to get for kids that have everything, so I try to bury my head in the sand & pretend that I won't have to actually take the plunge & buy something...anything. Once again, I'll be panicking at the last minute

To take my mind off the Christmas nightmare I've been making some shellfish instead of the Christmas puds, cakes, mince pies etc etc...... & here is the finished product!

Some filled jars for a friend!

Half term has sort of got in the way of mini creation since I came home from holiday...the kids & I have been visiting quite a few of the North East's attractions..if you ever find yourself in Durham try Beamish Museum..it's a "living" museum & a wonderful insight into the life of miners & farmers & their families in the 1800's.
I have managed to finish some jars for a good friend & I hope she likes them!

It's SO cold here!

Oh dear...I've come back to earth with a pretty big bump over the last couple of days! I left lovely blue skies & sun with temperatures in the high 30's C to find myself with a maximum of 12 degrees C...brr..I had to buy a quilted jacket to keep me warm & find my fur lined boots to replace my flip flops.....not pleasant!
Not a lot of mini making went on over in the desert, but I did manage to weave 10 baskets while waiting for my lazy daughters to get out of their beds each morning! Here's one of them filled with some shopping.....cheese, baguettes, a squash & fruit!

Last blog before the heat of the desert!

OK...before I head off for 2 weeks of lovely sun, sea, lots of sand & mojitos in the desert I'll show you one of the very few pieces I've managed to create this past week...we've been having some glorious weather, temps up in the high 70F...so much better than our supposed summer...& there was NO way I could be inside when it's been so nice...consequently my long list of work to do hasn't got much less this week

So, here to celebrate the fantastic year it's been for growing fruit & veg is a little Harvest Cornucopia! Hope you like it!

It'll be making an appearance on eBay around 10th October....while I'll still be soaking up those rays(not to mention the alcohol!!)

Cupcake Overload!

I think I got a little carried away making these little rose cupcake bouquets! 2 days & 2 nights later, I think I've had more than enough of them now!
They were inspired by the most gorgeous gift rose cupcake bouquets from Mulberry Teacup based in St John's Wood, London & if you should fancy treating yourself or someone special to the "real" & edible kind, check out their site!
http://www.mulberryteacup.com/mulberryteacup/Home.html

I'm off in a few days to have some sun, sea & sand...lots of it.....out in the UAE. Can't wait!

What happened to Autumn?

I have no idea what has happened to Autumn here in the NE of England...not only did we not have much of a summer....again...but Autumn seems to have skipped straight into winter! It's freezing outside today, a gale is blowing & I swear that's not rain but hailstones battering the windows!
It's so miserable & cold that I've been making winter comfort foods for the last few days...there's nothing nicer than a hearty stew or a rich beef pie so, of course I had to work on the mini version too & here it is! If you get a magnifier you can actually follow the recipe if you want! :-))

Hubble Bubble Toil & Trouble!

This was great fun, if a challenge to make! A witches cauldron with an octopus type creature being boiled with bones, fingers & eyeballs! The  challenging bit came in getting the ladle to "float" above the cauldron whilst pouring out some of the green gunk to be found in the cauldron!

Do you think a witch might actually want a cauldron like this? :-))

More Hallowe'en Goodies!

I can't believe that I'm making Hallowe'en pieces already...it's only September, but as I'm heading off to the desert to see my youngest very soon, I thought I'd better get on with it! That & the fact that I've been asked for Hallowe'en pieces has meant that I've had to....talk about wishing your life away!

I always seem to make life difficult for myself too & instead of putting these little tarts on the usual cakestand, I had to make one myself as I had this picture of a cakestand featuring a witch.  Not an easy task for me, trying to make sure that the "plate" was level on the stand was a nightmare...but I won in the end! Now I really fancy a kiln to make my own plates (instead of using clay) & a lathe for wood turning........but I need to win the lottery first!

Mad Hatter's hat cake!

More fun in the workshop! I was asked some time ago to come up with a Mad Hatter's hat cake that was a little different to the normal....I dragged my feet on this one as I have never been, & don't think ever will be, a fan of Alice in Wonderland .....shock horror! Other than Jefferson Airplane's great classic track, "White Rabbit", there was never an appeal in the books to me either as a child or an adult!
All that aside, once I actually forced myself to get going, I quite enjoyed making this...although it's a little larger than my normal work at just under 2" to the top of the teapot (which incidentally is pouring out hot chocolate & not tea!)...it needed to be this size so that I could incorporate the porcelain teapot without it looking totally out of scale & silly!
Anyway....here it is, I hope you like it! (thank goodness my customer loves it....phew!)

Hallowe'en is coming!

Hallowe'en is on its way & although I'm not a fan of "themed" work as I have enough trouble kitting out my dolls house as it is & could never imagine changing the pieces displayed inside to fit a particular time of year! One year I did actually decorate one of them for Christmas, but that was the first & last time!

This little piece I had great fun with though & already have ideas for other floating pieces...just not too much time to make them reality....once I've finished feathering cock pheasants though, look out for "floaters" of all kinds!

Choux pastry overload!

One of many (& varied!) problems I have is that I always, without fail, end up making too much of a particular clay mix & find myself having to make bazillions of one thing! At the minute it's choux pastry! Profiteroles, gateaux St Honore, religieuse, eclairs......anyone got a favourite to make out of choux pastry...I'm running out of ideas!
I did come up with this little concoction of eclairs, choux buns & a profiterole to alleviate the boredom & then decided I'd make an orange gateau St Honore......I have absolutely NO idea whether it's ever been made in an orange flavour, but now there's a mini version with sugared citrus rind as a decoration! I think I'd rather have the chocolate version myself!

Withdrawal setting in!

Not only am I just about on my knees after having family here for a few weeks...all that cooking & playing with the grandchildren has really taken its toll :-))......but the severe shortage of mini making time is leading to real withdrawal symptoms...I've had to turn to the wine to keep them at bay LOL.
They leave tomorrow & I just know I'm going to miss them all terribly, the place will be soooo quiet...not to mention tidy....all I will be left with is the good old hubby, the dog & the hens & even the dog is too old to play now! BUT, once the bed linens are changed & washed & the house mucked out I should be able to get back into the workshop & catch up a little with the very long list of work I need to get done.  Every cloud has a silver lining!
Amazingly, I have managed to make a few pieces in between food shopping, cooking, washing, ironing & vacuuming, not to mention reading ever longer bedtime stories until I need matchsticks to keep my eyes open every night...I think I might sleep for a full day before I get back to "work"!
So here you go 2 of the very few pieces I've actually made in 3 whole weeks......not an impressive work rate!

 My version of the classic French dessert Gateau St Honore....chocolate, of course!

& a strawberry torte gateau!

Maybe summer will come back........

Even though summer seems to have deserted the good old cold & dreary NE of England...beautiful the Cathedral & castle in Durham might be but the weather never is......I couldn't resist putting together my dream al fresco eating food...a jug of red wine, some coarse pate, olives, tomatoes& bread...now all I need is some SUN......please!

Blueberry jam set & a broken jar!

I've been seeing tiny blueberries in my sleep recently! A jam prep board, 5 filled jars & a broken jar of Heidelbeermarmelade for a friend! I hope you like it! :-))

As I'm totally hopeless at judging the amount of resin I need, I had enough left over to make this broken jar too....this is the English version....blueberry jam & not Heidelbeermarmelade!