In some spare time, I began my lovely foray in quarter scale miniatures!

Well, I have been busy lately, quite busy! I am still of course making new types of foods, but also trying to get some inventory built up for the June 9, 2012 INDIEana Handicraft Exchange. I love putting a tile full of donuts into a tiny oven... It is so cute!

A large bit of progress I have had lately, finally, is with plates! I have known from the beginning that I would need to figure out how to make nice looking tableware for myself (rather than purchasing pre-made from another source). And by-golly, I have finally made a few plates that actually look like plates, and not like a floppy misshapen Frisbee. 

I have also tried out croissants again, and they have improved since the last time I made them:

 

Little Focus

My first miniature food, a croissant

Well, I have my list of near 200 items that I plan to make in miniature- many of them are foods, but some of the other items include art supplies, holiday decor, and insects. Now just to get focused, and start! This is half (or more in some cases!) of the battle.

This morning I started making a few Easter-themed miniatures, including mini eggs, peeps, chocolate rabbits... They are just amazing! However, the main issue that I have dealt with is the softness of translucent clay lending itself to deep and difficult to deal with fingerprints. Anyone who has worked with any kind of clay knows how fingerprints are... they are everywhere... and stubborn.
 
I am going to experiment and try a few different tricks that I have read about and I'll let you know what works. You can't have a hill and valley covered egg!

The miniature croissant at the top was the first miniature I had made in a while, and my first miniature food made as an adult. When I was little I loved making little vegetables, and if I can find some, I will post pictures of them.

Well, now to focus on my work! FOCUS! Have a great day! Happy Saint Patrick's day!

www.etsy.com/shop/oflittlematter

 

Trials and Tribulations

 This cake is on the pizza stone discovery

Of course, when starting something new and figuring things out for the first time, there is much experimentation and learning from making mistakes. For example, I was baking a batch of miniatures I had just created (some miniature oranges, granite cutting boards, cookies and beans) in a new toaster oven I got from my mom. This was my third batch in this oven, and so I set the timer, and hopped on etsy. Well- long story short, I smelled a burning plastic smell... not usually a good thing...

I got up to check the oven and to my dismay, discovered blackened white beans, black sandwich cookies with yellow cream, and... Pampered Chef-like pizza stones? The granite cutting boards actually browned to almost the perfect seasoned pizza stone color, and voila! Something good came of the disaster!  

I try to always remember that everything that doesn't work out, doesn't, so that you learn something that makes everything that much better!

It turned out that when setting the timer, I bumped the oven temperature up just about 20 degrees Fahrenheit, causing the mishap.

Oh, and don't forget to check out my shop: www.etsy.com/shop/oflittlematter 

Hello Everyone, Welcome to Of Little Matter Miniature Arts!

Hello Everyone!

Since this is my first post, I thought you should have a little background on exactly what Of Little Matter Miniature Arts is all about:

Of Little Matter Miniature Arts is a business founded on the idea that it is the little things in life that really matter. The primary focuses of Of Little Matter are making quality, to-scale miniatures for use in dollhouses or for decoration, and also using these miniatures in various forms of jewelry including necklaces, earrings, brooches, and rings. I started making miniatures with my mom when I was only four or five, and have always been in love with the tiniest of things. I recently revisited my love for making miniatures, and fell in love all over again- so much so that I can't stop making them when it's time to! As I've grown older, I have also grown a soft spot for jewelry, so I decided to make unique miniature foods and miniature jewelry. It seems that it does not matter who sees these little works of art they bring a smile to their face. 

So that's that! And let me tell you, I truly enjoy making these miniature works of art. Like I said, I have been making miniatures since I was a wee age, I am guessing around four or five at best, and ever since then, I have 'dabbled' in making tiny things... In fact, over the years, I have practiced (and still do!) numerous mediums of art including sculpture, painting, drawing, ceramics, woodworking-pretty much, you name it, I have at least tried it- but everything I make feels better when I make it tiny. I am also in love with microscopic algae, and I draw much inspiration in the possibilities of the miniature world while looking at the life beneath my microscope lens.

Fairly recently, I decided to start up my original artistic love again-making miniatures, primarily out of polymer clay. And guess what- I love it just as much as I did as a little girl!

So this blog is all about my adventures starting and running my own business and experimenting while making new creations! Enjoy, and have a great day!