Jan 20, 2011

New mini foods

While planning my new project in my mind I make mini foods into my Etsy shop. Mostly bakery goods and vegetables, all of them in a handmade basket. Now I can weave a basket really fast, but I have to learn other weaving techniques.







This fruit basket was an order. I think mixed fruits look more better than only one type in a basket. These vivid colors are so wonderful!

Jan 10, 2011

The smokey kitchen - To the memory of my great-grandmother

The smokey kitchen is ready. I opened this blog about one year ago. I think this kitchen is a wonderful gift for the anniversary. I know I didn't show too many photos about the making process, but I destined it for a great surprise.
It was a pleasure to make it, the spirit of the old times enchanted me. I'm sure I will often return to the theme of the old country life in making miniature scenes in the future.
I made this kitchen into an open box, so it would be a three-dimensional painting on a shelf or a desk. I don't know the appropriate word for such a display, can you help me about it? Roombox or diorama or miniature scene?

So here are the photos. I don't write an ethnographical description about this old kitchen, the pictures tell you everything.













When the ethnographers took photos of the oroginal smokey kitchens in the early decades of the last century they made only black and white pictures. So I edited a photo to make it very old. This is my favorite.

Jan 5, 2011

Tutorial - Heart cutter

Happy New Year!

Oh, this period of the year is very very busy in my life! I spent a wonderful holiday with my family. I know you forgive me I neglected my blog so long. I hope I can make it up to you for a tutorial.
I'm the one who don't like if  my tools dictate what I can make. So I make my own tools to produce anything I want. I know there are many mini cutters you can buy, but sometimes you need a different size of them or simply you don't want to pay for them. Now I show you how I make my own heart cutters.


You need: strip of copper sheet (or a piece of tin), any cylindrical thing (this time I used a brush), sciccors or snips and glue. The width of the strip will be a height of your cutter.


Double up the strip and smooth the edge with the brush.


Open apart the strip. Now you have the two wings of the heart.


Bend one of the wing around the brush, then the other wing.


Now you have a symmetrical heart shape.


Cut off the unnecessary part of one wing.


Then fold the other wing onto this short one.


Now you need some glue to fix the overlap. While drying use a tweezer to press together the two parts.


If your heart is too angled or need some correction you can shape it by pressing around the brush.


If you worked well you have a perfect heart cutter.


For a bigger cutter you need a stiffer, thicker material.


I made various sizes of heart cutters, the least is 2.5 mm. These cakes and shortbreads were made by using my own cutters.
Excuse me if my guide is not very clear, but the photos help you understand this tutorial.