Arty Meanderings

More cream and icing

2010-04-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

I rustled up some biscuits, including pink wafer biscuits and some tiny cakes, unfotunately my icing with a syringe was somewhat ermmmm useless!!!! Photos to follow!

Cream and Icing

2010-03-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

Between creating videos about medieval jobs, planning the great castle documentary, the washing machine man, the central heating man, drawing, reading, playing Lego and feedidng everyone I managed to put the cream in the cream horns, stick some merangue toppings in my flan bases (making molds is much harder than it looks), ice 4 cupcakes and the doughnuts. Hopefully after we have videoed and edited our own version of a minute make a la mister maker I will get to photo and post the pics :0)

Cream Horns

2010-03-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

I've made a start on the cream horns and have made about 15, I'm unsure why I have 30 in my head but that's the number I've been making of everything!

They are a bit time consuming as you do them individually from start to finish on a knitting needle, so you shape, texture with foil, mark with tapestry needle, brush with 3 colours of pastel then remove-all without poking the knitting needle through the end!

Also stuck some tiles on the cooker but still haven't grouted or drilled the lights!

Varnishing

2010-03-15T06:51:00.001-07:00

So, I've pretty much got all the pastries varnished, I'm not happy with the jammy cherry and blueberry danishes mainly because the microbeads lost their colour and they look very metallic but eclairs and cream puffs are not too bad. Despite really going to town on the texturing loads seems to have disappeared during cooking :0(

I have tried to get the last bits of wooden stuff for the bakery painted during B's nap but really I should have sanded down the varnished pieces more thoroughly-I'll see how they are in a bit. I'm going to try and make some boxes for the pastries with and without acetate windows.

Eclairs, cream puffs and cinnamon rolls!

2010-03-09T14:03:00.001-08:00

Ahhhhh! I feel so much more chilled now I've made something! Eclairs are cooling after a second baking and the cream and icing on the puffs and cinnamon rolls (respectively) are drying....not too bad although I think the eclairs could have done with a bit more texturing on the side. I used a couple of tutorials from CDHM and deviant art to help me so thank you to snowfern who posted the tutorial on cdhm and to the loveless alchemist for the cream puff tutorial on deviant art. I made changes to both, using glass paint and liquid fimo for the eclair topping and a mix of PVA white paint (acrylic and cornflour for the cream and icing. Photos soon :0)

I want to play!!!!!

2010-03-09T04:08:00.000-08:00

I am desperate to get doing some more food. I really want to make some pastries, cinnamon danish, eclairs, profiteroles, fruit danish etc etc. Have discovered the silicone molding material isn't what I thought as it drys totally solid and v quickly went to hobby Craft and grabbed an alternative but I think that's the same so I have to return that and order some :0( I was looking forward to a cupcake fest!

I also have some extra shelves, stool and bits and bobs to paint and distress for the shop and the lights are here....plus the mosaic floor needs grouting....so much to do!!!!!!! No time thought...dinners just rung from the oven so I'd better get back to it!

The Finished Article....

2010-03-05T01:13:00.001-08:00

So just a quick one, not a whole heap going on mainly as the boys are off colour and it's Thursday and Friday in work days...these are some quick pics of the finished croisants, pretzels, Welsh cakes, crumpets, brioche buns, breadsticks, cottage loaves and French sticks.

Marcella pointed out to me that she couldn't comment on my blog, I've tried to change the settings so hopefully it will work-not sure how to check this....if there's anyone from the cdhm forum maybe they could pm me if they can't comment, my user names's RachK.....
Anyhow, pics.....

What's been going on.....?

2010-03-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

Well.....I'll start with this week. So far (I know it's only 2 days in) we've been really organised and all managed to get the stuff we need done in the mornings so the afternoons are free and our own. This has meant for me that when )if) Ben falls asleep I have been able to have guilt free Fimo time!!!!!!!! So today I experimented with croisants and made some more bread and yesterday I made bread mix and some jugs and plates.....they've just baked and not too bad :0) The first pic is the one of the croissants after baking.

Manic tea set making

2010-02-24T14:55:00.000-08:00

My eldest was 7 today and I was manically making him a Birthday tea set yesterday in the youngest's (20 months) nap time. Given the speed of production not too bad and the method of making plates was pretty effective. Must find the tutorial and post a thank you over the weekend. Found some electrical wire twist things on ebay that look perfect for cupcake moulds-have ordered so will wait and see. Pics soon promise!

Yawn....

2010-02-19T14:47:00.000-08:00

I've finished or at least made a start on decorating the inside of the shop plus painted the furniture and distressed it....pics to follow

Decisions, decisions....

2010-02-18T13:08:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to reach some decisions about colours and how I want my little shop/deli/cafe to look. I'm not really a pastel kinda girl but I seem to be erring towards those colours a lot....I'm going to have a go at making some cake/bread/pastry/choc boxes and bags in a minute I think....

Withdrawal Symptoms!

2010-02-18T01:12:00.001-08:00

Yep, I've got em! Tiger (ds1) has requested a birthday tea, for his dolls house, for his birthday next week. So I need to get cracking with that especially as he wants jelly, chocolate cake, pizza and all kinds of stuff!

Silicone...and not for implants!

2010-02-16T02:44:00.000-08:00

Very excited as Mr parcel post has just delivered some silicone mould making material which I am hoping to be able to make some moulds with, especially cupcakes and knives and forks. There's a tutorial which I have signed up for here with this fantastically tallented lady whose work you can see here.

Also signed up for a vegetable making class with Linda Cummings here , you can see some of her fabulous stuff here.

I can not wait to do a bit more mini making but I've got lots to do...not least of all we're doing some Viking dying and cooking outside today and some planning for some workshops creating 2 large collaborative water colour/pencil and ink pieces with 9-10 year olds.....busy busy!

Perfume Too!

2010-02-13T10:38:00.000-08:00

Forgot about the perfume bottles....

I think i might have a go at making some sort of tray for these...

Carbalicious!

2010-02-13T09:17:00.000-08:00

Rich took the boys out this morning and their Nanny and Grandad visited this afternoon so I got pretty much a whole day to play! I attempted some plates and platters and then made more bread. I was really pleased with the pretzels and the croissants but can't believe that I forgot to make the soda farls. The pizza bases look like they could be good too. I took loads of pics and can't believe how real the bread looks.

Texturing with semolina is really effective and I had a go at tearing the bread whilst it was warm and that looked great.

Next time I get an hour or so I'm going to make the soda farls, some bread sticks, crumpets, waffles, pancakes and maybe attempt some naan breads.

I've got lots of finishing touches and varnishing to do but it was fun playing putting it in the shop!

Quite pleaseD with the results but there's way too much for me....Rich thinks I should sell it on eBay???? Thoughts on a postcard.

Waning Obsessions

2010-02-12T05:41:00.000-08:00

Oddly I though I should at least acknowledge my waning obsessions. Not waning because I no longer find joy but mainly because with three boys under 6 at home all day (which I do love) it is (at least for now) hard to find the time and space.

I have enjoyed great fun scrap booking and still try to get pages done but I like to sit and do a page from start to finish and that's just not happening! Even making cards has dwindled away but my youngest is just past 18 months and past experience tells me that crafty stuff tends to dwindle a little for a while and then resurface.

I find that jewellery making tends to ebb and flow a little for me and this is a little bit of an ebb but I know I'll come back to it (especially if I want some dangly earrings!) as I have made things on and off since my pre teenage years.

Mosaics have been a more recent discovery-I did my first one a couple of years ago and it was about 2m x 1.5m so pretty big. Since then I've made mosaics with 5/6 year olds for a school dining room, 7/8 year olds as part of their learning about Romans, 9/10/11 year olds and parents creating mosaic hands and a school logo plus a long splash back for a nursery using all kinds of construction vehicles-I still haven't managed to create the mosaic fruitbowl for me though ;0)

My current, all consuming passion, is fimo food-of the miniature 1/12th variety. I used to make lots of fimo when I was much younger, badges and earrings and the like. However, after seeing my MIL buying tiny loaves and cakes for £2 and £3+ made me hunt out my old Fimo to make her a few things and save her a few pence. Now I dream about mini food, plan what I'll make next and get excited when my french sticks and pork pies turn out well!!

Pics to follow, hopefully this evening when I can get them from the other laptop.

Here are some of my first attempts at food for the dolls house

Flit, Flit, Flit.

2010-02-12T05:36:00.001-08:00

I have upon occasion been called a butterfly, initially i found this a criticism, now I see that I am but it is a skill I use as I can turn my hands to a lot of different things and that can be pretty useful!

I like all kinds of arty things and this blog is intended to be a reflection of my current obsession; a place to keep ideas; share successes and disasters maybe share instructions and tips-who knows?