Free printable! Tuna can pack of three

Remember that post in which I made some tiny tuna cans with wrappers?

Here is the new and better version: tuna pack of three!

Same as I did with the individual wrappers, I scanned the life size version of the 3-can-packet, cleaned it, reduced it and printed it to wrap 3 tiny silver tuna cans:

 The wrap measures barely 2 cm:

 

 

I am in love!  If you want to make this project, here you can find the tiny cans, and here you can get the free printable to download and print.  Bear in mind you need 3 cans for each wrapper.  And if you don't want to buy them, you can make the cans with polymer clay or foamboard.

 

As always, please feel free to print as many times as you like, gift them to friends and pass the file along to anyone (links back are nice too!).  Just please do not sell the file or your creations.  Thank you and enjoy! ♥

 

People in this scene really like their tuna!

 

Crafting an edible treasure chest

My aunt's birthday was 2 days ago, but we are celebrating it tomorrow.  I have never baked a birthday cake, but when I saw a lovely tutorial to make a pirate or mermaid treasure chest I knew I had to make one for her:

Picture from the Etsy Blog entry

This is what I used:

Kit-Kat bars

Wilton Candy Melts (chocolate flavor)

Nesquik powder

A strip of black licorice

Brown sugar

Chocolate coins

A seashell candy mold

An artist brush

Wooden skewers

I followed the instructions provided in the tutorial.  I used the Wilton candy melts as "glue" to attach all the sides of the crate, and I extended it with the skewer - looked a lot simpler and cleaner to me.  Also, since I could not find jewels or edible pearls, I adorned the sand with a sea star and 2 seashells that I made with the seashell mold and the candy melts:

In the making process.  My Kit-Kat bars came in pieces of 2 instead of 4, so I had to attach 2 of them together to make each side of the crate.

Detail of the "handle"

Finished!

So, things that I learned while doing this:

- Work with chocolate in the Winter rather than in the Summer.  Seriously.

If you really have to make this during Summer:

- Work in an air-conditioned room if at all possible.

- If the air-conditioned room is not available, do it at first hour in the morning, while it is still fresh outside.

If you cannot do any of the above:

- Work with your hands as cold as possible.

- Stop the work every 5 minutes and put everything in the fridge for a while (except the melted chocolate) so it can cool and the chocolate of the bars does not melt.  Also, it will help the "glueing" process so the crate sides do not come apart.

I know this from my sad experience; my crate came apart (all parts of it!) when I had just finished it and was putting on the coins.  So I had to redo it all again.  That's why there is visible chocolate in the bars in the last pic.

I just hope my aunt likes it!

I want to taste your blood...

The Absinthe tray has not been enough for me. This time the design is more adventurous and not for the faint at heart. I made sometime ago this design for myself, and I simply love it.

My husband asked me if I was making a decanter of wine. I said, "No, look again". He did, and said, "It's blood!". Oh yes, blood for all you vampire lovers out there. No matter if you enjoy Underworld, True Blood or Twilight, this set definitely makes a statement in any diorama.

It is available in my shop. Hurry up before somebody else does!

The Absinthe Tray is finished!

...and up for sale in my shop!

I love how it came out! I thought the tray was going to be too small to hold everything, but it's perfect.

I have been considering talking with Fake Food Decor (in case you don't know him, he makes the most fabulous and realistic fake food in real life size I have ever seen) and ask him to make one just like this for me. I would love to have an Absinthe display in my living room...

Flour sacks and rolling pin arrived!

Aren't they awfully realistic?
I have to re-make the dough adding talcum powder to simulate flour. I've never done that, we'll see how it turns out...
Now, waiting for the kitchen stove :)

New miniature books found

Perusing through Kate's blog entries, I found out about two miniature-making books.

I was aware of Sue Heaser's publications, but although I am familiar with Angie Scarr's name, I did not know she also had published books for making miniatures with polymer clay. For those of you who did not know either, here they are:

Miniature Food Masterclass: Materials and techniques for model-makers

Making Miniature Food and Market Stalls

I have ordered both, and I can't wait for them to arrive!

Miniature custom made cakes

When browsing around for ideas to include in my dollhouse pastry shelf, I came upon Dollhouse Delights' shop, and I found this lovely cake:

Dollhouse Delights offers to make a miniature replica of your special occasion cake. Isn't it a wonderful idea? The one in the picture is simply beautiful; my lovely vampire would definitely like one just like it!

Trying some new objects...

Of course, I have watched the most recent movie of Harry Potter. Playing around in my head with new ideas for miniatures based on the popular books, I came up with this cabinet to sell on my shop:

Although the potion and the spirits bottles I have made before, I wanted to try something new, and made this cabinet thinking not on a laboratory, but more on a kitchen. The crate that holds the pumpkins I made it from scratch - it's my first one, and I am quite proud, as well as with the unicorn horns. The apples and the mushrooms were not difficult (not the first time) but I put the mushrooms over a page of an old issue of "The Daily Prophet" that is printed on a replica of parchment paper.

The pumpkins are Putka pods, that are seeds that are shaped like mini pumpkins.

So much fun to make!