Bluebelle and Sophie Give Thanks!

Poor Bluebelle! She was working all day in her cake shop with nowhere to sleep after a hard day's work! Now she finally has a sleeping nook in the rafters of her shop where she can sleep at night or even take a cat nap in the middle of the day, when there are no customers, of course. ;-)

Look how peacefully she rests on her perch in the rafters! I think she's snoring! tee hee!

And then she can fly down to the cake shop to start another day! Bluebelle is definitely doing a little happy dance and giving thanks for her new bedroom, and it wouldn't have been completed nearly as quickly if I hadn't seen Jane's post on using foam core board in miniature building. (Shh! I didn't even have to glue in the loft, since I cut the foam core board slightly large and squeezed it between the walls of the cake shop! It's very stable and so simple! ;-))

Next, Sophie is giving thanks for two things. First, we won Lisa's amazing autumn "Give Thanks" giveaway over at Mini Addictions blog, and Lisa wrapped everything so beautifully and sent so many gorgeous prizes and extra gifts! Mmm, look at that tasty pumpkin pie and those gorgeous Georgia peaches in a handmade basket!

But that's not all! Lisa also sent all these goodies, including this incredible dollhouse miniature Halloween rug:

Can you believe how tiny the stitches are?! Lisa used a magnifier to make it--what a very generous and thoughtful gift! Thank you so much for all of these autumn treasures, Lisa--we love everything you sent. Check out Lisa's blog, Mini Addictions, if you haven't already. She's a very talented miniaturist with a fun blog and amazing giveaways!

There's one more thing that Sophie is giving thanks for: my husband cut some extra windows in Sophie's house:

Now I can get better light in Sophie's cabin for taking photographs. Sophie loves her new windows and is planning to put some pretty curtains up next. Where's Flossy? She's ecstatic with the gifts she received in the mail from a very talented artist. One of the gifts is a pretty new outfit, which Flossy is trying on right now. :-) You'll see Flossy in the next post! Until then, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

New Cards Sneak Preview!

Hi Everyone! I've got some new greeting cards that are going to the print shop in a couple of days. Here's a sneak peek at what will be in stores in a couple of weeks!

Title: Bluebelle Celebrates Her Birthday
Inside message: "It's your birthday. Let's have some cake!"

Title: Flossy and Bluebelle Have a Good Chat
Inside message: "I'm so glad we're friends."

Title: A Birthday Wish
Inside message: "Close your eyes and make a wish!"

I've received amazing miniature gifts from a couple of sweet friends too. Next time I'll show you the Christmas gifts that just arrived! Until then, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Portland Miniature Show!

The Portland Miniature Show will take place Saturday, September 14-15, 2013. This year I will exhibit "Puppy in the Cake Shop." Yesterday I spent a few hours gluing and tacking down almost everything in Bluebelle's shop. I don't want anything falling down while people are viewing the exhibits! ;-) My husband helped me by making a plexiglass cover for the shop too--thank you, sweetie!

I would love to see you at the show! The hours are 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday. Voting happens all day Saturday, and Sunday the ribbons go on the prize-winning exhibits.

The Portland Miniature Show will be held at the Holiday Inn - Portland Airport, 8439 NE Columbia Blvd, Portland, OR 97220. Admission is $7.00 for adults and free for children under 12. Go to the Portland Miniature Show web site for additional information, including a $1.00 off coupon, map, list of dealers, list of exhibitors, and more.

Hope to see some of you there! Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Bluebelle Has Been Busy Baking

Bluebelle* the bluebird has been busy baking cakes in anticipation of Sophie and Flossy's visit to the cake shop.

She got up very early to bake her cakes, so there would be plenty of time to frost them before her cake shop customers arrived.

Bluebelle baked two new chocolate cakes--one with chocolate frosting and one with strawberry buttercream frosting. She frosted the cakes generously in anticipation of Sophie and Flossy's delight.

Bluebelle baked the cakes with lots of love. She is so excited about Sophie and Flossy's visit!

* Did you notice that the new bluebird character now has a name? Both Fabiola and then Lucille suggested the name "Bluebelle." Each thought of the name on her own, and I think it's perfect. Both Faby and Lucille have won their choice of any item in my Etsy shop, plus Faby has also won a handmade miniature cake of her choice. Congratulations you two! And thank you so much to everyone who left name suggestions. They were all sweet names, but "Bluebelle" instantly felt right to me. I'm sorry there couldn't have been more winners this time, but I'll have another giveaway in the fall. You'll have another chance then! :-)

If you had won the giveaway, which item from my shop would you have chosen? Or would you prefer a cake, and if so, what kind? I'm interested to know your answers. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

New Miniature Cakes, Including Disasters

I've made a few more miniature cakes since I made my first one. After making the chocolate cake with white frosting, I wanted to make the yellow cake mentioned in the tutorial I was using. Oops! I got so excited about making the cake that I forgot to add translucent clay to my yellow clay. The tutorial author said that without the translucent clay, the cake would look "chalky."

What do you think? I think she was right! :-D Oh well! I still love the bright yellow against the creamy white. I'll try this one again with the translucent clay when I have a chance.

Next up, I wanted to make a solid, uncut cake with aqua and pink frosting--the main colors in my cake shop. I added tiny no-hole beads to the pink frosting as an experiment. Actually, it's all an experiment with my lack of experience making miniature polymer clay cakes. :-)

Bowl of frosting by Beverly of CuteinMiniature on Etsy.

I like how this one turned out, but I tried painting the finished cake with Sculpey Satin Glaze after baking, and I was surprised at how shiny it made the cake. I had a learning experience!

Next, I wanted to make my own bowl (mug, actually!) of frosting and to add frosting to a spatula. I made the frosting thinner than before by adding Translucent Liquid Sculpey.

This time I added the translucent polymer clay to my yellow cake "batter," and the cake looks tastier than my first yellow cake. I like the thicker frosting better, though, so this cake was another learning experience! ;-D

Finally, I wanted to make a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. Mmm, yummy! This is my favorite cake so far, the one that makes my mouth water (heavily!).

I'm still experimenting (and having learning experiences). I recently put several cake layers in my dedicated polymer clay toaster oven. Unfortunately, some of the clay was directly under the heating element, and it got lightly burnt.

I'm thinking of turning some of this into "browned" cornbread, "fresh from the oven." It's fun when I can turn disasters into surprises. If that doesn't work, I'll try something else. ;-) Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

  

Time to Meet the Shopkeeper

Last time, Sophie the bear was trying to keep Luna the puppy from gorging on delicious cake. Now Sophie takes a closer look at all of the colorful cakes in the cake shop. "Oh, how I miss baking cakes since I've moved into my own house. Flossy the bunny and I were busy from dawn until dusk baking desserts in Cupcake Cottage. Those were such sweet times."

Luna makes a small whimpering sound and jumps on Sophie's leg. Sophie looks up. "Welcome to my cake shop!" chirps a sweet bluebird.

Sophie and the bluebird-shopkeeper start chatting like old friends. The shopkeeper is very outgoing and friendly. "Please sit down for a piece of cake." "Oh, I wish I could," says Sophie, but I must get home. It will be dark soon." "No problem! I hope you'll come back soon. You're welcome to my cake shop anytime!" says the bluebird.

"I will definitely come back tomorrow, and I'll bring my friend Flossy with me. Goodbye! See you soon!" "Goodbye!"

Sophie hurries home to call Flossy with all of the exciting news. "Imagine that! A bluebird owns a new cake shop in town."

Now, dear readers, I must ask your advice on a name for our new bluebird character. She makes friends easily and is honest and trustworthy too. If I ultimately choose a name you suggest, I'll send you a special prize. Be a follower of this blog and leave any name suggestions in a comment or comments on this post. I'll announce a winner within a couple of weeks. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Mini Shabby Cake Shop Exterior

Last time I showed some photos of the inside of Sophie and Flossy's new neighborhood cake shop. Now let's take a peek inside the shop from the outside:

I'll add more flower pots to the front of the shop as I have time to make them, and I'll change the cakes at times too (see below).

Here's a bonus shot from inside my studio. You can see the whole interior of the cake shop, a little of the exterior, plus the behind-the-scenes lighting set-up. It's the real story behind the story. :-)

I've been making more miniature cakes. It's too hot here for baking polymer clay, but I've been doing it anyway. :-) Next blog post I'll show you some more tasty-looking cakes, and maybe some disasters too! :-D Until next time, keep it fun, and stay cool! xoxo Jennifer

Sophie Discovers a Cake Shop

I was so inspired by making that first mini cake that I built a whole cake shop! All of the cakes are old-fashioned homemade-style cakes. You may recognize this building, actually. It's the Greenleaf Primrose dollhouse that I won in a giveaway a while back. My husband recently glued it back together after it arrived in the mail from Greece in several pieces.

Sophie the bear has just discovered the new cake shop while out walking Luna the puppy. The shop feels so cool and refreshing after being out in the heat of the day.

That yummy strawberry coconut cake arrived out of the blue from
Natasha of Eat Cake Miniatures while I was building the cake shop.

Luna heads straight for the table, laden with yummy food, while Sophie takes in the scene.

Luna wants some yummy cake NOW! She lets out a howl.

Mmm, everything looks so tasty!

Sophie calls Luna away from the table. "Come here, Luna! That isn't for you. Be a good girl!"

This project was so fun! My creative energy was in full force, as I painted, cut, and glued for about two weeks straight. Anytime I had a spare moment, I made something for the cake shop. I used furniture from my stash, and then I painted it and updated it with shabby paper and fabric. I even made two more cakes for the shop and bought the perfect pink cake from Beverly of Cute in Miniature on Etsy.

Next time I'll show you views of the shop from the outside. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look! I appreciate your comments so much too. Thank you, Natasha, for sending two beautiful cakes and to all of the blog friends whose gifts have added so much to this project. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

It All Started With This Cake....

I felt inspired to follow this miniature cake tutorial that I found on Pinterest.

Not bad for my first ever attempt at a polymer clay miniature cake, eh? It's a rich chocolate cake with creamy vanilla frosting.

Then one thing led to another. ;-) 

I had so much fun creating something totally unexpected. I'll show you more about this new project next time. :-D 

Good news: all my greeting cards are back in stock and are in stores around the Portland area as well as in my Etsy shop. Thank you so much for your precious comments. I read every one of them and treasure your blog friendships. I hope you're all staying healthy and cool and having lots of fun too! xoxo Jennifer