Decorating Cake Jewelry Boxes

I once took a cake decorating class many years ago but didn't follow through with it because I didn't want to become a cake decorator. And the icing recipe grossed me out. The main ingredient in buttercream frosting is shortening. You would think it would be butter... or cream. I didn't see that one coming and I'm sure most people don't know what's in it. I can't eat icing now without thinking I'm eating a cup of grease... It's not easy to gross me out.

I also didn't want to mix recipes and do all that cooking. All I wanted to do was decorate them. Decorator, not baker.

And I discovered a way to do that years ago with wood patch. Wood patch can be thinned but it has to be painted because it's a yellowish yuk color when it dries. I didn't think at the time that spackling would work because it's too crumbly. It did not look as good as spackling does.

But times have changed and I discovered vinyl spackling. I also add corn starch and acrylic paint to it to get the durability and colors I want. For some reason I just couldn't figure that out years ago. Now I see everyone using spackling to decorate art cakes and I like it.

I discovered at the same time how to make porcelain clay, Kawaii characters and resin clay. It's like a whole new world just opened up and so I put it all together in these little cakes. Perfect for upcoming Christmas time.

I couldn't make money off of these even if I sold them because they are so labor intensive and each step takes a while (8 to 24 hours) to dry. I've been working on these for 2 to 3 weeks now and just got done. I coated all of them with a clear matt coating for protection.

I was asked if I had instruction videos for these and I don't. I don't have time and besides, there are plenty of videos out there for all of the different ways to make each step of these. I will say that piping the icing was nerve wracking for me and I still don't feel like I'm very good at it. I think I could be with a lot of practice but who has time for that? I will tell you that I got all my silicone molds and resin casting material off of Amazon. I already had the cake decorating tip (#21), piping bags, paint and scalloped scissors to make these.

I had to scrape the icing off and do it again on six of the cakes before I got something I liked. I even practiced a lot first so I'd say even if you're not good at doing something, just keep at it until it looks better. Happy decorating!

Casting Material and Resin

I love working with this stuff and it is pretty durable. It will chip and break if you drop it off (or if the cat knocks it off) the table. 😽 But it is so easy to fix too. It's not as durable as cold porcelain clay which is surprising to me. I've dropped my CP clay figures from pretty high up and they just don't break. They are more like plastic because of the glue.

I'm hooked on molds. I love to pour resin/plaster into them. I don't use the name brand Resincrete so I don't call it all by that name since it is all a mix of plaster and casting material. I used Perfect Cast for most of these. It's 5 times stronger than plaster but it will chip if you hit or drop it. I'm loving these trays because they are plain and I get to decorate them with my sculptures and little designs. And they are not just pretty to look at. They are also useful trinket trays for gifts.

I was not into summer/beach theme until summer was over. I'm not a beachy person and I don't live anywhere near the beach or an ocean but I think there is something primal about the sea that appeals to everyone somehow.

I love the sea life but honestly, I've only been in the ocean once and it scared me to death so I won't ever swim in the ocean (or a lake) again. Things come up and nibble on you. Nope. Never again. I'm not that person.

But I can appreciate the beauty of the ocean and its wildlife and try to imitate it in my artwork. I'm finding nail art molds to be very useful. But I will try all materials. I was piping spackling back in the 80's to decorate fake cakes so that idea is nothing new except to this generation I guess.

So I'll continue to work on these for a while and maybe get back to UV resin here and there.

SAFETY WARNING: You need a dust mask when you're working with any fine powder like this but also read the warnings on the products. Even one time without proper protection while working with these materials can affect your lungs, throat, eyes and nose. It can affect your pets and other people too.

If you try UV resin, you must wear protective gear. Get a VOC respirator, wear gloves and you must have ventilation while it's curing. Open a window with a fan, get an resin air purifier or work outdoors if possible. Don't put your health at risk for any hobby or project!

Be safe with this stuff and have fun!

Making Cold Porcelain Clay

MAKING ADJUSTMENTS

Usually this time of year I'm getting ready for the Anna Griffin Create event but I just can't justify it this year. I'm really and truly disappointed with the lesser quality and price hike. I think we have to break up because I'm not in love any more.

But - I have a heart like a soldier so I've moved on to other more cost effective projects like trying cold porcelain clay for the first time and also looking forward to resin and resin powder pours (which are surprisingly affordable) and learning how to make Kawaii characters. I try to stay busy. This stuff is so easy to make. I still love polymer clay but some things need a different type of clay to look right. Here is my first batch of cold porcelain trinkets and they are so cutie patootie I can hardly stand it.

MOVING ON WITH PORCELAIN CLAY

I can't believe I've never tried to make porcelain clay but with the holidays coming, I want to make some pretty things for my favorite people and I've just gotten into Kawaii charms and cute little animal dolls that are too big for polymer clay. 

So I've been wanting to make a few things that are just too big to make with polymer clay and some might require UV resin like trinket dishes, durable key chains, ornaments, etc. Polymer clay is expensive but my clay is a little dried out and probably all of it needs to be reworked with some extender or liquid clay to make it usable again. It is a lot of work and expensive to replace. 

I also discovered resin powder that has plaster mixed with resin so it's really hard and durable. It pours into molds for larger projects like trays, objects and containers.

You just mix with water and pour into silicone molds. I got these tray molds and necklace charm molds from the Dollar Tree! The other tiny molds, heart box and turtles are molds from Amazon.

So I looked up a few porcelain clay recipes and tried a few batches to see what worked and what didn't. My first batch turned out pretty good but the clean up in my only old teflon pan was a nightmare. I cooked it on the stove. You can also cook it in a microwave and use cheap throw away dollar store plastic bowls if you don't want the mess.

So I prefer the microwave method and disposable bowls. Plastic gloves just didn't work for me because the dough is just too sticky and pulled my gloves off. 

After some trial and error, I caught on and this is what I came up with for a good smooth recipe. 

1 C white all purpose glue (school glue is fine)

2 TBSP baby oil

1 TBSP white vinegar

1 tsp glycerin (optional - or coat your hands with hand lotion before kneading)

1 C corn starch

2 TBSP white titanium dioxide (I had a pack left over from soap making) makes the clay white or just use white acrylic paint

mix the first 4 wet ingredients together and then add 1 C corn starch a little at a time and beat it into a smooth paste with a silicone spatula. Add the white titanium powder in too. You can use the microwave (1100 power) to heat it in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until it starts to form a solid mass too thick to stir. This took me about 3 - 4 minutes. After three minutes you might want to switch to 15 second phases because when it goes stiff, it goes pretty quick. 

You want to catch it before it gets too stiff to easily work with. I cooked it until it was the consistency of bread dough and then I turned it out on a plate with corn starch sprinkled on it. I coated my hands with oil and worked more corn starch into it like dough until it was pretty stiff like clay. It will be hot straight out of the micro so wait until it cools off a bit so you don't get burned while you're kneading it.

Then when it cools and looks and feels right, you want to wrap it up in saran wrap tightly and store it in a container with a lid. You can't work with it right away because it has to rest while all the ingredients merge for at least overnight - it's better at 24 hours or more to get really smooth like silk. It will keep at room temperature for up to four months. The vinegar retards mold.

At the right consistency it will give you a non-sticky clay that you can easily work with to make little Kawaii characters, push into molds for baked goods and bows and roll out easily to make some cute charms or keyrings.

I Love Book Nooks

It's no secret that I love miniatures and miniature houses. I've built several dollhouses and miniatures from scratch. So I just love to put things together. My son bought me a lighted DIY book nook kit for my birthday this summer and it took me all of three days to put it together. I had a few leftover books from it but I used everything else to make it.

It comes with a tube of glue similar to E6000 but I didn't use it for most things. I used a simple white glue that dries clear and spread it with the end of a toothpick for the little tight places.

It's a Beyond Library Book Nook, part Night at the Museum and part Sherlock Holmes but I like it. I don't care how you slice it, it's just cool to look at. It's got a fancy touch light but you can get lights cheaper and easier to place for other projects.

I'm so proud of the way it came together. And I love those dinosaur bones. They were tricky to punch out without breaking but they give you an extra one in the kit just in case you do. I have an extra set of dinosaur bones now.

I really love the wooden laser cut DIY miniature greenhouses and the book nooks but they are a little beyond my budget these days so I wanted to make a book nook from scratch and see how that goes. I figured out the dimensions at about 5-1/2" x 3-1/2" would be a good size to start with and I could make it about 9" tall. So starting with those dimensions, I got busy.

This is my rough sketch. It has to be part book nook, part diorama and part conservatory but I'm going to enclose mine with thin clear acetate sheets to keep the dust out. And I want a little door or pack in the back for holding my light battery pack. I have several ideas with the holidays coming up.

I also want a front that opens in case I want to fix, add or change something inside the box. It can be cut out with poster board or heavy card stock. And you can always double up your paper or add an extra layer to an inside wall to make it more sturdy.

And I want windows in the top but it has to be solid enough to hold lights or a paper or beaded wire chandelier. I may not get all those things incorporated when I'm done but it's a starting plan. If all goes well, I should have a prototype soon and a working model not long after that. And then I'll post a pattern to Thistles and Twiggs so you can download and make one for free. 

Canon's Creative Park as a Graphic Resource

This is a fun little paper extravaganza for you to explore. I will start listing my resources for all things graphics this Fall since I don't have to worry about competitors. I won't be selling anything so I can afford to give them away free if you want to get great graphics at zero cost. It's been a hard year on everyone so get the free stuff anytime you can! 

THIS IS A REVIEW

I discovered Canon Creative Park a few years ago and it's not just for kids. If you have an ink tank printer (or even if you don't) this is a fun way to spend an afternoon making something pretty FOR FREE. Recently I've seen these on some Etsy sites for sale but why buy them when you can get them for free?

Years ago I printed several projects off and put them together. They are all well made and look great. 

They are listed according to difficulty level so you can start with the easy ones and then progress to the really hard ones as you want.

I particularly like the dragons although I haven't made one yet. Look at that rosy-faced lovebird!!!

There are many kits so if you've ever wanted to build a sailing ship or an airplane, you can find it here. There are masks, movable toys, dioramas and puzzles ALL FOR FREE!!!

I was amazed at the number of cute little shop kits you can print. You can put these on heavy card and make them really sturdy. 

I love the folding book houses and little shops. If you've ever done miniatures then you know how fun they can be.

Look at these cute movable toys! 

What Happened with Etsy UPDATE

Not much really. I do not think I want to work my arse off to make money for Etsy any longer. I did enjoy making and working with graphics again. I used to do that for a living but hey, I'm retired. I opened my Etsy shop in late April and it did not make any money for me. The trickle of revenue that came was all eaten up by Etsy fees.

So as it turned out, I made Etsy some money but I decided to let it go after four months of still being in the red. I'm not going to feed it any more so Etsy can reap all the profits in fees. Lesson learned. It was a hobby anyway and I can't afford to give money away to Etsy so I've decided to let the listings expire instead of renewing them, starting August 27th and then over a month or two they will all trickle out.

I will leave the files up for those that did purchase them so they can download them again when needed but NAH! I don't want to work for Etsy for free. I'll probably list some of the graphics for free on Thistles and Twiggs eventually for my friends to enjoy. 

I think at one time Etsy was probably a good venue with low fees and some people probably made a good bit of money with it but I don't think that's the case any more. There are fees for every little thing you put on there and you really have to sell a lot of volume to make any profit at all. Not for me and I won't do that again. Like I said, I didn't make any profit in four months and it actually cost me over all. I still have a negative balance on the balance sheet but I can eat that as a lesson learned.

Now back to doing what I really like and sharing it for free! I will leave Thistles and Twiggs up because I did have a few good tutorials on it that might be useful and who knows, I might want to dabble in the graphic arena again from time to time. 

Files will start to disappear on August 27, 2025 as the listings expire. 

Franken-squirrel & Other Pattern Hacks

I've been pretty obsessed lately with knitting. I know... it's hot. But I have A/C so it's not unbearable sitting at my desk and knitting. I have one of each of the animal patterns that Julie Williams has come out with for knitting these cute little creatures. I usually either buy the boy or the girl but sometimes I get both if I want to make the sweaters and the dresses. This is my third lamb/ram. But right now I'm obsessed with squirrels!

I once knitted and crocheted for two and a half years (in my spare time) without taking a break, one project after another and I was fine with that so I love to knit and crochet. I love to make things and I have to have an outlet from reality. I just can't wait to make the next newest animal pattern and about a week ago I learned there was another new pattern being published by Julie so I got busy making a franken-squirrel since I couldn't get the pattern yet.

The legs, bodies and arms for her boy and girl patterns are all basically the same so I used a leg, arm and body pattern from the boy bear. The body had a white belly, not hard for a seasoned knitter to figure out from the picture by counting stitches but the head was going to be different.

I used the bear head pattern and modified it for the last five rows making the muzzle white and then I just embroidered over the nose part. But I've since discovered that the dog pattern would have given me the exact muzzle I needed from the Doberman instructions and making the last five rows white on the muzzle. The nose and muzzle would have been perfect for the squirrel. Then the pattern became available so I got it.

I used the ears from the fox pattern for my frankensquirrel but I could have made them a little smaller. Then I just added little tufts of yarn to the ends which I will separate and comb out with a wire brush. Positioning them and sewing them on in the right spot makes them look more squirrely. For the eyes, I didn't knit in the white patches, instead I used white felt on my plastic eyes and cut out the circles around them.

I used a capped sleeve pattern from the seasonal dresses instructions and just roughly drew out the acorn and oak leaf pattern to do my color work.

I also wanted my squirrels to wear some Ugg type boots. I got the pattern from Crafty Braam and modified it for making the boy boots a little taller. My yarn for those was a little thicker so the boots turned out perfectly big for his big feet.

I bought the boy pattern because I wanted to make those gorgeous sweaters! I also decided to give my girl squirrel some boots too. I wanted to make her some pink ones but my first try looked like house slippers so I started over. Maybe a different shade of pink would work better. 

I also found a backpack pattern from Mary Jane's Tearoom that I really like and I wanted to fill it with acorns so I found a bunch of free patterns for acorns too. I also found some free knitted oak leaves. I really had fun with these.