Change Is Good

Hi everyone!!
Its been a while...again lol. I have been working though, both at my miniatures and my day job. I work as a receptionist at my local Amphitheatre during the concert season and this year it is April through October. I love my job out there, its the only job Ive ever really felt 'at home' with. The only downside is that it makes for less time to create my miniatures :-( Its a fair trade though if you ask me lol.
Lately, Ive been working on my French confections and still trying to decide how to finish the cafe counter off....its going slow but its going. I got distracted by the idea of making some plates :-)
I have made little clay plates before, for my food or just for fun, and I absolutely loved it. I'm not sure what it is about them but there's just something SO exciting about making little plates. I love the endless possibility's when it comes to the decorating of the plates. I quit making them for a while and I was even apprehensive about making them the way I have lately because of some really childish drama, but no more. I think its really stupid for someone in the mini world to think they're the ONLY PERSON that makes a certain type of something. Like plates for instance. Even if you only make one thing in your business, you can probably guarantee you aren't the only one making whatever it is you're making, unless you've come up with something genius that nobody's ever seen lol. With all that being said, some people still feel like that and hate on others for doing what they do. I personally am not one of those people. On my Facebook page, I constantly share and like and comment on other mini makers things, even if they make the same kinds of things I make. But, as we all know, everybody is different :-)
Now, with all of THAT being said hahaha, I have made a bunch of these fabulous little decorated plates and plan on making these as part of what I do. Theyre just too much fun not to!! So now, the list will be food, furniture, and dinnerware/cookware ceramics. Yay for expansion! Heres a pic of the plates....I know its not a great picture, but I just took this to show people what Ive been doing, these arent the nice portfolio type pictures I like.

Bear in mind, these are the first ones Ive ever made like this :-) I still have a few things to perfect. I do love it though, very relaxing to make these.
Ok, so now that all that is out of the way lol, I also have some other really exciting news!! I had sold a cake to a lovely woman by the name of Arlena Schott. She teaches people how to make their own miniature/fairy gardens. She had informed me that my cake was going on tour with her and I was really excited but just the other day, she was on TV and so was my cake!!! I wasnt expecting that!!She was even sweet enough to give me a shout out :-)
Her classes are super informative, and she did really well in the interview. Here is a link to her Facebook page for her TV show, Garden Wise Living, its a wonderful page with lots of ideas. She on tour with Jeremie Miniatures on the Magical Miniature Garden Workshop Tour, heres where to find dates and times: Garden Wise Events. Also, if you were curious to see the two part interview she did on WEAU, heres the link for that as well, Miniature Fairy Garden Interview WEAU. 
It was so amazing seeing my cake on TV and even hearing her say my business name. However, she accidentally called my biz "Misunderstood Miniatures" which has happened before with other people and it got me thinking....maybe it is time to change my name. I had thought about it before....I mean, it is kind of long and confusing lol. Its not the easiest thing to remember either I assume. It definitely sounds like 'misunderstood'. Only trouble is, every place I am at has that name on it. I am "Misunderheard" pretty much everywhere on the internet. It will take some time to transition, but I think I really would like to change my name. "Leia V Miniatures" sounds good.....maybe.
Ok, I am off to go work!! If any of you have any thoughts of my name change, let me know!! Im open to suggestions!! <3
 ={ Leia }=

Happy Easter everyone!!!!!!

Good morning everyone!
Tomorrow is Easter. I'll be doing the egg hunt with the kiddos and having a proper Easter dinner, so I figured I should wish you all a Happy Easter now hahaha :-)
I have been working on some French pastries and cakes and cookies lately and darn it! I just cant seem to work fast enough to please myself lol. I was hoping to have triple the amount of food I have made by now but, for some reason inspiration is kind of escaping me at the moment......I have ideas...I have a little bit of time to make them...but getting the two things together is proving kind of hard at the moment.
I did manage to make these however :-)
I got my cafe counter and cake stands painted.....
 

I made a few pastries and cookies for the display........

 

These items arent listed in my Etsy shop yet, but if you are interested in any of them or something custom, PLEASE FEEL FREE to contact me via Facebook or by clicking on "contact" in my Etsy shop.
I am working with some red strawberry glaze today :-D hoping to get a few pastries and cakes made with it!

I hope you all have lovely Easters! <3 <3 <3 <3
 =[ -Leia- ]=

Life is too short to live for others

 Good morning friends and fans!
The last week has been full of lifes lessons for me. I learned a lot and gained much too and most importantly I helped others feel good about themselves too.

 Life is too short to live by another person's rules. Life is meant to be experienced and learned and everybody has a right to do as they please, as long it doesn't harm others, without fear of back lash for it.

I have decided to live life for myself and my kids and loved ones and no one else.

:-)

I also uploaded some new pictures of my newest works! Ive been making food and plates lately. I REALLY enjoy hand painting them! Tiny painting is so fun!! I also made some broccoli and salads and am going to be working on some French cookies and pastries.
I am going to be going back to work within a few weeks and its a full time job so I wont have much time for minis during the concert season. I will check in when I can and say hi here and there but my job will be first on my list :-)
I am hoping to get a large enough inventory to stock my Etsy while Im gone. I dont have much in there right now, but soon I will be stocking my shop up so keep checking back in and see what goodies I've listed!

Here's a list of all the things I'm working on in my workshop:

• Dark Shabby Collection
• Seaside Kitchen Collection
• Hand Painted Plates, Tea Sets and Decorative Ceramics
• French Cookies and Pastries
• Fresh Salad Sets and Mixes
• Ice Cold Lemonades and Juices
• Fresh Fruits and Vegetables 

Phew! Lol :-)
I always have more than one project going on....I'm like a little hummingbird, I just cant sit still for a moment and do JUST ONE thing lol. I also always try to have a variety of things in my shop. I dont like doing just one item or specializing in one particular thing. I like to be all over and everywhere and do what fits my mood at that time. Right now, Im feeling "spring-y" lol. Its finally beginning to get warm where I'm at (California) and it makes me so happy! I really dislike being cold and frozen all the time and having to bundle up and wear all those layers. When Im cold, I cant do anything but huddle up in a ball and shiver lol.
Heres a couple pics to show what Ive been up to lately, hope you all have a fabulous Friday and an amazing weekend!!

The plates before I painted them and a little food ;)

Plates of Broccoli and a dime to show scale (1:12)

The plates after being painted

More plates after being painted

Close up of 1:12 Scale Broccoli

 Love and hugs to you all!! <3

=[ -Leia- ]=

500 Likes Giveaway Results

 

About a month or so ago, I had a contest on my fan page, *Misunderheard Art*, for a giveaway once I reached 500 likes. The winner was chosen by random.org's random number generator. After some emails back and forth, we decided on a turkey platter for her. This is a 1:12 scale sized roasted turkey with dressing and a plate of the turkey, dressing, and mashed potatoes. Both pieces were sent to her. 

In addition to doing this, Ive been working really hard on my new collections. Heres a few pics:

Hope you all enjoy these! Many thanks to all my fans and clients, youre wonderful words keep me going!!

Thank you guys for everything <3

=[ -Leia- ]=

New Collection Coming Soon!!

I am so very excited about this!
This will be my first collection/series. I am working on pieces as you read this! The majority of the line should be out within a few weeks, with sneak peeks posted here and there :-)
I LOVE shabby chic very much, as I am sure a lot of you do, so I decided to incorporate a lot of it in my new line but with a darker more dramatic twist! It will be modern yet classic, dramatic but humble, bold without being too much.
I am making lots of different things for this new collection,

• Furniture for every room
• Mirrors and Wall Art
• Pottery and Kitchenware
• Chandeliers
• Dessert and Dinner sets
• Flowers 
• Wrought Iron-lots of it!

I will post a pic of the color palette the further I get in to making this collection. I don't want to give away too much too soon ;-) hehehehe.
I want to thank all of my fans for their love and support....you all make my days with your kindness and compliments.
Much love!
 =[ -Leia- ]=

Update: Latest furniture creations!

Boy am I excited about these two tables lol. I am in LOVE with this wrought iron idea me and my bestie Sadie had. I made both of these tables from the materials in the pics from the last post. the legs on the "wrought iron" table are tin. It is very fragile still, need to work on a way of making the legs sturdier next time. I am REALLY into making furniture right now...which is so weird because I usually only make food and little house decorations. I saw that a few people I am a fan of on deviantArt, like Steffi786 or Kayanah, had been making their own furniture and display sets to suit their own needs, and I thought it was really cool and looked like a lot of fun! So, here I am now lol.
I use Balsa wood and little wooden ice cream sticks or whatever little pieces of wood I can find. I try to find easy to cut wood, seeing as Im using a utility knife to cut out my pieces. Here is the first table, it is still unpainted, I havent decided on colors or what its purpose is yet.

The second table I made is this one, its one of my favorites! It looks like one of those cool metal outdoor tables. Sometimes, theyre made from wrought iron, sometimes metal.

I think I am going to be making more and more furniture as time goes on. I really enjoy it! I am hoping to also do a "real life vs. miniature" items. I will show a pic of the normal sized item next to my piece and hopefully, itll look like someone shrunk it down to 1:12 size hahaha.
Comments, questions, thoughts please!
Hope you all are having fabulous Mondays :-D
 =[ -Leia- ]=

New finds and ideas!!

Afternoon everybody!!
I wanted to share with all of you my newest finds at my local Michael's crafting store!

  In the first pic: a big bag of Balsa wood, a package of asst wood circles, a package of asst wood squares, blue tile stickers, pink tile stickers, and an awesome picture frame thats going to be a mirror or awesome headboard!!!!

The second pic has my favorite finds :D A whole pack of amazing crochet pink doilies!!!!! Theyre 'scrapbooking embellishments' :D The wood circles are gorgeous, theyre going to be tables! Same thing with the other wood planks. I also got a roll of lace tape.

Im really excited about getting to work on these new projects!  Ive been wanting to make furniture lately and home accessories...not so much food. I have however done a few custom food orders lately. Pics to come soon, I am waiting for the buyers to see them first! <3
Much love! Hope you all have great days!!

=[ -Leia- ]=

Inspiration! and a few places where I get it from

Good Afternoon everyone!

I often wonder where a lot of my miniature artist friends get their inspiration from and so, today, I decided to share with all of you where I get mine, in case anybody was wondering lol.
Inspiration comes from all over. Sometimes its people, or places or just things. A little tea pot charm can inspire a whole series of little fantasy teapots for someone.

So, here is a list of just a few of the many sites I go to for inspiration:

• Pinterest- This would probably be where I go the most right now lol. As with everybody else I know it seems. This site is fantastic for gathering ideas and keeping them organized here, instead of clogging up your browsers favorites folder. 
• The Mini Food Blog- A wonderful blog with lots of pictures of fantastic handmade miniature food. Lots of amazing artists get featured on this blog weekly. They post daily sometimes, other times weekly, so keep checking back for new items. They have lots of links on the sidebar also. Artist galleries, auctions, stores, tutorials, etc. You can also apply to have your food shown on the blog.
• Clay Lessons-On this site, you can find lots of various polymer clay techniques and tutorials. Some cost money, some do not. All of the tutorials are PDF files, so you need Adobe or another file reading program like that to view them. Theres tutorials on caning, beads, imprinting, figurines, and a lot more. You can sign up to be a teacher also if you have something you want to share. You can share for free or ask for a small fee. 
• Dream of Doll BJD's- This is a site for Ball Jointed Dolls (BJD). Now, I know these arent miniatures or anything close to what I make, but these fabulous dolls still inspire me to make gorgeous things somehow! (Lol) I want to start a collection of my own BJD's. I think me and my daughter will be starting with the less expensive 'Monster High' dolls are re-spraying and re-painting those. Totally customize them :-) Its exciting just thinking about!! 
• CDHM- This place has absolutely awesome customer service. The membership fee is minimal and the wonderful advertising that CDHM offers for me is so helpful! My popularity increased a good deal after joining this organization. Theres lots of inspiration here too though! Searching through their artist gallery is great and "the Miniature Way" online magazine they offer is super helpful and fun! Tutorials, event listings and dates, lots of fun stuff online. The community is also amazing too. They also give you a blog with your membership and access to exclusive forums about miniatures.

If you would like more information on any of the above mentioned websites, feel free to comment or email me at misunderheard.art@gmail.com
Happy creating everybody!
=[ -Leia- ]=

My "Trash To Treasure" Table How-To

I made this delightful little table a few days ago and thought I would show it to everyone here. I was going to do a step by step tutorial for this, but after considering it, it doesnt really need a lot of explaining to be duplicated. Any crafty person could figure out how to make this easily I'm sure :)
So, here is a list of supplies that I used for this:

• Razor-blade or other sharp craft knife
• Scrap wood-the piece I used here is pre-cut and can be bought at Michaels craft store. The size of it is 3"x 2"
• Sandpaper-any grit you are comfortable with
• Foam board-I used the piece of wood as a template for the size of foam to cut but I cut it a tiny bit shorter on the sides so it would fit between the legs.
• Bamboo Spatulas/Forks-I got these from my local Dollar Tree store. Theres a picture of them in the photo of the table. If you cant find these particular ones, any other kind of decorative toothpick or scraps of skinny wood pieces can be used as table legs.
• Loctite gel super glue-This is my favorite kind of glue to work with, if you have one you like better, use that one. I dont believe regular school glue or wood glue would be good for this as a note.                          

Items used to make this table

The first thing I did was cut just the "fork" part of the (4) bamboo sticks off with my razor blade. Then I sanded the cut edge until it looked nice and straight and even. Now, at this point, you can cut off some of the other side or cut off more on the fork side. Its all up to how tall you want your table. Cutting off the fork part and nothing else, my table measured 2 1/2" tall.
Next was gluing the legs to the table. I glued them as close to the edge as possible but you can measure and move all of the legs closer to the center, making the top come out further than the legs for a nice look. After letting the glue dry for about an hour, I grabbed my already cut piece of foam board and situated it between all the legs, as pictured above. I checked for how it fit, made a few adjustments to the foam board and then put the glue on the wood legs, not the foam board. When you cut foam board, it exposes the foam and some glues tend to melt stryofoam when they touch. This type of glue doesnt change the foam at all as long as you use small amounts and apply it to the wooden part FIRST.
After all of this I left the whole thing set for another few hours, then checked the level on the table. Its hard to eyeball things sometimes, to make them straight, so you may want to use a level when making your own furniture like this.
This is what it looks like with a few decorative items on it, to show dimensions better.

As of today, I have painted this table teal and am about to add some roses and ivy type vines to it. It will be on the "Shabby Chic" side of themes.  After its all finished I will post an update to this entry! If you have any questions or need any help, just comment! Ill get back to you soon :)

Good luck everyone, hope this helps and inspires you to make more "trash to treasure" items!

=[ -Leia- ]=

                                            *************UPDATE!!!**************
Here is a photo of the table after phase one of painting :) I added some roses and my mother crocheted a delightful little doily for this table for me. I will be added even more roses and accessories soon!

Dollhouses For Kids Battling Cancer

Good evening everybody!
So, I have been talking about this charity/organization a lot the last few days on my Facebook page, and I thought I would share it with the few followers I have right now, and keep the info posted here for future followers, just in case you missed it!
Dollhouses For Kids Battling Cancer is an incredible charity I just found out about. The woman in charge of this, a lovely lady named Ann, finds or buys dollhouses and all the things needed to furnish them and donates them to her local cancer hospitals and doctors. She prefers to have the hospital and doctor staff give out the dollhouses, instead of herself, that way it helps the kids feel more comfortable and begin to like their doctors more. When I came across this page, my first reaction was sheer happiness! I know how happy my house and things makes me and so, to give that gift to a child who really needs their minds taken off things, was just genius! It made me so excited and want to give give GIVE immediately! I shared the page on mine too and started asking all my mini buddies to help out if possible.
I spoke with Ann, in emails and found out a few helpful things....The most important thing being nothing is turned down as a donation. Dollhouses, furniture, food, wallpapers, flooring, roof tiles, practically anything for dollhouses. Money is always welcome too.
When it comes to worrying about small parts as a choking hazard to little kids, she explained that since it is the doctors and medical staff giving out the items, they would definitely know who to give what to in terms of safety. The ages vary and range from very little to teenagers.
I have decided that all through the year at different times, I will be sending random packages of dollhouse things to this cause. Cancer doesnt take time off and neither does this cause.
I hope to see a lot of you sending items to this cause too. Even if youre not an artist or flush with dollhouse minis, there is always a way to help. One way is to get this page out there! Share this blog post with friends and family, like the page on Facebook, ask people you know to donate, keep an eye out for dollhouses and items being thrown or given away, or even just a simple donation of a few dollars to help her with furnishing and finishing the dollhouses. For more information, please contact Ann at the page linked above.
Thank you much and remember to be grateful for what you have and the problems you dont. <3

=[ -Leia- ]=