Happy New Years, Merry Christmas...Oh my gosh its been a while....

Hi everyone!!!!
Oh my goodness, I have been a bad blogger :-( lol. BUT! I do have a lot of work to show you guys and even my fifteen minutes of fame....YES I was on TV :-D

Ok, so first things first, Happy Holidays to all my loyal, patient followers <3 I joined Instagram and shared these wonderful little Christmas Eve pics on there first. If you are on Instagram as well, come find me!! @leiavminiatures!!
Here they are, I made the tiny little gingerbread house, all the individual candies and candy canes, the bowl with icing,  the curtains, plates on the wall and stand, the teapot on the stand, all of it except the chairs and table.

Shortly before Thanksgiving, I was on TV :-D
I got interviewed on KMAX CW31 Good Day Sacramento, my most favorite morning show ever! Nina Haijan came to my house and I got to show her how to make some simple candy canes and some of my lil minis. It was lots of fun, but I was sooo nervous I didnt get to enjoy it quite the way I should have. Oh well, lesson learned :-) If you would like to see both interviews, here are the links!
Part One
Part Two

Here is the turkey I made just for the interviews:

 

Its been a busy winter for me ^_^
Ive been blessed and tested and then blessed again....This year went by so fast it seems. I made new friends, lost some old ones :-(, learned a lot of lessons about perception and patience, realized I totally need to CHILL OUT more, and became overall more grateful for what I have in life.
It was a really good year after all :-)
Heres a few more photos of what Ive been doing since I last updated and showed off pictures. If you want to see more, please check out my:

• Flickr
• Deviant Art
• Instagram 
• Facebook 

I wish you all a Happy New Year and hope you had an amazing 2013 <3
Big big hugs to all my wonderful fans and friends, I love you all!

Stayed tuned in 2014....LOTS of new things to come!!!!!!

*Leia*

How To Make Perfect Waffles Everytime ;-)

Its tutorial time!
I had posted this before on my first blog, Misunderheard Art, and it was well received, So I have decided to re-make and re-post it, along with a few other tips and ideas.
This is a tutorial for how to make your own waffle impression mold/stamp.
Once you make this, you can churn out a hundred waffles a day and they will all look the same.

First things first: Materials!
You dont really need a lot for this, just some scrap clay, a long straight razor blade, and a work area.

Step One

 
After youve gathered up your tools and clay, roll a ball about the size of a large grape. Flatten it out to a decent thickness: roughly 1/4 inch or less. It all depends how deep you want your waffles to be. Plus, if you make it too deep or shallow, you can always push more or less with the stamp to make up for that. 


 

Step Two

After rolling it out, take your long razor blade and make indents-rather than cuts or slices-into the clay, in rows going horizontally. Push the blade straight into the clay, making sure not to go all the way through. After making those indents, make indents in the clay going vertically. You will now see a grid-like impression.

Step Three

Now, decide how big you want your stamp/mold to be and cut along the lines, making a square stamp.
After that, now youre going to make the squares more rounded so that when you push the mold into the clay, the waffles have the proper little pockets and look more realistic :)
Take the blade and lay it gently inside one of the indented lines. LIGHTLY yet firmly, push the blade to the side, like shown in the photos below. Continue doing this to all the rows, going horizontally, then vertically. Push both sides of the little squares, horizontally and vertically, to make all of the sides beveled.
 

 

After beveling all the edges of the stamp/mold this is what your piece should look like: 

Once youve made the stamp and are happy with the size, depth, etc you can now bake it and give it a try!

I glued little pegs onto my stamps and made various sizes and depths for different scales and uses. 

Heres a few of the stamps Ive made over the years and the finished waffles I made with them. These photos are from my original tutorial post.

The bread stamps in this photo is another example of what to use scrap clay for and a way to make making your little foods more fun and time saving!

 

I also came across an idea for cupcakes while making my waffle stamps..........

Have you ever looked at real life cupcakes and thought "Why cant I get mine to look like this?" Well, I have! I also took a long look at things around my house to help me make a better cupcake and found this.......

On the little tubes of my favorite glue- E-6000- the caps resemble the cupcake bottoms!!!!!!

So, all you need to do is place some scrap clay around the cap, pop it in the freezer (just the cap and clay-no glue!), and then pop it off and bake! This makes a helpful cupcake base mold. 

This is only one of many many ways to make cupcake bottoms and when you pull the clay out, it tends to stretch, so I recommend using Amazing Mold Putty to make your molds and not clay but if you cannot afford that stuff or dont have access to it, this way will work just fine :) It just requires a little smoothing and pushing and twerking the piece before final baking.

 

 I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and helpful hints :) If there are any questions, please post them below or feel free to message me!!

Have a lovely day <3

 

Be happy if you cant be anything else

Good evening everyone :)
I hope all of you are doing well. Its been well over a month since my last post....I feel SO bad for not being able to post weekly like I wanted but, my job has been keeping me SUPER busy.
I work at an amphitheatre that has concerts during the summer and well...its summer!
I have been working 15-17 hour days during a show on top the usual 40 hours a week so its been kind of hard to get any 'mini making' time in. I did however, get my item for the swap finished :) It is in the mail as I write this and on its way to Canada!
I have branching out so to speak lately...Ive been drawing more, taking more "me" time, pondering my career, making "country wine mugs" and doing big parking lot sales. Ive been trying to test out different waters and see how they feel. I also bought a sketchbook and nice drawing pencil and am going to start sketching tattoo flash again. Maybe some fantasy artwork too.....
I think its good to get out of your usual shell from time to time. See where your passions lie and what your heart wants out of life.
My heart wants happiness and peace. It wants to be free from the harsh judgements of the world, be careless of their opinions, but never heartless. I just want to be happy basically. Sounds like a pretty obvious statement but happiness means a lot of different things to a lot of people.
For me, its knowing where your at in life and being ok with it. Having wonderful friends you can count on. Having a man/woman that loves you for YOU and makes you want to be more of yourself, even when you think its not possible. Having a nice house in a decent neighborhood with both of my children happy and safe. Simple things really.
Im sure thats what we all want though, at the core of whatever it is anyways.
Ok, enough of me being all "philosophical" on you all HAHAHAHA :-)
Time for bed!
I just wanted to let you all know, Im still here, Im still doing my mini work-in my head for now- and I still love you all <3
Sweet dreams and goodnight :-)

Antique Stove Tutorial and Results

Is it just me or does it seem a little bigger than 1/12?

I bought this cool stove a while back...I was in love the moment I saw it! I have always loved old ranges/stoves, theyre just SO much more 'innovative' than the ones today in certain ways. Ive seen antique stoves with cutting boards, warming compartments, beautiful tile work and all kinds of other neatness that our stoves today just dont have. They cooked things better, gave foods more taste and aroma. Plus, they were just beautiful!! lol
I did nothing with it for a few months, like I do with most projects I start. It sat in my dollhouse gathering dust and haunting me with its size. Seeing it in person and in my dollhouse, it looked HUGE. More like 1/10th scale or so. It made me sad. I thought, "well what am I going to do with it now if it wont look right in my dollhouse?" So it sat a while longer....
Then one day I ran across this awesome tutorial by Maragverdugo on her blog, Little Things for a stove exactly like mine. I mean, EXACTLY as in we bought the same stove lol.
I was excited to try it out so after a little apprehension, I did. I spray primered it twice and then added a coat of gloss white to it. It sat for about three days during the sprayings. I wanted to make sure it was all the way dry. One coat a day basically was how I sprayed it.
Then I got to the part where we age it....Oh my gosh I cant believe how nervous it made me! LOL! I knew that if I aged it too much, I could just spot cover it up or something, but in my mind I thought "if you mess it up in one spot, you have to start all over" I didnt of course but I was worried I would have to. It took me three more days to finally age it! I followed her tutorial but I painted my stove a little differently. I aged mine a little more and used different eye shadow colors. I couldnt believe how much it looked like metal when I was done!! The little black marks where the paint was made to look like it had chipped off, were so convincing I almost wanted to pick at the paint edges LOL!!
Its the best tutorial for aging things Ive ever seen. I intend to age my furniture and metal ware like this from now on, but I also intend to change it up a little and add patina and other signs of aging. Im planning a research day to look at how paint ages and other things I need to add realism to my minis. Along with Google and website searching, Im planning to go to antique stores and the local library. Its always good to get the item youre trying to make in front of you. When you can touch it, smell it, taste it (not furniture lol) and see it in person, it helps a lot in the creation process.
Heres the finished product :-) Im really pleased with how it looks

Life lessons and new items!

Hi everybody :)
Its your long lost blogger author Leia again LOL.
I swear, I have the hardest time updating things but only during the summer time.....hehehe its because the sun beckons me to come out and explore the world! lol
I have SO many new things to show off since my last post so, without further ado, here they are.....

I am continuing the series of pastries and will have those available to buy for a long time. I am also adding more plates to my Forest Hill collection and making other series and sets of plates. I have recently become obsessed with painting metal and wooden miniatures so I will most likely have lots of custom colored bakeware, cookware, silverware, serving sets, dinnerware, and more. As always, if you cant find what youre looking for PLEASE dont hesitate to email me. I typically respond within 24-36 hours.
The past few weeks have been busy and enlightening to me. Ive been working a lot and trying to catch up on collection and series and sets but in-between all of that, Ive been doing a lot of soul searching.
Ive been asking myself a lot of questions and getting a lot of honest answers back.
I may not be very old, but I am also not very young either...and in the time Ive been here on this earth, Ive learned a couple of truths that may very well apply to just about everybody. Real good, honest, inspiring, and humbling truths. Heres a few of them:
                                                                           
                                                                   KEEP CALM AND MAKE MINIS
            Its not always about you 
                                                        Always listen to your instincts and intuition

You cant let people put their hands on your life like a remote control

Don't let someone rent space in your head for free. Chances are, they wouldn't let you stay one night in theirs. 
                                  Don't sweat the small stuff.......really 

                 You get what you give                               You are your own worst enemy and biggest fan


I know a lot of you know these already and maybe even practice them daily but theres a chance some dont, so thats why Im sharing :)
Have a happy Tuesday and don't forget to follow my Facebook for more updates and photos! 

=[ -Leia- ]=

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- ]=