Are you excited for Christmas? I am and I don't normally am, I think. I personally look forward to walks out in the cold with my head wrapped in my favourite scarf and potential spells of snow - a Winter Wonderland is always so magical - that seem to make time stand still.
If you're excited about Christmas or Winter food, especially miniature food, and you're looking to making one of the staples of British Christmas tables, look no further, because in the November issue of "Dolls House & Miniature Scene" magazine we'll be working on miniature mince pies that look good enough to scoff 😅
As always, in the tutorial I will walk you through the steps both with pictures and written instructions and not only that, you will learn how to make mince pies with different crusts and a partially eaten one, because there's always one, tut! 😅
You will also get the full list of materials that I used to make the mince pies, but please note that certain tools can be replaced with objects you may already have, for example: if you don't have a needle tool, a safety pin or a sewing needle will work JUST AS WELL.
I used a safety pin for years before I bought a needle tool with a handle - this is because I used the safety pin too much that it hurt my knuckles having my fingers clutched around something so thin.
If you're wondering what to use if you don't have a flat chisel sculpting tool, before I had one, I used a plastic gift card. So I as I said, fancy tools aren't NECESSARY. They do make your life easier and they are worth getting when you know you're going to use them a lot. Similar things you could use are coffee stirrers or lolly sticks (if you trim the rounded end and sand them), the flat handle of a teaspoon (I have one that's really small) or if you really want to push it, the lever of a nail clipper (sanitised of course, haha).
Remember to not let this get too serious, get CREATIVE, have FUN!
What else is in this issue?
Following on from the spellbinding ‘Halloween at the Hag’s Hearth’ in the October issue, Sadie Brown speaks to Erika Pitera once again on page 8 to gear up for the festive season, as she takes a look at how Erika captures that same sense of magic in her diorama, ‘Waiting for Santa’. You are sure to be putting the finishing touches to your Christmas scenes, so there's some fabulous festive projects for you to try, including my mini mince pies on page 30 and Hazel Wyle’s super sleigh on page 56.
Moi Ali celebrates St Andrew’s day this month by creating some quick makes incorporating some traditional Scottish pieces; shortbread and a tartan rug. Plus, our friends across the pond will be celebrating another day this month – Thanksgiving. Sadie Brown has the perfect pecan pie project on page 44 for you to add to your Thanksgiving design.
All this plus plenty more fascinating reads, reader projects, competitions and more!
Where do I get the magazine?
The magazine is available in print and digital copy following the link below:
I really hope you'll enjoy both the magazine and my mini mince pie project and if you do and decide to make little mince pies, do share your creations with me, I love to see them - they fill my heart with joy! 💟 Sending you lots and lots of love and winged kisses, may your day be a fun one and I'll catch you all next time to unveil what I have in store for you this December - there's a hidden clue somewhere in this blog -don't you love playing detectives?
Thanks for reading and till next time polymer-clayers,
Love, Mai