Anyway, now that I have FIVE whole days to myself, I'm focusing on catching up with all my doll stuff. Or trying to, as there's an awful lot.
The dolls whose birthday's I missed to being ill most of the summer still need their parties, and that means finishing their cakes, so I've been working on them for the last two days. Two cakes are just about done, and there's still two to go. Someone is getting an over-the-top three-tier birthday cake, and it's taken quite a bit of time making all the decorations for it.....
Not one to give up easily, I tried another technique. Raspberries have a hole in one end, so I stuck the small ball of red clay onto the end of a small stick, and then proceeded to systematically poke the ball with the end of a small tube. It worked! The bumps on the berries are still a bit larger scale-wise than they'd be for real, but the look was close enough, and in no time I had enough raspberries for the cake. The glue hadn't dried completely yet when i took the photo.....
I also needed sliced strawberries. So I made a roll of pink clay and formed it into a long rounded triangle shape, sliced it up and baked the slices. Then painted the strawberry markings with red paint. First a light layer around the top edge, then the actual outer edge, and then the middle. The only thing that would have looked even better would be if I'd poked the roll with 'seeds' before slicing it, to give it that 'strawberry' texture.
I also needed slivered almonds, so made a roll of beige clay, covered it with a thin layer of brown clay, rolled it some more, then sliced thin slices off with a razor blade.
I'm also continuing to work on the fairy costumes. All eighteen skirts are finished - that's three per outfit. The edges of the bodices are embroidered, and I've chosen the beads for the embellishment. After stitching on the beads, they will need eyelets and cords. Then it will be time for the striped under-bodices and sleeves. And the wings. So it's still going to take a while.....
So, lots to keep me busy!