The following review is written by Cindi of ClayItAgain.artfire.comLast week's a request was made for a book to do with miniatures. I chose Making Doll's House Miniatures with Polymer Clay by Sue Heaser, because I was fascinated with this book from the first instant I picked it up. The cover is an indication of the intricate detail that will be shown in this book. Sue has chosen the Victorian and Edwardian periods for the settings in the rooms. The pictures in this book look real enough to be a picture of a room from someone's house and not someone's Doll house.
As usual, the basics are described, types of clays, tools, paints and powders. There is a small miscellaneous materials section that gives some helpful hints on different resources for making your polymer clay miniatures look more authentic. Then the general techniques section has more of the basics, along with tips and pointers on ways to make uniform shapes for different types of dishes.
Next begins the meat of the book and Sue begins in the kitchen with miniature food because it is the simplest-vegetables, breads, pies. Then she moves on to accessories, the stove and the sink. The stove you see on the front cover of the book has detailed directions and patterns and she even shows how to make the front door of the oven swing open with it's own make-shift hinge..so clever! And the kitchen sink is complete with faucet.
Living room miniatures is next with bookshelves, books and OH MY HECK! the working tiffany lamp is absolutely adorable! I thought the directions for the lamp was worth the price of the book alone.
The dining room is next and all the accessories you would expect to find are there-dishes, utensils, more food. Teatime in the conservatory has oodles of plants, flowers, ferns and of course a tea set with more cakes and breads. The bedroom also has more flowers and another cute working bedside lamp.
The bathroom is another chapter that is in great detail complete with bathtub and toilet and bathroom sink along with the tiles that would be found there.
The very last chapter is the nursery play room, and it has directions for a toy chest, jointed doll, hobby horse, train and other toys and accessories.
And of course at the end is a section for further reading and a list of doll house furniture suppliers.
If you are interested in making doll house miniatures, I would highly recommend this book. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
Not sure what I will be doing next week. I still have other miniature books-flowers, dolls, villages....or maybe you have a favorite author/ PC artist? Leave me a comment and I'll do my best to do your request next. Until next week, happy claying :)
