This
week I am teaching you how to make a container of mashed potatoes to
go with that roast beef that we made last week. Since mashed potatoes
are such a staple on our dinner table I am sure your dolls will find
many dinners these will go with.
I
know there are many ways to make miniature mashed potatoes, some
easier than others. This is my very favorite method and I rarely see
it anywhere. I found this technique about 8 or 10 years ago in one
of the British miniature magazines. It was in an article featuring
the work of Philippa Todd, one of my very favorite miniature food
artists. I remember reading the article and going home and trying the
method and I was so happy with the results that it is the only method
I have used since.
Let
me wander here a bit and tell you about my favorite mini magazine
(which is where I found this article way back then) First off, my
daughter has been an ice skater since she was 7 (she's 20 now) and
for way too many years I spent many hours every week at the ice rink.
One of the things I loved about her rink was that there is a huge
book store next door. So every time we went to the rink (multiple
times every week) I would head over to the bookstore to do some
looking and sometimes purchase something to read while I waited for
her to have lessons, practice or take classes. I soon discovered that
this particular bookstore did not carry any of the U.S. mini
magazines but they did have one from England (Dolls House and
Miniature Scene) I remember looking at it in the store a few times. I
held off buying a copy since they run about $8 or $10 a copy but it
wasn't long before I was buying them every month. I fell in love with
that magazine and spent many hours at the ice rink reading the issues
I purchased. Now that my daughter is living on her own I don't get to
the bookstore on a regular basis so I miss the magazine but I have
many years of back issues that I still read from time to time.
Anyway, in my reading of this magazine over the years I also fell in
love with the miniature foods that Philippa Todd makes. She was
written up on a fairly regular basis and those issues are my very
favorites. So I want you all to know I give her article complete
credit for where I found this way of making mashed potatoes.
Now
onto how we do this. I start by mixing up my cream color clay, it can
be a bit darker in color than what you want for your finished mashed
potatoes. Form it into a shape that will be easy to hold to grate up.
The other bit you need to mix is the TLS (Transparent Liquid Sculpey)
it also needs to be a cream color, as close to what you want you
finished mashed potatoes as possible. I use oil paint to color my TLS
for this project because it is easy to control the texture of the
TLS. One thing I forgot to mention in the video that makes this
easier to bake off a tiny sample of the colored TLS to check the
color, because the un-cured TLS is white it is a bit hard to judge
what the baking process will do to it.
On
the topic of coloring the TLS, I know there are a lot of videos and
articles out there that use acrylic paint to color it. I really
caution you to not do this. First off the makers of TLS say not to,
most of the clay artists that really know about the product and have
researched it say it is a big no-no. One of the issues is that
acrylic paint contains water that evaporates as it dries, if there is
still water in the TLS mixture when you bake it that water can bubble
and boil and that will ruin your project. Is it really worth it to
take the chance? I have a feeling there is also a slight chance the
project could explode too if there were enough moisture left in it
when it was baked. This is one of those cases where it is really best
to not take the chance, oil paint is not that expensive, it lasts a
long, long time and it stores easily. You really will only need a few
colors so that keeps the cost down too.
To
grate the cooked clay you will need a small grater of some kind. I
usually use one of those things that comes in the pedicure sets from
the dollar store that is designed to take the rough skin off your
feet. Any small grater would work a nutmeg grater would also be
ideal.
As
far as the process of making the potatoes if you have ever made
instant mashed potatoes in real life you will have no problems with
this miniature project. It really is the same idea, we take the
grated clay (it needs to be almost a dust consistency) and mix it
with the TLS. Just like in real life adjust the liquid (TLS) to get
the correct texture.
If
you want to add some color to the top of your mashed potatoes use
either some chalk (use a cotton swab before baking to apply it) or
rub on some acrylic paint after it is baked. I have a real life
mashed potato dish that I make that I cook off in the oven and one of
these days I am going to make the dolls in my dollhouse a batch of it
in mini to serve.
Now
before we go I do need to give credit for the photo of this week's
project to my youngest son. He is an excellent photographer and even
he had trouble getting a decent shot of these potatoes. They do look
much better in person than we could capture with the camera.
A huge thank you to my son, Erik, for taking the photo!! |
Hi Joanne! I too, am a big fan of the British mini magazines! Likewise I wish I had more time to sit and re-read them as they were loaded with valuable information. I Love your version of mashed potatoes and I will definitely be giving this a try!
ReplyDeleteelizabeth
I cannot get the video link to work.
ReplyDeleteIs any one else having a problem?
Cindy in San Diego