Artisan in Miniature Advent Calendar 2011

Into the Wardrobe

Tea with Mr. Tumnus
the White Witchs Turkish Delight
&
As a child, I was completely enthralled by the Chronicles of Narnia, and one of my favorite
scenes in the entire book was Lucys delightful tea with Mr. Tumnus near the crackling fireside in
his cozy, little home. Ive used my imagination to recreate my own version of the sugar-topped
cake Mr. Tumnus served his young guest, complete with gooey vanilla icing and sliced
almonds.
I was also fascinated by the powdery Turkish Delight employed by the White Witch in her seduc-
tion of poor Edmund. As a child I had no idea what this strange candy tasted like, and I can still
remember my delight when, nearly a decade later, I found an entire display of Turkish Delight at
a market in Chicago. This rose-flavored confection will always remind me of Narnia!
www.themousemarket.com
Tea with Mr. Tumnus White Witchs Turkish Delight
To make Tea with Mr. Tumnus...
- polymer clay in ecru, white and translucent
- liquid polymer clay, such as Translucent Liquid Sculpey
- chalk pastels in light brown and reddish brown
- paintbrush
- rolling pin or drinking glass
- 3/4 circle cutter
- toothpick and wooden craft stick
- sharp blade
- sandpaper in medium or coarse grade
- aluminum foil (optional)
- polymer clay varnish
- ceramic or glass tea cups and dishes
- utensils for serving (optional)
1) Begin by mixing the clay for your cake using ecru and white clay in a ratio of roughly 1:2 to
create a very light tan. Add an equal amount of translucent clay and blend thoroughly.
2) Roll the clay out into a sheet approximately 1/4 thick (a) and cut out two 3/4 circles (b).
2a)
2b)
3) Press the sandpaper gently onto the top and sides of
each circle (3a). You may also choose to crumple a small
piece of aluminum foil and use that to press more varied
texture into the cake rounds (3b).
4) Using a sharp blade, carefully shave off pigment from a
stick of light brown and reddish brown chalk pastels (4a).
Using a paintbrush, start with the light brown pigment and
brush it onto the cake rounds. Finish with the reddish
brown, applying selectively until your cake rounds look as
if they have been baked (4b).
5) Slice out a small wedge from one of the rounds to
create a cake slice (5a). Use this wedge as a template to
cut out an identical wedge from the second cake round
(5b).
6) Using a needle tool, texturize the interior of the cake
rounds where you have removed the wedges, and also
texturize the sides of the wedges (6). If you plan to serve
the cake slice on its side, you can get away with only
texturizing one side.
TIP: Use a dragging and swirling motion to tease the clay
into crumbs. If you are having difficulty, place your clay in
the freezer for a few minutes and try again. Overly warm,
soft clay is very difficult to coax into crumbs.
7) To make polymer clay icing, chop up a small block of
white clay and place it in a bowl (do not reuse this bowl
for food). For this project, you can use a large, marble-
sized chunk of clay. Add an equal amount of liquid clay
and mix the two together with a wooden craft stick,
smearing and mashing until they come together to form a
thick frosting free of lumps. You can thin with more liquid
clay if necessary (7).
8) Spread the frosting on top of one of the cake rounds
(8a), and place the other round on top (8b). Repeat this
process with the cake wedges to form a two-layer slice,
and bake these pieces in a preheated oven for seven
minutes at the temperature specified by the clay manu-
facturer. Let them cool while you make the almonds.
9) Mix a small chunk of translucent clay with just a tiny
pinch of yellow. Roll it out into a thin snake and lightly
flatten one side so the snake is almond shaped (9a). Brush
the snake with reddish brown pigment (9b) and bake in a
preheated oven for three minutes, watching carefully to
prevent from burning. When the almond snake has
cooled, carefully cut off thin slices.
10) Thin a bit of the icing with more liquid clay, and spread
on the top of the cake and the slice, dragging some of
3a)
4a)
4b)
3b)
6)
5a)
5b)
the icing down the sides to simulate drips (10a). Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top (10b).
Bake for an additional five minutes in a preheated oven and allow to cool. Spread a thin
coat of polymer clay varnish only on the icing portions and glue the cake and slice onto the
serving dishes of your choice (10c).
TIP: Before baking the slice, I used a needle tool to pry away a small chunk to give the cake
the appearance of being partially eaten (10d).
7)
8a)
8b)
9a)
9b)
10a)
10b)
10c)
10d)
11) To make the tea, squeeze a small amount of liquid translucent clay into a ceramic or
glass mug--do not use plastic as you will be baking the piece! Using a razor or sharp
blade, shave a small amount of reddish brown chalk pastel into each cup (11a) and mix
well with a toothpick (11b). Bake for four minutes in a preheated oven, cool, and brush
the tea with polymer clay glaze. Glue to a saucer with a little spoon (11c).
11a)
11b)
11c)
Vistit www.themousemarket.com for more minis and tutorials!
1) Begin by mixing a small chunk of trabslucent clay with a small amount of pink clay;
roughly 4:1, translucent : pink (1a). Roll out into a sheet about 1/4 thick (1b) and cut into
small cubes (1c). Bake in a preheated oven for five minutes and let cool.
2) I find it easier to glue one layer of Turkish Delight into my serving tin before painting, but
do what is easiest for you. Using a strong glue, such as E6000, glue some of the cubes into
the bottom of the serving tin (2a), and once the glue has dried, dab white paint onto the
tops and let it dry completely. You can leave the candies as is, or if you want a powdery
finish, spread a thick layer of craft glue on the tops and dab cornstarch in a thick layer with
a paintbrush (2b). Let the glue dry completely before tipping the tin upside-down and
tapping to remove the excess cornstarch.
3) Brush white paint onto a few sides of the remaining Turkish Delight pieces (3a), and
repeat the process of brushing a thick layer of glue on the dried, painted surfaces and
rolling in cornstarch to coat (3b). When the glue has dried, tap each cube to remove the
exess starch and glue the cubes into the serving tin (3c). Be sure to spread the glue on a
side that is not dusted in cornstarch or it will not adhere properly.
To make the White Witchs Turkish Delight...
- polymer clay in pink and translucent
- sharp blade
- white craft paint
- paintbrush
- craft glue and a stronger glue, such as E6000
- cornstarch or white powder
- serving container of your choice
1a)
1b) 1c)
2a)
2b)
3a)
3b) 3c)
If you enjoyed this tutorial, please visit my website:
www. themousemarket.com
In my shop you will find dozens of hand sculpted miniatures and yummy
food jewelry, and I also have Deluxe Kits available if you want to polish
your dollhouse cooking skills. Choose from the Deluxe Cupcake Kit or the
Deluxe Cake Kit, and learn experts tips and techniques for creating
realistic, adorable sweets for your dolls. I also detail how to turn
your tiny creations into nibble-worthy jewelry pieces!
Want insider goodies? Sign up for my newsletter at:
themousemarket.com/newsletter
and you will receive emails 1-3 times per month with special sales,
product launches, and other miniature food fun. You can also peek
behind the scenes at my studio on the blog:
themousemarket.com/category/blog
M
o

T
i
p
t
o
n

x
o
Happy holidays!