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So I’ve got my hands on some clear resin and I’ve been working on making some fishy habitats. I opened up the resin packaging and read all the instructions carefully, and it said the unset resin will wash off with soap and water. So I got to mixing and making little piping bags to get the sand-resin mixture to the bottom of the little jars, getting sandy resin all over my hands because I hate gloves and they give me blisters, and by the end I’ve got a few good starts and resin-sand mixture all over my hands. So I go to wash it off and guess what? It does not wash off with soap and water. Not even a little. Okay, this happens, so I get out the methylated spirits and no. That doesn’t work either. Whatever is in this clear resin is immune to both polar and non-polar solvents, and may be unknown to the world of science. I had to wait 6 hours for the damn stuff to set before I could touch anything, sitting in my blanket nest tapping the kobo with my toes to change the page. Moral of the story: always wear gloves when dealing with two-part setting solutions.

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And finally, another little couple of thrown ceramics. These were much smoother before the glaze. Currently we use glazes which are painted on, but I think for ones these small I’ll try and dip them in future.

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Another little single-serve crockery set thrown on the wheel.

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These are the first set of plates I’ve made on the wheel, and although they’re a little thicker than I’d like, the regularity is nice. I can’t go thinner because the clay we use is not of the right type - it’s clay for sculpting, not throwing, and has no elasticity and a very course grain. Once I get my own clay, I hope to do much finer works.

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Well, it is.

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Another one in my Autumn series.  Whoops, forgot the clear overglaze! This guy will look better after another round in the kiln. Seem to have got rid of that annoying bubbling though.

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I’ve been practicing with inlays of different colours of clays, and I’ve very pleased with how this little flowerpot turned out. He’s already got a home, but feel free to contact me about commissions if you want one of these little darlings for yourself.

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I have been sick and it’s been too cold to work with Fimo inside my house, so I’ve been pretty quiet recently. I have been able to work at the community kiln, which has been kept toasty warm, so I’ve got some ceramic pieces to show you over the next few days. Congrats again to h-i-raeth, the winner of the two hundred follower giveaway! They’ll be getting one of my little koi in a month or so once my new resin arrives.

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People keep saying that my bricks look like chocolate chips and I really couldn’t see it. My cousin pulled out her baking supplies and I am forced to admit that they are in fact exactly the same size as chocolate chips. Please do not eat my bricks.

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Congrats @h-i-raeth! You’ve won the draw, PM me your address or email waitakereanimal@gmail.com to arrange shipping :)

We’ve reached 200 Followers! To celebrate, I’m doing a giveaway of a tiny object of your choosing - and it doesn’t have to be one of the objects shown. What you have to do: Step 1: Be a follower on Tumblr or a Patreon patron Step 2: Reblog this post with a comment on what you’d like to see made in miniature Step 3: That’s it! The draw will happen on the 1st of June, NZ time, and results will be posted on this Tumblr (I’ll send the winner an ask, too). Feeling like you’re gonna miss out and want another chance? My Patreon has monthly draws to win a free object (shipping not included) - all you have to do is donate as little as a dollar to be in to win. Want EVEN MORE chances? Donate $5 and you’ll get a second entry, shipping included. My Patreon is brand sparkling new now, so if you donate, you could be the only person on the list and a guaranteed winner!

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This little (4cm) shack in the woods is made out of toothpicks, popsicle sticks and tree bark. I used a dremel-type tiny grinder to sand out notches in the sticks and glued it together with waterproof PVA. Why not give it a go yourself?

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My mushroom  terrarium grew a friend! I don’t know how he got in there or what he ate, given the terrarium was only briefly opened a month ago to adjust moisture levels for winter, and had been sealed for another two months before that. No signs of anything eating the plants... little guy is a mystery!

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We’ve reached 200 Followers! To celebrate, I’m doing a giveaway of a tiny object of your choosing - and it doesn’t have to be one of the objects shown. What you have to do: Step 1: Be a follower on Tumblr or a Patreon patron Step 2: Reblog this post with a comment on what you’d like to see made in miniature Step 3: That’s it! The draw will happen on the 1st of June, NZ time, and results will be posted on this Tumblr (I’ll send the winner an ask, too). Feeling like you’re gonna miss out and want another chance? My Patreon has monthly draws to win a free object (shipping not included) - all you have to do is donate as little as a dollar to be in to win. Want EVEN MORE chances? Donate $5 and you’ll get a second entry, shipping included. My Patreon is brand sparkling new now, so if you donate, you could be the only person on the list and a guaranteed winner!

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Some detail shots of my little sparrows.

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These little sparrows were an exercise in learning with miniature canes. Overall I’m quite pleased with how they turned out. The long legs are because they’ll be placed in a terrarium eventually, so I’ll need the extra length to wrap around twigs or push into the dirt.

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Another little vase. I’m not totally happy with the way this technique turned out. I added indentations when the clay was wet and rubbed brightly coloured glazes into the holes, then washed the surface off. As you can see, the colours didn’t pop at all. I might try the technique again using iron oxide, which is much finer and darker, and stands a better chance of being visible.

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Remember this little guy? His glaze bubbled a bit during firing, but I was still super happy with the colours. I had another go, and this time the glaze didn’t bubble. I’m loving the look, and plan to do many more.