Miniature Pumpkins...

One of my customers emailed me yesterday and asked if I could make her a crate of Pumpkins, with straw sticking out of the sides of the crate. I thought you might like to see the process, so got Mick to photograph as I was working on them....

First I mix the colour, since Fimo's colour range has changed the orange is too bright, so need to tone it down a bit. To a Pumpkin colour. I'm lucky that I still have some old style Fimo, in other colours in my stash. The Fimo soft is very easy to knead but it doesn't hold its shape, like the old Fimo classic.

Once the colour is mixed together, I begin to break off enough of the mixture to make little balls. I roll them and leave them for about 10 minutes to cool down, otherwise when you start to work they loss the shape...

A good tip if your Fimo is to soft is to put it in the fridge for 10 minutes, or if your hands are to hot, wash them in really cold water. They both work for me...And never wear anything Fluffy near Fimo, it attracts fibers & once their in the clay... Yuk!

Next I use a ball ended tool to make an indent in the top of the clay, for the stalk. I then take a cocktail stick, and gently impress lines into the Pumpkins all the way round. If your making pumpkins remember, no two are the same, they haven't got to be perfect. Once I'm happy with the look and shape of the Pumpkin, I gently turn it over and make a tiny impression on the bottom & use the different colour clay to show where the flower would have been. If you are making these to stick down on something, then you need not bother, as nobody will see it. Then I add the stalk, using a ball ended tool I make the impression on the top of the clay bigger, and insert a roll of stalk coloured clay.

Once the cane has been inserted, I use a very small ball ended tool to draw down the stalk into the groves of the pumpkin, then very, very gently twist the stalk and pull at the same time. Any excess stalk can be trimmed away, with a single sided blade, but watch your fingers they are sharp. Once their finished, you can go over the grooves if they've lost any shape, but gently does it.

Then pop them in the oven, I bake mine directly on the tile, for the recommended time, remove from the oven, let them cool and arrange.

I'll take some more pictures later, I'm off to sort the horses out, and hopefully do some pointing on the outside of the house, before the weather sets in..... Multi-talented Women that I Am.....