Something new

My friend Colleen got me interested in making
miniature foods again. They make great props for your OOAK creations. Polymer clay works great, but there are many different clays you can use. I started experimenting with a variety of Japanese air drying clays, including Grace clay.... transparent and whipped cream, and Sukerukun transparent clay. They come in many colors or you can just purchase white or clear and tint it with paint. There are also many molds available, on websites like Etsy, to get you started. The flexible molds work best for polymer clay. Sprinkle a little baby powder into the rigid molds before you fill them with clay, it makes it a lot easier to remove the small pieces. You can also use small cutters in various shapes, or just design your own sweet treats. But the fun is in the decorating. I made miniature jimmies from pastel polymer clay and purchased tiny glass micro beads, the Martha Stewart brand works great, you can get a variety pack at Michaels for $6.50 with a 50% off coupon. Also Scribbles dimensional shiny paint makes realistic chocolate or caramel toppings.
I used Golden Light Molding Paste for whipped cream and frosting, just add a little paint to make different colors. Fill a small pastry bag with the Paste and then use the smallest Wilson cake decorating tips. I tried the #1S,13,14,16,24. With a little practice you can pipe out stars, leaves, flowers and fancy frostings, (tips available on the Wilton website starting at .99 cents). There's a good variety of Japanese transparent sauces that come in strawberry, mango, blueberry, kiwi etc., that also make great toppers. You can puchase fake powdered sugar, granulated sugar, coconut shavings, chocolate chips, or just make your own.
Polymer fruit canes come in every fruit you can imagine, both common and exotic, and they are very inexpensive on Etsy, just cut slices as thin or thick as you need them. I also made miniature stawberries and cherries. They're great for adding that finishing touch to your miniature sweet treats.
There are many books available for making miniature sweets, most are in Japanese, but the pictures provided give adequate directions and lots of good ideas for decorating in miniature.

I made an ice cream cone for Rhonda to hold. I used a tiny round waffle mold, rolled the waffle around a cake decorating tip, and let it air dry. Then I piped in some textural paint for ice cream and decorated it with my miniature jimmies and a slice of a polymer clay cane that looks like a real orange slice. The air drying clays are flexible, so the cone fits nicely into Rhonda's hand, you don't need to force it.

I also made miniature candy sticks from polymer for embellishment. Just make two thin tubes of your favorite colors and twist together. Roll again, cut into small lengths and bake. I like the look of lemon sticks in ice cream.

Give it a try, you don't need a lot of space or a lot of time, and best of all....it's not fattening.