For years I've admired the talented miniaturists among us who create realistic gourmet feasts from lumps of polymer clay, soft chalk pastels and a few basic tools. The realism they achieve is awe-inspiring and downright jaw-dropping at times (checkout Minithaiss on Insta). A plated cordon bleu meal or even some fish & chips in newspaper can take a mini kitchen from clinically clean to a homely, lived-in scene of realism and miniature authenticity. 

I've dabbled in baked goods before, sticking to what I thought was the easy stuff: loaves of bread, cakes and simple pastries. Once I started that creative process it all snowballed so that I needed to create a bakery room box to put all my little polymer carbs (those evil little, insulin-spiking carbs are better in a room box than in my mouth; says she, newly converted to the keto diet).

Bakery Room Box 2016

A recent YouTube binge had me enamoured with Sugar Charm Shop's roast meat tutorials. I was so inspired by her leg of lamb and rib roast that I just had to 'have a go' because Tanja makes it all look so easy!

As if I don't already allow my miniature obsession to creep into every corner of our home as it is, I set myself up with 3 TV tray tables - in front of the telly in the lounge - so I could pause and rewind on the big screen (Yay for smart TVs!). Sitting in my comfy armchair, one might have confused my setup with the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, I was boldly going where I'd never gone before!

Rib Roast Platter 2021

Over the years I have gathered many new skills from the School of YouTube with the help of some very generous content creators. They've taught me how to solder and anneal brass on a gas stove; roast delicious potato & bacon roses; sew a pair of palazzo pants and even how to upgrade the RAM in my iMac.

Roast Meat Montage 2021

As a newbie content creator on YouTube I have a deep appreciation for the time it takes to produce tutorials. Contrary to the popular myth that YouTubers are just money-grabbing attention-seekers, there are many humble, creative and innovative folks who are sharing their time and skills for little more than the joy of teaching others. 

Many content creators don't have a monetized channel and so their generosity, time and effort shouldn't be taken for granted. With this in mind, I make a point of reciprocating by thanking them in the comments and hitting the heart button (not only does this validate their hard work with positive feedback, it also means you can find that particular tutorial again as it is added to your faves). 

So here's raising my glass to all those selfless, creative content creators - thanks for making learning FUN and FREE. I know I love ya! 

Keep Calm & Make Minis!

Mel xx

Sugar Charm Shop's Roast Lamb Tutorial: 

This Charming Stuff's Onions Tutorial: