Featured: Mini Mo - Sweet & Tiny

Second one in our Feature serie is Mini Mo from the blog Sweet and Tiny. 

I wanted to feature her because she makes such lovely miniatures, not only the regular ones but she also uses deco on 'not your usual items' like clocks and plates. Mini Mo tries to discover new and unusual materials to use for deco. She makes lot's of reviews for all the different tools and materials she uses. Read her blog to found out more about this ;).

On to the questions:

1. Who are you and what do you do (decowise)?

My name is Monika but I use Mini Mo as my nickname (I am usualy called Mo by others and I'm realy short person! :D ). I am Polish and currently live in UK.
I love to make fake, deco sweets from clay and decorate various things with them. I'm also interested in other types of crafts, like jewelry making, sewing, resin etc, and I try to incorporate them into deco sweet items. I used to use polymer clay but since I discovered air dry clay I totally fell in love with this medium.
I try to use wide variety of air dry clays, like Fimo Air Light, porcelain clay and translucent clay, because from my experience I can tell that it is impossible to achieve real looking sweets with only one type of clay.

   

2. When did you start working with clay/ to make little desserts and things?

I discovered polymer clay about year and a half ago, but I started properly learning how to make deco sweets in September 2010. I remember this date so well because it's the same time when I started blogging too! :D
Therefore I still consider myself a newbie to deco sweets and I'm still learning new things.

3. Where do you get your inspiration?

At the beginning I was gettin my inspiration from internet and blogs, trying to learn basics and simple things like how to make cookies, ice creams and so on. Everything was new to me and I was surfing through the Internet and passionately reading tons of blogs. I also learned that deco sweets are acctualy inspired by French desserts and patisserie (how amazed I was when I discovered that there are REAL macarons in France!) and after that I became searching for inspirations in real desserts.
I am also a fan of shabby, girly country style and I try my deco sweets to be in this style too.

4. You have a wide variety of things you make as we can see on your blog, what are your favourite things to make? And what is your absolute favourite?

I don't think I have a favourite thing I like to make. For me it's more of a question what I can or can't make. Most of people say that they like or hate making certain things, but I think that in
reality they can or can't make them. When they can, they love making it, but when they struggle, then this thing is propably one of the things they hate making. And for me it's all about challenge.
It's not fun for me anymore when I know how to make something and then I search for more things I want to learn. It's exciting when you learn and then you see the first results of your hard work! :D
Propably that's why my blog is full of different things! :)
But if I would realy had to choose, then my favourite thing to make would be fruits made from translucent clay, only because they can look so real when made properly :)

5. And lastly, do you have any tips/tricks that you want to share with our readers?

As I said before I still consider myself a newbie to deco sweets, but the thing I could share with everyone is to not to let yourself think that you're worse than someone else who makes deco sweets
(or different things). Sometimes when I make my clay sweets and at the same time I browse and read other blogs/websites, I look at my creations and think that they are not as good as I thought they are.
I get frustrated and sad, and I think that maybe I should stop because I'm not good enough. And when this kind of mood gets you, thet it's the best to turn your computer off or just watch anime or something else,
and stop comparing your work to others. Everyone has their own style and that is the most important thing that differs deco artists. I noticed that some of the most known deco sweets creators on Internet is not
that good at making certain things, but it's their original style and enthusiasm that makes their work so popular. Therefore you shouldn't compare yourself to anyone else but try to put the best of yourself into your work and that's how
you will create your own original style, because everytime you make someting you put a tiny bit of your personality into it. And that's why it's unique :)


You can follow her on her blog Sweet & Tiny, she also has an etsy Sweet & Tiny where you can find her items for sale.