Artisan in Miniature Advent Calendar 2011

Into the WardrobeTea with Mr. Tumnus the White Witch’s Turkish Delight&

As a child, I was completely enthralled by the Chronicles of Narnia, and one of my favoritescenes in the entire book was Lucy’s delightful tea with Mr. Tumnus near the crackling fireside in his cozy, little home. I’ve used my imagination to recreate my own version of the “sugar-topped cake” Mr. Tumnus served his young guest, complete with gooey vanilla icing and sliced almonds.

I was also fascinated by the powdery Turkish Delight employed by the White Witch in her seduc-tion of poor Edmund. As a child I had no idea what this strange candy tasted like, and I can still remember my delight when, nearly a decade later, I found an entire display of Turkish Delight at a market in Chicago. This rose-flavored confection will always remind me of Narnia!

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Tea with Mr. Tumnus White Witch’s Turkish Delight

To make Tea with Mr. Tumnus...- polymer clay in ecru, white and translucent- liquid polymer clay, such as Translucent Liquid Sculpey- chalk pastels in light brown and reddish brown- paintbrush- rolling pin or drinking glass- 3/4” circle cutter- toothpick and wooden craft stick- sharp blade - sandpaper in medium or coarse grade- aluminum foil (optional)- polymer clay varnish- ceramic or glass tea cups and dishes- utensils for serving (optional)

1) Begin by mixing the clay for your cake using ecru and white clay in a ratio of roughly 1:2 to create a very light tan. Add an equal amount of translucent clay and blend thoroughly.2) Roll the clay out into a sheet approximately 1/4” thick (a) and cut out two 3/4” circles (b).

2a)

2b)

3) Press the sandpaper gently onto the top and sides of each circle (3a). You may also choose to crumple a small piece of aluminum foil and use that to press more varied texture into the cake rounds (3b).

4) Using a sharp blade, carefully shave off pigment from a stick of light brown and reddish brown chalk pastels (4a). Using a paintbrush, start with the light brown pigment and brush it onto the cake rounds. Finish with the reddish brown, applying selectively until your cake rounds look as if they have been baked (4b).

5) Slice out a small wedge from one of the rounds to create a cake slice (5a). Use this wedge as a template to cut out an identical wedge from the second cake round (5b).

6) Using a needle tool, texturize the interior of the cake rounds where you have removed the wedges, and also texturize the sides of the wedges (6). If you plan to serve the cake slice on its side, you can get away with only texturizing one side.

TIP: Use a dragging and swirling motion to tease the clay into crumbs. If you are having difficulty, place your clay in the freezer for a few minutes and try again. Overly warm, soft clay is very difficult to coax into crumbs.

7) To make polymer clay icing, chop up a small block of white clay and place it in a bowl (do not reuse this bowl for food). For this project, you can use a large, marble-sized chunk of clay. Add an equal amount of liquid clay and mix the two together with a wooden craft stick, smearing and mashing until they come together to form a thick frosting free of lumps. You can thin with more liquid clay if necessary (7).

8) Spread the frosting on top of one of the cake rounds (8a), and place the other round on top (8b). Repeat this process with the cake wedges to form a two-layer slice, and bake these pieces in a preheated oven for seven minutes at the temperature specified by the clay manu-facturer. Let them cool while you make the almonds.

9) Mix a small chunk of translucent clay with just a tiny pinch of yellow. Roll it out into a thin snake and lightly flatten one side so the snake is almond shaped (9a). Brush the snake with reddish brown pigment (9b) and bake in a preheated oven for three minutes, watching carefully to prevent from burning. When the almond snake has cooled, carefully cut off thin slices.

10) Thin a bit of the icing with more liquid clay, and spread on the top of the cake and the slice, dragging some of

3a)

4a)

4b)

3b)

6)

5a)

5b)

the icing down the sides to simulate drips (10a). Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top (10b). Bake for an additional five minutes in a preheated oven and allow to cool. Spread a thin coat of polymer clay varnish only on the icing portions and glue the cake and slice onto the serving dishes of your choice (10c).

TIP: Before baking the slice, I used a needle tool to pry away a small chunk to give the cake the appearance of being partially eaten (10d).

7) 8a) 8b)

9a)

9b)

10a)

10b)

10c) 10d)

11) To make the tea, squeeze a small amount of liquid translucent clay into a ceramic or glass mug--do not use plastic as you will be baking the piece! Using a razor or sharp blade, shave a small amount of reddish brown chalk pastel into each cup (11a) and mix well with a toothpick (11b). Bake for four minutes in a preheated oven, cool, and brush the tea with polymer clay glaze. Glue to a saucer with a little spoon (11c).

11a)11b)

11c)

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1) Begin by mixing a small chunk of trabslucent clay with a small amount of pink clay; roughly 4:1, translucent : pink (1a). Roll out into a sheet about 1/4” thick (1b) and cut into small cubes (1c). Bake in a preheated oven for five minutes and let cool.

2) I find it easier to glue one layer of Turkish Delight into my serving tin before painting, but do what is easiest for you. Using a strong glue, such as E6000, glue some of the cubes into the bottom of the serving tin (2a), and once the glue has dried, dab white paint onto the tops and let it dry completely. You can leave the candies as is, or if you want a powdery finish, spread a thick layer of craft glue on the tops and dab cornstarch in a thick layer with a paintbrush (2b). Let the glue dry completely before tipping the tin upside-down and tapping to remove the excess cornstarch.

3) Brush white paint onto a few sides of the remaining Turkish Delight pieces (3a), and repeat the process of brushing a thick layer of glue on the dried, painted surfaces and rolling in cornstarch to coat (3b). When the glue has dried, tap each cube to remove the exess starch and glue the cubes into the serving tin (3c). Be sure to spread the glue on a side that is not dusted in cornstarch or it will not adhere properly.

To make the White Witch’s Turkish Delight...- polymer clay in pink and translucent- sharp blade- white craft paint- paintbrush- craft glue and a stronger glue, such as E6000- cornstarch or white powder- serving container of your choice

1a)

1b) 1c)

2a)

2b)

3a)3b) 3c)

If you enjoyed this tutorial, please visit my website:

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In my shop you will find dozens of hand sculpted miniatures and yummyfood jewelry, and I also have Deluxe Kits available if you want to polish

your dollhouse cooking skills. Choose from the Deluxe Cupcake Kit or theDeluxe Cake Kit, and learn experts tips and techniques for creating

realistic, adorable sweets for your dolls. I also detail how to turn your tiny creations into nibble-worthy jewelry pieces!

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Mo Tipton xo

Happy holidays!