Little Day Miniatures
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Where does your interest in miniatures stem from?
I particularly love making food miniatures. Just like a familiar old song, food can also connect us with past memories, emotions or feelings. Each time we associate a particular food with an event or experience, we create a memory link that continues to exist even years later. Food often gets embedded into our memories because of the feelings we had surrounding the particular moment. For example: hot dogs! Many of us are not too fond of hot dogs, but when we smell them roasting on an open fire or hot off the grill, it captures our attention and sends us into a Toucan Sam “Follow Your Nose” trance! Is it really the smell? Or does the smell perhaps remind us of childhood memories like a best friend’s birthday party, camping trips with grandpa, or a sunny afternoon at a baseball game. Now all of a sudden this smell strikes our memory button, our itty bitty eyebrows raise in delight, and we just have to have one. Many of my memories are associated with food, and I believe that I subconsciously try to recreate and recapture those happy feelings and emotions through my food miniatures.
How many years have you been creating minis and food miniatures?
I’m self-trained and I’ve been making miniatures for 3 years. I create miniatures on a full-time basis and have my work displayed and sold in two local shops: Edmonton Arts Council’s TIX on the Square and The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse.
What materials do you use to make Little Day Miniatures?
Polymer clay, resins and more.
Advice for beginner artists and miniaturists?
In the spirit of Finding Nemo‘s Dori, “Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!” Never give up and always keep on learning. Never think you’ve reached your peak. Keep on pursuing your dreams.
When I first started out with polymer clay, my attempts to make miniature food looked more like lumps of dirt than anything else. But with a lot of time, practice, perseverance, and continuous learning, my work continues to evolve and become more detailed, more realistic, and more of a representation of me.
Tool, material or technique you can’t live without?
Creativity and dreaming.
Artists or books you look to for inspiration?
Angie Scarr. I recommend two of her books: Miniature Food Masterclass: Materials and Techniques for Model-Makers and Making Miniature Food and Market Stalls.
What is the most memorable miniature you’ve seen by another artist?
Amigurumi artist Katsutoshi Tsunoda. His micro crocheting is amazing! Still has me scratching my head.
Why do people love miniatures?
Have you ever watched a child observing a colony of ants carrying a chicken nugget crumb back to their home? The joy and amazement in the child’s little face is priceless. Being big in a tiny-sized world gives us an opportunity to appreciate the details and see a world from a whole new perspective. Perhaps a child’s perspective. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could see the “live” world from above? How awesome would it be to watch all the tiny cars drive by and the little ant sized people walking their teeny dogs while the teeny clouds water our itty bitty plants? Picture it… it’s cute right? There is a level of comfort in it. Nothing is out of reach and nothing is hidden. It’s safe.
Another thought… why is it that when we see things in wee size, we say “Awww… so cute!”? There is something about these miniatures that is so endearing to me. They’re almost like babies. Every time you’re around them, they make you smile and giggle and say “Oh! So cute!” and “Oh… so lovely and sweet!” or “Oh my, so fragile!” I’ve also noticed that when people handle some of my teeny creations, their voices change to a higher pitch. Similar to when our voices change when we talk to a baby! Funny, eh? I think that’s why I have great joy creating miniatures and am in awe of the detail and beauty in each tiny creation. It’s in the human reaction, the sound of joy in people’s voices and their eyes lighting up that makes my heart jump with joy and has me loving making teeny things today. 
I am continuously dreaming up unique ways to make the “out of the ordinary” and “weird” seem appealing and sweet at the same time. A million miles per hour, creativity jumbles in my head. It’s a world where technicolor and a whimsical Imaginarium exists, and it’s only purpose is to be shared with everyone! It’s a world of joy and peace co-inhabiting with creative chaos, and it’s where weird is sooo gooooood! Little Day Miniatures will continue to try to recreate those happy memories by making mini, bitesized memories to stir emotions that will generate joy and bring many smiles to many faces. I make itty bitty keepsakes
Other activities or hobbies you enjoy?
Dancing, macramé, gardening, sewing, painting, and spending time with my husband and children.
Canada-based Jennifer resides with her husband and children in Edmonton, Alberta. To enjoy many more of her food miniatures, check out Little Day Miniatures on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or shop her store.
