The Mouse Market

After the release of Dollhouse Miniature Mexican Foods, I found myself needing a creative recharge. I took a few days off, and when I returned to mini making, I decided to do one project purely for enjoyment, focusing on whatever floats my miniature boat.

I came across a gorgeous photograph of pizza from Parlor Pizza Bar in Chicago (my hometown), and I knew I wanted to make a tiny version.

What most appealed to me about this photo was the rustic pizza against the wooden countertop, so that became my focus. After some preliminary sketches, I decided to make a diorama, and I wanted to work on something smaller in scope than the massive miniature bakery (there’s an oxymoron for you!) I built last year, so this piece will be a simpler corner diorama with two angled walls forming the corner of a room.

From there, I’ve been letting the project evolve organically, experimenting with new techniques and seeing what works and what doesn’t. The final project will be turned into a dollhouse miniature tutorial eBook, much like Building a Miniature Ice Cream Parlor and Bakery, and I’ll be experimenting with styles of pizza that are different than the ones outlined in How to Sculpt Miniature Italian Foods and Dollhouse Miniature Valentine’s Day Foods.

The first piece I’ve created is the countertop, and I made a stained wooden surface on a white-tiled base, complete with a sneeze guard. 😉 The tiles are made by hand as well.

I don’t yet have the pizzas sculpted, so I filled it with other miniature foods to do a little photo shoot. Below, you’ll find links to purchase all of the miniature foods shown here and the tutorials that teach you how to make your own.