I made a piece for the Sylvanian Families Handmade Contest

For the first time in a while, I made a piece using resin clay and thought I would like to display it in a Sylvanian shop I remade.

The theme is "rye bread."
Not only do I love hard-crust rye bread, but I also really like the book "The Bakery That Doesn't Throw Anything Away" that I read a while ago.

The secret to how a bakery burdened with debt grew to reach 25 million yen in annual sales is that they only bake and sell four types of bread.
Furthermore, the author learned from training at overseas bakeries that they only have one person baking, one person minding the shop, they don't work long hours, and they don't bake bread that will go to waste.
I was impressed.

What would happen if I brought this to life in the world of Sylvanian Families?
I thought up a story and tried crafting it.
The title of the work is "Giraffe Father's Rye Bread Specialty Shop."

The production period was 26 days, from Thursday, February 3, 2022, to Monday, February 28, 2022.

The Sylvanian house used as the shop is the "Forest School."

1. Cleaning the main body
Wash the entire building body with neutral detergent.
Thoroughly remove dirt, dust, sebum, stickers, etc., to improve paint adhesion.

2. Sticker removal
After the body is dry, remove the stickiness with nail polish remover.

Since wiping back and forth spreads the adhesive component of the sticker residue, it is important to repeat the process of wiping in one direction to scrape it off.

3. Painting
Paint the main body and accessories.
First, process the service entrance door.

Remove the entrance door and mask it.
I like the door and windows, so I want to keep them as they are.

Applied a surface primer for base preparation.

After the primer dried, I painted it with a matte white spray.

Until now, I had been brush-painting with acrylic resin paint, but this time I used spray paint to shorten the drying time. I noticed for the first time here that the Asahipen nozzle has been improved, making the paint mist flow more easily. Amazing!

4. Resin clay craft
While the main body was drying, I made rye bread out of resin clay.

I am crafting the rye bread out of resin clay, and I am using "The Complete Book of German Bread" by Tomoko Morimoto as a reference book. As far as I know, there is probably no better book that explains such a wide variety of rye breads in such detail.

There are 4 types of bread baked at the "No-Waste Bakery".
This time, I decided to make 7 types:
・Vollkornbrot (whole wheat flour + rye)
・Haferbrot (oats + rye)
・Berliner Landbrot (rye + wheat)
・Bauernbrot (rye + wheat)
・Kirchberger Kartoffelbrot (wheat + rye)
・Vierkornbrot (rye + wheat)
・Schwarzbrot (rye)

I mixed several shades of brown into the Modena clay, kneaded it, and shaped it.

Colored them with Turner Acrylic Gouache.

it is a continuous process of remaking.

It's starting to take a shape I'm happy with, so I'm crafting the small details.

Since I've finished seven types of bread, I'll resume working on the main structure.

5. Interior work
I'll attach the floor and make a cork board for the wall.

I'll measure each section and stick them on.

I'll finish the window exterior to attach curtains to the inside of the windows.

Next, I'll attach a door to the left side of the front of the main structure.

After the glue for the door installation dries, I'll attach the curtains.

6. Finishing small parts
I'll remake the stone oven from the Forest Bakery.
It's fine as is, but I want to give it a heavier look.

Crafting a bread tray out of balsa wood.

Crafting a bread display shelf.

Determined the size of the display shelf considering the internal dimensions of the main unit and the size of the bread tray.
Cut with a craft saw and glued. Also crafted a workbench at the same time.

Installing a partition board between the sales area and the workspace.
Drilling holes for installation in the floor. I had recorded the original locations, but I could find them immediately by pressing with my finger.

Crafting the sign.
The text means 'Giraffe's Bakery'.

After that, I crafted various things on a whim.

Now, the crafting is complete.
Let's set up the small items and take some photos.

In the Sylvanian forest, there is a rye bread specialty shop run by a giraffe.
They sell seven types of rye bread.
Every one of them is delicious and popular with everyone in the forest.

There is everything from rye bread mixed with wheat for less acidity to hearty 100% rye bread.

The squirrel boy's older brother loves the rye bread with oats in it.

Here you go. Thank you.
Thank you as always!
Mr. Giraffe is always smiling with a kind face.
The rye bread Mr. Giraffe makes brings a happy smile to everyone.

Mr. Giraffe worked hard silently and alone every day.

He was finally able to open the shop he had always dreamed of.
・Take care of your health by not overworking
・Don't make too much so that ingredients don't go to waste
・Stay smiling while wishing for everyone's happiness
This is because he has kept these three vows.

This morning, the sweet scent of baking rye bread is drifting through the Sylvanian forest again.

Do you like rye bread?
If you don't like the acidity, please try one with a higher wheat content.
And try serving it with cream cheese or fig jam.
Enjoy it with your favorite drink.

It will surely bring a happy smile to your face.