I can’t even…..
I mean. Seriously?!
My little marshmallow family has been turned into tiny polymer clay marshmallow figurines!
I recruited the help of my long-time favorite “non-edible” marshmallows company, Marshfellows, to make something super special for me.I wanted little keepsakes made of my family. I wanted them to be unique and represent us individually.
After exchanging a few emails with Autumn and sending her a couple photos of us, she ran with my order.
After exchanging a few emails with Autumn and sending her a couple photos of us, she ran with my order. When her package arrived in the mail and I opened it, I was blown away!!!
This is Daddy.
My hubs, Kyle drinks lots of coffee and usually has a trimmed beard going on.
This was us at the end of the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show in 2013.
This is Mommy.
Yes, this is me! I am wearing an apron and bow with TMS colors to represent my career. The marshmallow with a heart on my hand represents my love for marshmallows.
These are my loves.
Keiran, Kamilla and Aiden.
I usually dress the boys alike.
They are everything I never knew I always wanted.
This is Aiden.
He loves dinosaurs. Most of his closet is filled with dino shirts. He knows all the dinosaur names (I hate to admit I only know T-Rex LOL).
This was his 5th birthday Roaring Dinosaur Party last year.
This is Keiran (AKA Peter Parker).
He is obsessed with Spider Man. No, really. He introduces himself as Peter Parker and has the biggest collection of Spider Man toys and “stuff”.
See. Told ya!
Now, what’s going on here?
No, I didn’t swallow a pumpkin although it sure looks like it hahaha!
Here, I was just a couple of days from welcoming to this world our baby girl.
This is Kamilla.
She is our sweet potato, little pumpkin pie. That’s just one of her many love nicknames we call her.
This was our first “girls only” outing. She was 3 weeks old.
I asked for her dress to be navy with white polka dots because she’s always had an outfit like that since she was born. Her nursery also has a blue wall with white vinyl polka dots.
I also asked her to make a mini pumpkin for her to hold as she was born in October and she’s our little pumpkin.
Yeah, and this is her now. She’s 10 months old and getting into EVERYTHING!
She definitely resembles the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
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I had the opportunity to chat with Autum some more.
I wanted to know how this super cute business of her came to flourish and what’s it like in her Marshfellows studio.
Here’s what she said:
How long have you been working with polymer clay?
Sculpting with polymer clay started for me way back when I was a kid. It was always a hobby I kept coming back to. But I started dedicating all of my crafting time to it when I was about 20, so roughly eight years ago. I was traveling a lot with my husband and sculpting was my way of coping with being homesick.
How and when did your Marshfellows business begin?
Marshfellows began as a hobby back in 2009. I loved making these chubby little characters and I would show them off on Myspace and Facebook to my family and friends. Pretty soon I had relatives messaging me asking if I could make a Marshfellow for them. They would tell their friends and so after a while I had friends of friends contacting me for custom work. Within a few months I cultivated a little online business just from word-of-mouth. It was very exciting and very flattering that so many people loved Marshfellows and wanted one of their own.
Where did the inspiration for Marshfellows come from?
When I made my very first Marshfellow I was living in South Korea with my husband. We would travel around visiting different cities, espeically Seoul, and I kept seeing kawaii art everywhere. (Although I didn’t know that’s what it was called at the time.) I would walk into shops and see notebooks, backpacks, hair accessories, clothes etc. all bearing these adorable illustrations of happy, smiling desserts. I just couldn’t handle the cuteness! The designs were very minimalistic, but they were so cute and bubbly. A sweater with giggling hearts all over it? Yes please! So eventually I went back to my work table and tried out a few cute designs.
One of them was a marshmallow with a beefy body and chubby little arms and feet. He was my favorite. So I decided to make more of my marshmallow man. His design has evolved over the years but he is still my absolute favorite thing to make.
What type of products do you make?
At this time I make Marshfellows, and I do take custom orders. Custom Marshfellow orders are probably what I work on the most. I’ve recently added a Marshfellow necklace to my shop, as well as a fun hair bow design. The bows are fun because working with fabric is new for me, and I love translating Marshfellow cuteness into whole new medium.
What unique tools or materials do you use in your products?
Something I use every time I sit down to work, no matter what I’m making, is rubbing alcohol. I use to clean up the clay and rid it of any dust particles. I’m a neat freak like that.
What is your most requested item?
The Baker Marshfellow. (I joke sometimes that the baking world keeps me in business.) Small business bakers contact me all the time wanting this particular Marshfellow.
He wears the chef hat, an apron bearing their business logo, and he will be holding one of their signature treats. Sometimes it’s a cupcake, a tray of cookies or a plate of macarons.
The color of the chef hat and apron may change from order to order, but the request is always the same: “I want a cute little “helper” to keep in my kitchen while I bake!”
So I do my best to give them just that.
What is your price range and how can one place an order?
Marshfellows do vary in price based upon the amount of detail incorporated. A basic design can be $24, but I have had orders where a single Marshfellow is close to $50.
The best way to place a custom order is right through my Etsy shop! Just send me a message with the ideas you have for your custom Marshfellow, and within 24 hours I will get back to you with suggestions and any ideas I might have. This part of the design process is all part of the Marshfellow experience, I love working with customers, and making sure that they are getting something they are going to love!
Do you eat a lot of marshmallows?
I’ll confess something I’ve never admitted publicly before. I actually don’t like marshmallows…by themselves. I can’t eat handfuls of marshmallows, they are so sweet it would make my teeth hurt. BUT if you squash a marshmallow between graham crackers and melted chocolate, then we’re getting somewhere. I love cupcakes topped with marshmallow frosting, I love cakes made with marshmallow fondant, I love s’mores, I love Mallow Bars, but even though they are adorable and pretty, I can’t eat Peeps. Maybe subconciously that’s why I ended up designing Marshfellows. They are just so sweet that you just can’t handle it!
What’s it like in your studio?
I love my studio! It’s like a sunny scrapbook. I get tons of natural light pouring in throughout the day, and every available surface is crowded with trinkets and knickknacks I’ve collected throughout the years. It’s very much one of my happy places. Plus it is the center of my household, so I am able to keep an eye on my little ones while I work. My work table is waist high, so while I’m working my kids are usually underneath the table pretending they are in a fort.
The Marshmallow Studio logo figurine made by Marshfellows in 2012.
What brings out the creativity out of you? Music? Lighting? Time of day?
I would say that I am influenced by everything from conversations with friends, to what I have for dessert. But I do love sculpting when it’s bright and sunny in my studio. I feel like I produce my best work when I’m feeling comfortable and happy.
You can visit the festival website for directions, how to enter the cooking contest and more: https://unionsquaremain.org/fluff-festival/
Anything else you would like our readers to know?
Yes! I’m thrilled to announce that Marshfellows has been invited to attend the 10th Annual What the Fluff Festival onSeptember 26, 2015! This will be our second year attending as a vendor, and my team and I are super excited! The festival is held in Somerville, Massachusetts where Marshmallow Fluff, along with its inventor Archibald Query, were born. The event includes live music, games and activities, food and craft vendors, the Fluff Cooking Contest and so much more. The Marshfellow Team will be there offering special festival-only Marshfellow Collectibles, and fun Marshfellow accessories, stickers, buttons and more! Join in the celebration on September 26th 3pm-7pm in Union Square, Somerville, MA.
Where can our readers find you online?
Marshfellows Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/marshfellows
Instagram: www.instagram.com/marshfellows
Website: www.marshfellows.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Periscope: @marshfellows
Periscope: @marshfellows
Let’s keep the fun going….
Win these goodies!
My family would be my 6-yr-old son (who is currently obsessed with Spongebob), my dog (an Australian Shepherd), and me (the mommmy.)
Love the dog Marshfellow idea 🙂
oh my goodness these are too darn cute!3 Like yours mine would be family of 5, two boys and one girl boy girl boy,
HOW SWEET 🙂
My marshmallow family would be large! I would wear an apron & hold a cupcake in one hand & a purse in the other. My husband would hold a coffe tervis & were a cable guy shirt. My daughter would have pointe shoes and beautiful eyes. My oldest son would have a #7 soccer jersey & ball. My middle son would have in headphones with his tablet & an Austism puzzle pieces. My youngest son would have a PB&J sandwich & a teddy bear.
Wooohooo!!!!!!!!!! You’re the winner Paula 🙂 I LOVE how you described your Marshfellow family. I bet they would be so cute!
Thank you so much! I’m so excited! I love your blog! Your work is so adorable.
XOXOXOXO! Thank YOU!!
My marshmallow family would be momma with a cup of coffee, daddy with a tattoo or two, my oldest with a book in hand, and the youngest holding a lego minifigure (it’s his lovey that goes everywhere.)
What would your Marshfellow family look like?
Our Mashfellow family would either have us dressed like super heroes or each would showcase 1 thing about each person. I love Autumn’s work and we have several Marshfellows already, we found her through your site a few years ago and fell in love with the little critters! 🙂
How fun!! Super heroes 🙂 🙂
I love hearing that you and Marshfellows connected years ago via our blog. You’ve made my day! XOXO
OMG! I absolutely love it. My family would have me in an apron eating marshmallows.. while the hubby holds the bag.
Hahahahaha that’s funny Keshia!
My family has 4 people, me, my husband, my son and my daughter. Our family would look like super heroes.
What would be your super powers Becca? 🙂
My husband, me, and the sweet little 7 month old.
I love the idea of a mini 7 month old Marshfellow 🙂
This is so cute! My marshmellow family would look like Me, my fiance, and our 3 bunnies!
OMG bunnies!?!?!? How cute would that be? 🙂