¡Hola again! I'm Maive
I'm a polymer clay artist and author living in the Southeast of England with my husband.
I'm originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I lived until I was 15 when my family decided to move to Italy. I finished school there and studied Foreign Languages & Literature at uni before I decided to move to England.
My polymer clay story begins...
...in 2010/11, when my mother in law handed me my first blocks of FIMO. At the time, I had a growing interest in baking, which translated into an obsession for making miniature cakes and cake-themed jewellery.
In 2012/13 I started sharing my work on Youtube, as a way to document my progress and therefore learn at the same time, which quickly turned into a way to teach techniques that are now widely used by other artists as well.
In October 2019 my first book “Miniature Cake Creations” was published by GMC Publications and I saw my first collaboration with “Doll House & Miniature Scene” magazine, for which I've written many tutorials. My work has also appeared in magazines such as "Baking Heaven" and "Scouting" to illustrate campfire recipes.
When I'm not obsessing over cakes...
I sculpt tiny illustrated houses and shops from air‑dry clay, each one inspired by my favourite foods. They often take the shape of cosy bakeries, cheerful ice‑cream parlours, and quiet little bookshops — miniature worlds you can hold in your hand.
Handmade with love
Each piece begins as a lump of clay and becomes a tiny world shaped entirely by my hands. I sculpt every element myself — polymer clay or air‑dry clay — then paint and finish each one with care. I rarely use moulds, and only when I’ve created the master by hand; even the smallest details, like strawberries, are individually sculpted so they each have their own personality. Every miniature takes time, patience, and intention, resulting in a one‑of‑a‑kind piece made just for you.
I never considered myself a miniaturist - or even an artist for a long time - I saw myself as a "sculptural illustrator" because I saw my clay work as an extension of my life-long passion for story telling, not separate from it.
I never cared for precision or realism. I cared for expression, usually through textures and colours.
I'm a one woman band.
I am the designer, sculptor, photographer, writer and short little human that packs and takes her babies to the post office once they've found a new home.
It's always a bittersweet experience, to part.
But I hope you will love them just as much as I loved making them.
maive ferrando
My long-eared assistant who likes to make sure there's enough mention of carrots in my posts.
The reason I'm insane.
maive ferrando
When I'm not sculpting...
When I’m not sculpting, you’ll usually find me listening to music, singing, sketching, painting in oil pastels, sometimes tiny food-inspired worlds, playing guitar or piano just for fun. I love reading and writing, too — some of my favourite authors include Charlotte Brontë, Gerald Durrell, Rachel King, Eileen Ramsay, Alice Hoffman, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Elio Vittorini, Gaston Leroux, and Jules Verne.
I enjoy doing a bit of baking that look more like experiments, travelling and until recently my favourite thing was to lie on the floor nose to nose with my bunny bun bun.
But my darling Benjamin crossed over in June. He was my light, my compass, my dream come true, and it's very strange and very difficult at times to do anything without him by my side. There isn't a moment I don't think of him. We miss him terribly and see him in all his favourite spots. He will always be in our hearts
