Coffishop *** Milan, Italy

Do you like sweets? How about some calorie-free sponge cakes or chocolates? You can’t eat these so you don’t have to worry about packing on the pounds.

Elisa, the artist/owner of Coffishop (coffi is the Italian pronunciation for coffee), creates sweets so realistic you are tempted to taste them just to be sure they aren’t. Her yummy looking cakes, candies and other temptations are charms, earrings, rings, magnets and even ponytail holders, all made with Fimo brand polymer clay.

Believe it or not, Elisa has only been creating her miniatures since February, 2007. She was surfing the internet and was drawn to some pieces (miniature animals and food) she saw on “deviantart”. Her interest piqued, she wanted to know more about the techniques and material used.

Elisa learned some of the basics of polymer clay techniques, such as millefiori, from tips and tutorials she found on the internet. However, being a creative soul since childhood, she has developed her own techniques by experimenting. Through trial and error, Elisa continues to expand her processes for accomplishing the pieces she sees in her imagination and real life (think chocolate cake topped with cherries and cream) and never stops researching new combinations of colors and ideas.

When Elisa sees something new, she tries to imagine how it was created. When she gets a creative flash, she immediately makes a sketch, knowing that it may be forgotten before she has a chance to bring it to fruition. She makes her items with “love and attention to details” and will not offer for sale anything that she herself would not use or wear.

In addition to her Etsy shop (the only place you can purchase her items) Elisa has a website, a flickr gallery, a deviantart gallery and a blog. She eagerly welcomes custom orders…all you have to do is email her with your request…..and she really appreciates comments and questions about her work.

I welcome comments, too. To leave one, click on “comments”, below right.