Friday, April 20, 2012

CHICAGO MINIATURES SHOW
It's that time again...the biggest miniature show in the Chicago area.  I decided to take a miniature flower class this year.  I love miniature paper flowers and I think they'd be great to incorporate with your dolls.  I took a class with Sandra Wall Rubin, a fantastic teacher.  Talk about organized, she provided the most complete supply kit I've ever seen.  Kemper tools, Swiss tweezers, two types of scissors, wire cutters, 3 different full size glues, Japanese silk papers, punched petals, sculpey, ink and chalk pads, applicators, fine point paint brushes, palette pads and on and on.  She even made these great stem and flower holders from little wooden spools glued to a thin strip of wood. Take a look at the photo.  You didn't need to bring a thing to class....and you got to keep ALL the supplies.

Class supplies













We learned to make irises, daisies, Calla lilies, roses, Snowbrush, and a variety of twigs and leaves.  Sandra showed us methods for curling and shaping the paper, and painting and tinting the flowers, using acrylics, inks and chalks.  She gave us a full set of printed instructions and photos to take home as well.
Sandra also provided a beautiful handmade pot and showed us how to artfully arrange the flowers we had made.  Take a look at my completed arrangement, I saw similar designs selling for $295 at the show!
My finished arrangement

4 comments:

Colleen Colquhoun Athens said...

susan...omg...your arangement is beautiful...I LOVE IT!!!! so these are papers..embellished and coated? or are they clay?....and that kit...wowee!!! was the class expensive?...i would have taken it just for the kit!!! haha....

Susan said...

The class was $245 through Tom Bishop Miniature Shows, but I sure that includes rental of the Hotel meeting rooms.
It was 1 1/2-days, 10 hours of instruction. The flowers are paper except for the Calla Lily, that is cloth. The flower centers were made with texture paste (sand mixed in) tinted with paint. It would be a great workshop for your doll group. Sandra said she travels.

Ruthie Redden said...

Hoew beautiful, you must have oodles of patience. ps: thank you for following Faerietale x

Susan said...

HI Ruthie...and I love your new blog:
http://5preciousthings.blogspot.com/2008/08/rain.html