Miniature Polymer Clay and Paper Flowers

Garlands of Flowers

I was wondering why my hands were sore then realized...I had been making flowers instead of knitting and the muscles in my hands are not used to rolling the clay anymore.

I had been using the pasta machine to help in the process 

BUT STILL

This getting old is for the birds. Holding a cup of coffee became treacherous.....first time EVER I spilled coffee on my keyboard, unheard of for me.

Painted the bed, made a mattress, The Amber Shawl and Pillow work so well for the whole scene.

I am rather pleased with the bed, still need to paint the trims here and there in a darker shade.

The teddy sitting on the bed and the little mouse were made by Ana Esteves 

The teddy on the floor was made by Ana Braun 

he wears a matinee jacket knitted for Belly Button Baby...rather suits him I think.

The little bird and pink flowers are by Beth Freeman Kane

I bought those at the Cape Town Miniature Fair this month and am so happy I did.

 

The colours I chose for the first garland was not quiet what I wanted, so I made the second one .......This I much prefer.

This is what I have produced for all the time spent.

Enjoy!!

Miniature Polymer Clay and Paper Flowers,

What Fun our South African Miniature Convention turned out to be.

Those that did not manage to join us missed out Big Time.

 The quality of the various classes was certainly "World Class."

 

 The time went by so very quickly...always does when one is enjoying oneself.

 

Before convention I was so busy getting ready for my teaching 

assignment, that before I knew it the convention was upon us.

I now have a new respect for teachers after my learning curve experience, 

so much of the work goes into the preparation for teaching a class....

Thank goodness I worked at it steadily 

as I would surely have run out of time had I left it to the last minute.

 I was luckily enough to get my first choice of classes,

 so did two classes with Erika Gross an amazing woman, 

her attention to detail was heart warming!

 

This was one of Erika's classes.

12 students made paper flowers in a planter box.

This is the photograph that accompanied our notes on "How To". 

How pretty is this planter!

We were so fortunate Carol Wagnor a Fellow of the IGMA Guild in the Art of Paper Flowers gave Erika permission to teach us some of her paper flower making techniques.

What amazed me was...
The stamens are made out of stiffened silk thread, and were touched with coloured sand for the pollen.
The fern was a laser cut that Erika had designed for us.....we stippled and painted and learned so much.
We each received "a jig" to make our petunias....whoever would have thought a jig would be used to make paper flowers, it makes so much sense now after having worked with one.

I loved every minute of this class, I did not manage to finish as I wanted to make the best flowers I could manage, and this is what I have been doing at home.


All in all the various products used in our hobby is somewhat overwhelming to a beginner flower maker....but so very informative.

An Ah Ha moment for me was the fact that one can clean our paintbrushes when having used all these products.....wait for it....SURGICAL SPIRITS.
That has made all the difference to me personally.

Another product LIQUITEX Gel medium is mixed into Americana paints (which have strong pigmentation I am told) to stop the paint from peeling off the brass wire we used in making our ferns......

Thank you to the teachers that are innovative in what products they use and are then happily prepared to share their secrets in a class, makes the road to success for a beginner so very much easier and more rewarding.

On Saturday the 21st April we are going to learn to make African Violets at out Miniature Guild meeting ....I can't wait.

In the meantime I have put in an order for some paper Punches from "Hanky Panky"

We all smiled at such an unlikely name for miniature flower punches, the post office clerk should get a laugh out of that when this old lady goes to collect her parcel.

Polymer Clay and Paper Flowers

I have been playing with Polymer Clay all day to get into the swing of what I have to teach at our convention. So the next few posts will show some of the things I have made over the years using flowers as decoration...I find even when I doodle .....

I always draw flowers.

My flowers are not true to life having more fantasy in their creation, or should I say artistic license.

Here is a crib I made in fimo, it was rather difficult as the fimo kept on bubbling on the larger sections...

The flowers were definitely the fun part.

I have the distinct feeling the teddies like their crib too!

CLICK ON the photograph to enlarge it!

The Teddies were made by a lady here in Cape Town but I have clean forgotten where I put their labels.

Yesterday at our guild, I learned how to make a mold in silicone so using a finding of a leaf, I made a mold.

Well the Gypsy ladies of my imagination have had a lot of fun making garlands to decorate their dresses.

Here a leaf there a leaf everywhere a leaf  leaf!!!

Pictures on the next post, they are still in the oven....

Way too hot at the moment!!!

Miniature Polymer Clay and Paper Flowers

I am looking forward to teaching at our 

South African Miniature convention at the end of March

I have called my Class 

Fantasy Feathers and Flowers 

Just a few examples

 This Miniature Hat I gave away but still rather like it!

Fantasy means I then don't have to make a perfect replica of a realflower, we have artistic license to do as we please

I'm busy making kits at the moment

Also having to work out how long it will take the girls to complete all the things I have planned.

I am primarily going to show how I make fantasy feathers and flowers in Fimo, which is a brand of Polymer Clay

Working intuitively as I do, 

does make it difficult to record every step of the way.

It must LOOK RIGHT how does one explain that

I know that real life florists never put 

HALF a flower into an arrangement 

but in my miniature flower arrangements I simply "have to" 

The whole arrangement would be too bulky if one did not use these little tricks.

I have learned so much more since then.... so have to set the knitting needles aside so as to practice once again with clay

I love what one can do with clay, so between now and the end of March all I am going to do is produce "stuff" which will have flowers as decoration......

JUST TO GET BACK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS

 Working out what the students need 

in their tool kit was a lesson in itself, 

when working at home we take so many things for granted.

 

Student Requirements 

so far hahahah

Paper and pencil for making notes

Scissors for cutting paper and card

Scissors for fabric and ribbon, I always mark my "good" scissors with a fob

Fine point glue syringe

Aileen's tacky glue

Paint brush for using with glue

Ceramic Tile to work on

Ball Styles Set of various sizes

Tissue Blade

Stanley Knife blade or one of those American blades they sell in little dispensers

A porcupine quill these are available at Merrypak

Chalk pastels if you have them, you will also be able to use mine in class

Piece of fine sand paper

3 brushes for use with different colour chalks,  

Prime art Bianco # R 000

Child's Plastic Float for rolling clay

Rubber roller with a handle, about 2" wide will be fine

Short length of dowel 9cm long x 1.5cm in diameter

Dolls head and Torso with "big boobs" remember it will go into the oven

If the head needs to be attached to the the torso, join them with  very fine wire

Miniature Polymer Clay and Paper Flowers

It is ages since I made Polymer Clay flowers so I had to practice.

A friend and I spent 4 hours each, making flowers...funny how one starts off rather large then slowly managing to get smaller and smaller.

Miniature flowers made in Polymer Clay

When one looks at what was actually achieved for a days work it certainly does not look like very much.