Process of making the impatiens baskets

This is not intended as a tutorial, but responds to a question asking how on earth I make these hanging baskets. I’ve got some photos taken, and the rest will have to come as I take them so as to complete the actual visual steps. For now, here’s what I have. I’ll continue working on this post as I make more flowers and baskets

Making the baskets.

Buckram, canvas or other suitable material is cut into small squares, wet and shaped over suitable molds and secured till they’re dry. Once dry, the squares are eased off the molds and trimmed to the correct shape. Fine cord, bunka or string is used to edge the basket. Handles are attached or jump rings inserted in the case of hanging baskets. I tend to make a selection of baskets at a time and fill a drawer with them till they’re needed.

Next comes the process of making the flowers.

These are single impatiens – a variegated variety that has a white line running down the centre of the petal. The flower is shaped and glued to the stem. Once the glue has dried thoroughly I use white paint and a 20/0 paintbrush to paint lines from the centre to the edge of each petal. Lastly the black centre dot is placed using a fine liner or black paint and a very fine ball tool.

Single Impatiens ready to be potted. In amongst the impatiens are tiny narcissus and stems with african violets. Similar structure to the flowers.

Inro influence!

Okay, I’m caught – hook, line and sinker!!! I’ve been making more lighter covers and covered bottle openers. Even tried the screenprinting today. It’s awesome!

I find myself looking at little tins and containers in a completely different way. I even went shopping this morning to find things to cover!! Couldn’t find more bottle openers – drat! – but I will prevail. Someone is bound to stock those somewhere in this area!

Having made the lighter covers, I’m eyeing my container of beach stones and wondering which one to play with first. I’ve got a couple of inros in mind as Xmas gifts too, and there are a few ideas knocking around inside my skull as far as textures go. (Found some of my roller wheels this morning and the one is VERY appealing!)

…..and I think I’ll make a couple of ring boxes too! Mom could use one of those. Kerry too. Enjoy the photos !  I’m off to play some more!!

Just Claying Around

I’ve got new toys to play with, but finding time to do so seems impossible! I blinked and the end of the year rolled round.

I’ve been indulging myself on weekends and spending time in the chat room at Polymer Clay Central on Saturdays and learning soooo much! Thanks Jean. Rock purses, inros and these absolutely yummy techniques grabbed my imagination. Budgetry considerations being what they are, I’ve decided to make the bulk of my Christmas gifts. So….. inro influence……crackled effects….. screen printing……polymer clay. Hmmmm…. what should I make?

Both my girls are waitresses and there is a continual hunt for lighters that disappear, pens that disappear, bottle openers that vanish mysteriously. Add to the above equation and I’ve made them each a holder for their lighters, as well as a bottle opener. I’ve put both items on cords so they can wear them around their necks. All that remains is to make a few polymer clay covered pens. That one leaves me nervous! What if the pens I buy distort when curing? Guess I’ll need to jump in at the deep end and simply try it! I’ve bought the bic crystal clear which are supposed to be good, but I know this fellow called Murphy.

I managed to get Kerry’s set completed before she left on her trip today. Unfortunately she saw me working on it, so no surprise come Christmas. Robyn’s set is started, but I’m toying with the colour combination.

That done and just for the heck of it, I played around with some el cheapo plastic Xmas baubles and made little polymer santas for the top. Heavily influenced by some very cheap polymer clay ornaments available commercially – I will admit this freely! – but with variations of my own. They’re rather fun, tho’ tricky. Wish I could get glass baubles – much less drama. The first bauble melted, though the Santa survived. (That’s the important part!) I was wracking my brains for a solution and remembered a tip from one of the members at COC – fill the bauble with water! I gave it a try and guess what? It worked! So – 2 completed so far. I’m re-using the same two bauble I’ve used to cure the Santas on. Simply remove the cured Santa and glue onto a brand new plastic bauble – no distortion or blemishes at all!

I’m thinking of a few other designs incorporating the inro techiniques. Things like tassles maybe? Who knows what’s going to come out in the wash? Then there’s the possibility of making table cloth weights – those make a really nice gift!

Flowers for a friend

There’s a strange satisfaction in getting a task completed. This one has been hanging over my head for a long time, and I’m thrilled to bits that I’ve finally been able to get it done. All the months I was unable to work – first due to the show, then the stupid Compartment Syndrome – I kept looking at the tray on my table and thinking “I have to get these done!” The hanging baskets are for my friend Barbara’s dollshouse – which is looking positively stunning! I’m envious. Mine hasn’t progressed at all!

For the first time I took note of just what is needed to make one of these little hanging baskets. Barbara made the fuchias in a guild workshop – so I didn’t have to make those (I thought! LOL). Five sprays per basket – 4 baskets = 20 sprays. OOPS! Not enough! Hence the “I thought!” Unfortunately I don’t have the same punches so I had to improvise. Didn’t have the same paper, so I had to get as close as possible. All this for 1 spray of fuchias – so I made 5! Theory – they will be used somewhere and I don’t make one of anything! LOL Got pretty close. Barbara’s theory is “if you stand back and blurr your eyes no one’s really going to notice”. Mine is “hang it with that spray facing backwards and no one will even see it!” ROFL

Each basket took 11 sprays of leaves which was 200 leaves per basket, along with around 20 sprays of impatiens – that was around 150 little flowers per basket. As usual, I wasn’t certain exactly how the colour combinations would work out, so I made plenty of extra sprays. A grand total of 1200 flowers later, I have a few sprays left. Enough to make some little pots of impatiens – some double, some single – all in shades of pink and white.Pretty. I’ll just have to do more leaf sprays.

All the time I was making the leaf sprays, I was looking at the little branches and thinking – “This would work to make a tiny lemon tree potted in a little wooden barrel.” Which lead to “what would I use to form the barrel?” and then “How would I do the lemons? Polymer clay with thin wire inserted and then wire to the branches before adding leaves? Could work…” What am I? A glutton for punishment or just certifiable? Don’t answer that!

It took between 2 and 3 days per hanging basket – and that was without me having to make the baskets, or the fuchias – which is why I’m not in a hurry to do another one. I will – just not now.

Main thing tho’ is that Barbara is ecstatic about the baskets. I can’t wait to see them in place and I’m hoping to persuade her to send me a photo of them on their little pillars. I’m thrilled with the way they turned out and hubby (who is totally prejudiced anyway!) thinks they’re the best miniature plants I’ve made so far. I’ll be handing the baskets over to Barbara tonight. Can’t wait to see her face!

I need to do some running repairs to my strawberry pot. It seems to have lost some leaves and a few of the strawberrys look as if they’ve been attacked by snails. Maybe I should do what Pam Jones does to her diseased plants and add a snail on the side of the pot? Nah – way too small. And I might just pot those remaining impatiens – add to the growing stock of minis!

It’s raining again! Hard!!

Strawberry Madness

I decided this morning that as the definition of the word NORMAL goes, miniaturists are definitely NOT normal. Well…. I’m not anyway. LOL

Half way through slicing strawberries for another batch of jam things got technical. What does it look like if I slice it vertically as opposed to horizontally? What colours of clay would I need to use to get that effect? If I hold the slice up to the light, the white bit is actually see through – therefore I’ld need to use more translucent….

Out came a white plate, which collected various slices – cut in both directions. Out came the camera. Please note! This was all while I’m still trying to get the strawberries in the pot to make jam…..

Notebook, pencil – search for download cable, start download (weigh strawberries, weigh sugar, find large heavy based pot). By this stage I’m thinking – would make a really nice looking prep board. Note to self – make bigger pots! Order silver clay!

Photos taken, the plate hovered over the pot – do I add these slices to the jam or stick them in the freezer till I can start making the canes? Plate went into the freezer accompanied by death threats to family members who MIGHT consider eating said strawberry slices.

Considering that this was around 11am in the morning, me still in my pj’s downloading photos & trying to get the dang printer to work so I could print the photos. My daughter & her boyfriend arrive – I shrug, think “what the hell, won’t be the first person he’s seen in their jammies”. I carried on. Photos sorted, printer not.

Next thing I know some strange folk are trying to get into my yard while Robyn & boyfriend leave – Dave’s mowing the lawn (sun is actually shining) Domino is trying to get out the gate and I’ve forgotten to turn on the plate so the jam can cook!

No problem – the longer you leave the strawberries and sugar to stand the more moisture it draws – no need to add water. Add lemon juice and a few finely chopped mint leaves. Remembered to turn the plate on LOW and went to bath, photos – which I finally managed to print – in hand. Propping said photos against the wall on top of the laundry basket, I sit in the bath analysing photos and designing strawberry canes.

Hey – no problem! Just another day in the life of a miniature food maker!

Hours later it eventually occurs to me to look on the internet to see if someone else has maybe done the hard work and come up with a tutorial for a strawberry cane. ROFL. No luck – strawberry canes yes, no tutes. Ah well…..

It’s Saturday.

Miniature focus

I’ve been working on my minis for the first time in a long time. I’m pretty focused on what I want to do and where I want to go with the minis, so now it’s just a case of building stock! I’ve been working on the blog too and taking plenty of photos of the minis as I’ve been making. Check the gallery page!

That made me take a look at the photos in this section and has me wondering why they’ve downloaded to my pc in this particular size. I’ve decided to take new photos and I’ll replace the photos with larger images – soon! Just need decent light. I’ll let you know when I’m done.

The nice thing is having happy customers. I delivered the first of Barbara’s hanging baskets this week and she was thrilled. I’ve not finished the others – my hands started complaining, so I’ve been resting for the last two days. Not a mini made! I’ve been doing other stuff instead – taking photos, updating the blog, research, planning, etc. etc. I need to tackle my price list too.

My work table is scary! I could not believe the amount of work I’ve done in the last 3 weeks. It didn’t quite feel that much while I was working. Taking the photos yesterday was a real eye-opener. The nice neat workspace I shared on flickr a week or so ago, is definitely not so nice and neat at the moment! LOL.

I’m starting to feel urgings to work on my dollshouse for the first time since my Dad died. I think it’s time to walk that path. I suspect there will be many tears along the way, but there are also so many good memories! I need to finish it for both of us, dust off all the boxes of minis stored away and get all the memories unpacked. I don’t have a clue where I’ll put it at this stage. I’ll find a place. If I can dustproof my front entrance hall (new glass in the door & windows, rubber seals around the door) and cat proof the dolls house, I’ve got the right space for it. We’ll see.

For now, it’s back to my desk – there are impatiens and agapanthus waiting to be made & assembled. There’s a nekkid chicken needing a home – or was that a home needing a nekkid chicken? – and a couple of hams to be done – one smoked & one roasted. It’s good to be working!

God Bless

Life and it’s quirks.

It’s been months since I’ve been able to get to post any news or even work at anything creative. For whatever obscure reason I’ve developed something called Compartment Syndrome which had me totally immobilised, both arms in rigid splints, for nearly 9 weeks. Talk about frustration! No clay, no art, no work of any kind. With my hands in “crab claws” even turning the page in a book was a challenge. I don’t think I’ve ever been so frustrated. To my relief the condition has been stabilised and provided that I learn to pace myself, I should be fine! I do know that I will never again take the ability to use my hands and arms for granted.

I’m working again! Yay!! Been claying for the last three weeks – making miniatures and got an order done for Jenny – and it’s bliss! Never new how much I could miss doing something. Before getting back to clay (it took a while for me to be able to regain enough strength to condition the clay) I indulged myself totally and created a few new paintings. I’m having a love affair with trees at the moment. I can’t seem to stop painting them! Most of the work is very three dimensional and textured – definitely NOT the traditional pretty painted tree! LOL. I’m working on how to get the texture of really rough bark and beautiful gnarled and twisted roots. I’ll post photos once they’re framed. I took the time to discover new products, to discover how products interact with one another, discovered Paverpol and the multitude of applications it can be used for, discovered Alley Goop – bad, bad discovery that one! Boy that stuff is addictive!! I discovered two new authors and read 5 full series of books!

I still get tired, my arms and hands still get very sore, but I know now that when it gets to a certain point I HAVE to stop, not push on regardless. So, I stop, grab a book, a cup of tea and put things aside till later. I’ve learned that it’s okay to sit and do absolutely nothing if that’s what I feel like and I’ve learned to value the abilities with which I’ve been blessed. I’ve met same amazing people who do phenomenal work and I’ve discovered that there are still people out there willing to help – you just have to ask.

Life is good, even if it is quirky!

Miniatures & Room Boxes

I’ve finally had some time to work on making miniatures and uploading photos. It’s scary how few photos I have on file of the work I’ve done! So many pieces are one-offs and won’t be repeated and I’ve got no record of them at all. Guess I need to make my camera my new best friend. Even recent miniatures which I made for the auction didn’t get photographed – they sold before I got the chance! I’ll be making them again luckily, so I’ll get those photos done. Looking at what’s in the gallery so far, there’s very little shown of the current range I make.

Don’t know how much time I’m going to have to mini in the next two months. It’s the home stretch for the Bond production and I’ve got LOTS of work to do for that. Yikes!

In the mean time the page tabs will take you to the Gallery page and also to the Dollshouse Miniatures Page where I’ve put the photos of the room boxes I’ve made. Enjoy!

Miniature Auction and Fair

Well the Mini Auction and Fair has come and gone. Last week this time I was working like a raving lunatic trying to create some stock for sale. I managed to make about 60 items before I ran out of steam at around 2:30am Saturday morning. Set up was at 8am. Suffice to say I arrived late! LOL. No worries – didn’t have that much to set up anyway.

There were some incredible items up for auction this year – oh to be a millionaire! I behaved and didn’t spend any money which I didn’t have! I got the reserve price on all my submissions and managed to sell about half my stock. Came home with some orders too. So all in all it was a really good day business wise. Even better was the fact that I got to see friends I’ve not seen for ages!! Once a year really isn’t enough, but somehow none of us get to travel that much – I’m not just around the corner and don’t belong to the Guild anymore. I’ve been asked to do the miniature fair in September and I think I will. If I keep plugging away at stock I should have way more than the 60 items I had this time around! ROFL

I want to make more items around the Italian theme – ciabatta, pizza, etc. etc. It’s a fun project to work on. And cakes – LOTS of cakes and pastries. I always enjoy doing those.

Aside from that I’m working on getting pictures and prices up so I can start selling items via the Internet. I have a blog – not a website! Wonder if I’ll ever master that particular monster? I’m definitely technologically challenged.

Later

Happy Easter and Auction News

Happy Easter everyone. Hope it was a good one.

I decided to go ahead and submit a couple of pieces for the annual miniature auction – not without arm twisting by my friend Barbara.

I started out with the intention of making cakes – paged through masses of cookery books, found recipes on the web that were possitively delectable – and didn’t make a single cake. Oh I started! LOL. Made about 30 different cake stands, but not a cake in sight. Not even a crumb!

Instead I woke up Easter morning with a vision of pasta, pasta and more pasta – so, a pasta table it is. Made the table, made fettucine, tagliatelle, fusilli, lasagne, canneloni. Made some cooking, some cooked with sauce and ready to serve, some served and dough being made. I found a way to make empty broken egg shells, found that twisting clay to make fusilli is a LOT harder than it looks – especially to keep it even sized! – and discovered that one CAN get hungry making miniature food from polymer clay!

The Italian theme has grabbed my imagination. All I want to do now is make pizza, ciabatta, salami, pannacotta, panneforte and all the other wonderful, yummy things I like to eat! Plus the ingredients to make them – you know, things like peppers, tomatoes, olives, cheeses etc etc. You can get lost in cookery books – my Italian Bible is full of gorgeous dishes I’m dying to make – for real and in mini.

Barbara popped round to check on work in progress yesterday afternoon and found a sushi platter and a tiered candy stand in my drawer of bits and bobs that I was hoping to keep for my dollshouse! Sigh….. guess I’ll have to make myself another one since those two were also snagged for the auction! LOL. AFTER I recover from the Italian cooking spree I’m on.

For now though, my desk is tidied, photos taken and uploaded to flickr, so if you want to take a look you’re welcome!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaysminiatures

I added some photos of the minis I made for last years auction too, as well as the last batch of Christmas photos of the nativity scene I painted for my next door neighbour.

I’m off to deliver the auction items safely into Barbara’s greedy little paws.

Till next time.