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Miniature flowers and plants question


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Hosta leaves can be made from two bits of green painter's tape stuck sticky sides together with a piece of thin wire between. Cut to shape free hand with scissors or a very sharp eXactor knife. Add realism with paint. Masking or blue tape can be used and painted. For wire I've used stripped the paper or plastic from the twist-ties that always seem to be left over when I've finished a box of plastic bags.

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There are printables, if the sites are still "live"; a number of them have been posted in this topic:  http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=forums&module=forums&controller=topic&id=1290  I have used printer paper, tissue paper and crepe paper to make paper flowers.  Some of our members use fine wire and glue to make lovely flowers.  I have also seen pretty flowers made from cold porcelain and from a "clay" mixture of white bread and white glue.

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I have used colored paper (not construction paper; printer-weight paper), white printer paper colored (both sides) with water colors (this is good for plants like hydrangeas), and tissue paper painted (both sides) with craft paint.  The painted tissue makes for a really nice texture that is quite plant like.  Occasionally, I have used colored tissue paper (cyclamen), but it can be difficult to cut.  If you use a punch on it, put a piece of plain white paper underneath the tissue to get a cleaner cut.

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I recently saw a beautiful mini bouquet made with post it notes. Couldn't believe it. Crepe paper ribbon, tissue paper ( the kind you put in a gift bag) are common for flowers. 

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Miniatures.about.com also has many many flower and plant tutorials. This is just one by Leslie Shephard who has published lots of neat flower tutorials to that site. I think there are printables there too, just have to search around, that site can be a bit of a pain to navigate because of all the ads. 

http://miniatures.about.com/od/makeminiatureplants/ss/Make-Passion-Flowers-for-the-Dollhouse.htm

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This is a great video to show the steps of completing a simple flower using laser cut petals and leaves. Mary is an accomplished artist who sells her laser cut kits and finished flowers and plants on eBay. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nz6QlV_KZc8&autoplay=1

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Here is a great site.  weloveminiatures.com.  She has Hosta tutorial and printout.  I cut out two leaves and glued the stem between them, instead of coloring the back of the leaves.

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Thank you Karin and Jody for referencing the "we love miniatures" website. I have been having some fun with some of her tutorials. Trying to familiarize myself with some different flowers, landscaping, etc. 

Karin, I love the tree you have been working on. You all really inspire me so much !

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(Actually meant grapevine, Karin) - but everyone's work is so beautiful ! There are so many talented people and so many that are generous to share, be it tutorials, information, lessons learned, etc. It is so appreciated for those of us just getting started and wanting to try our hand at some new things.

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Ugh, so frustrating. I bought a  birch leaf punch that was way too large from Hobby Lobby. Everyone said I should get a punch bunch paper punch. I purchased a mini birch leaf punch on eBay. It's too small.

I'm an immediate gratification kind of gal. It frustrates me that I can't go to a store and purchase these punches. So back to ordering on eBay.

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Mish, I hear ya! That's one of the hardest things about this hobby- having to send for everything! And like you said, sometimes you're still back to square one. 

I bought the mini birch leaf punch and using it for the Rose leaves. Maybe a size small instead of mini? Not sure what you're using it for. 

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I buy the "mini" and "small" sizes of the PunchBunch punches. Sometimes a larger size punch piece can be cut into pieces. So for example, if you want more leaf sizes, buy the large rose leaf punch which has three or five leaves and cut the leaf pieces off to use. A lot of flower shapes can be cut into leaf shapes and vis versa.

But there is a lot of experimentation, and the ones I get online aren't always exactly the size I had in mind.

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Sable thanks for the alpha stamps link! The ebay seller I use didn't have the hydrangea mini petal in stock so now I know where to get one. 

The first punch I bought was in person and I still got the wrong size! I thought the size on the packaging would match the actual size of the punch. Nope. I think they've changed the packaging now so you can see the metal part and have a better idea of what you're buying. Probably got tired of having so many of them returned for being the wrong size. 

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Hanky Panky Crafts has lots of punches, paper and other supplies for making flowers.  If you need help you can call and they are very helpful.  Some of the punches are expensive but you can also find lower end ones.  Very nice to work with.  What I have also had luck with is looking at punches to find the shapes I need. A couple of the Martha Stewart and Fiskars border punches and mixed flower punches are small enough to get the right size.  (I usually wait till I have a coupon) Look at a hydrangea petal and then look at punches at Michaels or even Amazon and see it you can make them work.   www.hankypankycrafts.com.  I usually buy my flower making paper from Amazon called Tant 100 Color papers.  

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I am experimenting with making some flowers. Not sure how realistic they look. Been fussing with my "climbing rose." Need some pointers on making the leaves look more realistic. I see what everyone is saying about the punches. I ordered the geranium leafs on line (mini) and they seem really small. Tell me what you think. 

image.jpeg

image.jpeg

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I used the mini geranium punch on my plant I made yesterday, it doesn't seem small to me but maybe it depends on how big your flowers are? My petals were pretty small. 

The Rose vine, I haven't used that particular leaf cluster punch, if you want it to look more realistic you might have to cut the leaves and apply them seperatly. Did you make the roses? They're pretty, I like that color. 

image.jpg

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