Showing posts with label craft classes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label craft classes. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

New Workshop "White Anemones"

Hi everyone, I hope all of you are off to a great start for another fresh week. I am excited to say, I finally completed a piece which I am including in my suite of craft courses. I'm really happy to be able to add this new "White Anemones" to the list of flowers that I will be teaching. :)



I will still require students to take a pre-requisite before they can learn this, because the truth is, anemones are harder to make compared to the daisies. They require more steps, more sculpting and definitely more patience. I believe one should be able to complete this in one lesson, but as always, there may be instances where one can't complete and have to come back for another lesson. And if that's the case, I'll update the sessions required accordingly after I've gotten a few students taking this class to do a gauge.


Happy mid week everyone!

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Discounts for my workshop?

My latest dollhouse miniature hydrangeas are placed in the metal pitcher pot. This time round, I decided to glue them in, which I had to as I wanted to display it evenly in the pot. It's something different from the usual ones I've made. I'm still loving the purple shades!!


As you can see, I am still posing the pot of hydrangeas with my mini decorative iron wrought fence. I'm loving it so much! Also, I'm intending to teach a workshop on making these decorative iron wrought fence, but I would like to come up with at least another design before advertising it, so stay tuned.


It takes a bit of planning to come up with designs that are not too difficult but still look really beautiful. I'm also mindful of the fact that most people want to accomplish everything in one class. We'll see...


Also, I'm in the midst of updating my Q&A section of my classes webpage. Lately, I've been receiving the same question - Do I offer discount if I bring a friend along for the workshop?

Ordinarily, I don't teach in groups, and it's only for the really basic classes that I can take in 2 people at the maximum.Teaching is fun, and getting to know my students on a personal level is gratifying. This isn't something that I can do if I were to teach a group. I also believe there is also an exchange of energy when teaching.

Although one can make more money teaching in a group, I prefer to do it in a way that personalizes the experience as much as possible for the student.  I feel my students get the most out of my classes by structuring it this way, and it is most enjoyable on my end as well.

So back to the question...due to the highly personalized nature of my workshops, I cannot offer a discount if you bring along a friend. The amount of time I spend with each student, along with the supplies and materials, are the same per person, regardless if one or two people attend. For a more detailed answer, you can read it here or here.

I hope I have attempted to answer this, and you can understand why discounts aren't applicable for my workshops. If you have further questions, feel free to contact me here.

Monday, November 2, 2015

Food Jewelry Workshop Singapore - Christmas Cake Tower Necklace

I'm pleased to share that I'm adding a new workshop offering in my suite of craft classes available!

Last week, I turned the christmas cake tower into a wearable food jewelry piece! I was happy with the results and I had the idea to turn this into a workshop offering as well. So here it is!!


Over the years, I have received numerous requests about the possibility of teaching some food jewelry classes. However, I had difficulty with that as I use air dry clay for all my craft classes, and it takes time for the clay to dry. For a larger dollhouse miniature piece, I could always plan something for the student to work on while waiting for the air dry clay to dry naturally. But for a single food jewelry piece, you can't proceed if the item isn't dried. Believe it or not, I'm mindful about maximizing my student's traveling time and ensuring that there is enough content to teach in a session. So, that has really been my biggest hurdle and I wanted to wait till I have a project that would take a couple of hours at least to complete before rolling out a craft workshop! Here I am, finally! :)





This Nov/Dec period is perfect for this particular food jewelry piece, so come join me to create your own masterpiece.

For more details about this craft workshop, please click here.




Thursday, April 9, 2015

Learn to Make Your Own Dollhouse Miniature Macaron Tower

I'm so pleased to announce my new PDF tutorial that I've completed recently!
This time round, I've written a tutorial on how to make your own dollhouse miniature macaron tower!

The easiest way to purchase it is to go to my Etsy Store here where you can download the tutorial immediately right after making payment.

Air dry clay is the medium being used in this tutorial, so there will be components that you need to allow time to dry before you can proceed. However, I have given a lot of care and thought into writing this in a sequential way that if you follow the same sequence, you will have a smoother, effortless process.

This tutorial is also slightly more lengthy than the previous ones I've written. Estimated project time, not including drying time may take between 2 or 4 hours or more, depending on how fast each person works.

I hope you will have fun experimenting and creating your own dollhouse miniature macaron tower!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/229274676/how-to-tutorial-the-art-of-making-a?ref=shop_home_active_2

Sunday, November 16, 2014

English Tea Time - Student's Work

How often do I get to see three English tea time trolleys all placed together? In fact this is the first time! But I love how pretty it looks when all 3 are placed together. Therefore I had to take a photograph to capture this precious moment.

My tea cart is in the background (with the green ribbon on the profiteroles tart), and the ones in the front are my students' work. Joan and Nary completed it, and I hope they are happy with their project.

Most people often under-estimate the amount of time it takes to complete a project like this.
It took 9 hours for a beginner to complete this project. Of course, it's impossible to do it all in 1 day, therefore it is broken up into 3 days.


Here's a close up.


More details on the English Tea Time workshop, please see here.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Student's Macaron Tower

My student, Vanessa built her first dollhouse miniature macaron tower over the weekend.

Please do not underestimate the amount of time that goes into this little miniature macaron tower...it actually does take a significant amount of time to build it. It probably took close to 4 hours, no kidding!

But I'm loving the colors and so does she :) I'm glad she loved the end result.



In case you were wondering which craft workshop we were working on, it's "Let's Bake Macarons"

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

New Craft Workshop - Flowers For Delivery

I'm so excited to announce a new craft workshop! Flowers For Delivery is a miniature craft workshop focused on model hand painting techniques. Give an ordinary looking miniature scooter a complete makeover transformation. Turn it into a french-chic inspired miniature delivery scooter!

In this particular piece, there will still be some clay work. Learn how to make the bouquet of purple hydrangeas to go along with your miniature scooter using air dry clay.



The difference between this and the other workshop offerings is, there is painting homework to be completed by the student after class. I've put a lot of thought into planning this workshop, to ensure that learning is maximized in the most effective manner. And the truth also is, hand painting is not difficult once you grasp the techniques, though it is time consuming, the outcome is very beautiful. For the piece to look beautiful, you need several coats of paint to go over your model. Because of this, the painting aspect of it will be completed as a take-home assignment.

I will teach you how to handle this paint during class, as it is very different from the paints used in most of the other workshops. We will also review your painting each week when you come for class.

For those who love hand painting, you'll enjoy this. I find painting to be both very therapeutic and creative. If you feel the same way, I think you will love it. Also we are talking about detailed painting here. There are many nooks and crannies in this piece, therefore one has to be mindful and focused while painting. Though tedious, I'm sure the polished looking art piece at the end of completion is something you will treasure for a long time.


Oh, I've also prepared some notes for the class. This is so that you can refer to the finer tips of hand painting when you are doing it at home.

For all my workshop offerings, please see here.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Flower Power: Upping the Challenge for Miniature Workshops

Over the years, one thing stood out prominently as I asked for feedback from my students, and that is - they find that flowers are the most difficult thing to make in dollhouse miniature scale. Not only does it take twice or thrice much more time, one has to stay very focused during the whole entire task. One is actually training the mind, really.



For a change from my traditional course offerings, I would like to introduce a flower/garden theme piece.   It was made slowly, bit by bit over the past year or more, and I am working hard to make it available by next year. The flower/garden theme piece will be targeted for intermediate to advanced students.

Although flowers are difficult to make, and I'm sure this will only appeal to those who really have a lot of patience and love flowers, I believe it is the way to go.
 
I firmly believe in the healing power that flowers and plants have.  Looking at the beauty of well-crafted dollhouse miniature flowers, even for that slightest moment – relieves stress right away.  Enabling students to create a magical flower/garden miniature scene that they can hold onto forever and have that little world to escape from their day-to-day stress means a lot to me.   I know it helps for myself, and hope it will do so for others!
 
So please stay tuned and look out for it. 

_____________
Before I end my blog post, I just want to say that I'll be extending 2 more weekday slots to my workshop teaching schedule for the remaining year of 2013.  Available weekdays are Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, from 1:30pm to 4pm if anyone is interested to come take a workshop sometime this year. It will be based on first come first serve basis, so just email me to confirm your slots. If you have not noticed, I've included a Workshops/Craft Classes tab to this blog on the top for easy access to my offerings. 

That's all, now I'm going back to work!


Friday, October 11, 2013

Clay Miniatures Workshop - Let's Bake Macarons!

I'm pleased to present my newest clay miniatures workshop entitled “Let’s Bake Macarons”.   Its inspiration is an imaginary vision of a baking table scene filled with all things related to macarons. 
For years I’ve held onto a baking table in my collection stash.  I’ve had many small ideas over time for how I wanted to use it, and finally nailed down a completed vision for it 2 months ago.
I painted the table white, and did not want to change the color scheme.   Because of my love for colourful macarons, I decided to do a macaron baking scene. 


I estimate that this 1:12 scale dollhouse miniatures workshop will take a minimum of 10 hours to complete. The macaron tower itself, will take 2 hours or more.  Some wood work, along with sculpting work will be taught in this workshop. 
Because of all the details included in this miniature baking scene, I am confident that this will be something that you can enjoy holding onto and looking at for the longest time when it is completed.

More details of the "Let's Bake Macarons" workshop can be found here.


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Miniature Class - Macaron Pops

I've just added another miniature class to my offerings of craft classes.

Although I had prepared this for a while now, but I've only just recently add this to my list.

Recently, one of my students have completed this workshop - Macaron Pops!

She wanted to try her hand at making these, but wanted a short craft class to begin with, so this was most suitable. This can be completed within 1 session, perfect for beginners.

Made with air dry clay, and in 1:12 dollhouse miniature scale.





Sunday, November 11, 2012

Miniature Clay Food Workshop - My Christmas Treats

I'm excited to introduce you my newest miniature clay food workshop entitled My Christmas Treats!

I've been slowly working on this piece for a little while now and am truly excited to be able to offer this as a workshop now.

Learn to create yummy christmas treats such as traditional fruit cake and stollen bread!

Of course you will also learn how to create christmas candle, poinsettia and everything you see in the photo. :)


And for this year, I'm also extending a special discount for my previous students who has taken workshops from me before.

All previous students enjoy a 10% discount off the course fees for My Christmas Treats.
(This special discount is only available when course payment is made between now till 31 Dec 2012, and first workshop session takes place anytime from now till 31 Dec 2012)

For more details on My Christmas Treats, please visit here: Craft Class - My Christmas Treats

Friday, June 1, 2012

Boulangerie Air Dry Clay Workshop

I always let my students pick their own favourite colour when there is something that requires them to paint during my air dry clay workshop. I am always curious to know what colours they choose :D

Some prefer to follow the choice of colour that I use, but I do tell them it's not necessary. Afterall it's their own artwork that they will bring home and they can pick whatever colour they want.

Interestingly though, so far the popular colour choice for the Boulangerie workshop is Mint Green. It seems lots of people love this mint green as it's so soft and pleasant to look at :)

The purpose of this blog post is purely to share my findings on what colours are popular so far...and is not meant to influence future students ;)

Go with your heart....pick the colour you like!

Have a happy weekend!

Please click the link for more details on the Boulangerie Air Dry Clay Workshop.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Craft Class - Min Qi's English Tea Cart

I just finished teaching a craft class over the last 3 Saturdays, and my student Min Qi who had no prior experience to clay or miniatures finished the English tea cart trolley :)

I remembered asking her the same question over a few times "Do you find it difficult?" That was quite important to me because though I have touched air dry clay for years, transferring this knowledge and skill to someone who has no experience in it is another matter altogether. It was important for me to know if someone new find it difficult to learn, which means I might tweak things around or further dissecting things into easier steps. And my student told me that she didn't find it difficult, and in fact it was very interesting to her. I think from the 3 sessions, Min Qi may have realized that patience is the most important thing when making miniatures.

I'm pleased to show you her masterpiece. The lighting wasn't optimum since I took this quickly in the kitchen, but hopefully you can see the beauty of her work :)


Min Qi also made me this cute paper sculpting art..:) It was pretty amazing and beautiful! Thank you so much!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Newest Craft Class - Clay Workshop "Boulangerie"

I'm pleased to announce my newest craft class which features french bakery bread made with air dry clay, hence this piece is entitled "Boulangerie".

This idea came into my mind since mid last year. I went to the craft store and saw this cutest wooden bread pan and fell in love with it immediately. I don't bake, but I knew I wanted to create something handmade with it, so I bought the bread pan and it just fell into my pile of "waiting to do" list of items.

I sort of knew what I wanted to create with it, but the actual execution of the project only started late last year, with the making of the french bakery breads first. I picked Tiffany Blue as the background, as I love this colour to bits and I hope it makes you smile too! :)

I cut and stained the linens for my breads, and I am loving the rustic look it brings.

The bread pan by itself measures about 30cm long and 11cm wide approximately. The french breads are in 1:12 dollhouse miniature scale though.

I'm so pleased to present you my newest creation "Boulangerie". Hope you love it.

Perfect as a gift, or even for your own home decor.

For more details of this craft class, please visit http://peiliminiatures.com/pages/boulangerie.htm

Note: This class is most suitable for beginners who have no experience in air dry clay. No cutting of wood work is required in this class.





Wednesday, February 15, 2012

For my newest workshop ...Coming Soon ~

Wondering what these are? I stained these linen...but what are they for? They are for my newest workshop.
Coming soon....:)


Monday, October 3, 2011

New Craft Class - Scones and Jam!

I'm pleased to add another new offering to my range of craft classes for dollhouse miniatures!

Scones and Jam was something I made last week, and I felt this was going to be pretty rewarding yet simple enough for beginners who would like to try their hand on creating dollhouse miniatures.

This is something that you can complete in 1 session and take it home to treasure and remind you of the wonderful world of realistic dollhouse miniatures :)

With that, I present you Scones and Jam! Please check out my website for more details about this craft class.

The piece in my hand...

Freshly baked 1:12 dollhouse miniature scale scones

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

1:12 Scale Dollhouse Miniature Cupcake Deli Workshop ~ Selangor

Join us for a fun-filled, exclusive 1:12 scale miniature workshop in Selangor on 12 March 2010 (Saturday) hosted by Pei Li and Joanna Tham. Lunch and tea is provided for this event!

Have you ever wondered how dollhouse miniature cupcakes are being created? You can now learn to make these mouth-watering miniature cupcakes. At the end of the workshop, you will learn how to create 4 different types of 1:12 scale miniature cupcakes to fill into this cute deli case. You will also learn to paint and decorate your own deli case. Remember to bring a box to take your masterpiece home! This workshop is only open to adults and is conducted in a small class size to maximize learning effectiveness, so please hurry to register now before 14 Feb 2011.

Miniature Cupcake Deli Measurements:
Height: 5cm (including photo frame)
Width: 5cm


Workshop Details

Date: 12 March 2010 (Saturday)
Location : Selangor
Time: 10am to 5pm
Course Fees: RM$430

Program Agenda

10am – 12pm: Miniature Workshop
12pm – 1pm: Lunch
1pm – 3pm: Miniature Workshop
3pm-3:30pm: Tea Time
3:30pm -5pm: Miniature Workshop


Lunch Menu
Entree: Herb Biscuit with Homemade Salsa and Cream Cheese Dip
(Freshly baked mixed [oregano, basil, and parmesan] herb biscuit)

Main: Spicy Chicken Sandwich served with Greek Salad
(Tasty grilled chicken seasoned in Cajun spice, paprika, lemon juice &
mayo sandwiched in pita bread)

Dessert: Fresh Strawberry and Blueberry Fool
(Strawberry and blueberry served with vanilla whipped cream)

Drink: Pink Lemonade


Tea Menu
Treats: Raspberry Vanilla Panna Cotta
(Homemade fresh vanilla custard with tangy raspberry jelly)

Drink: English Tea


To Register:

1. Email paleychin2001(at)yahoo.com.sg with your
name, telephone number.

2. We will let you know the payment/banking details in
email. Payment for course fees is required to secure
workshop vacancy. No refunds will be made for
cancellations if you are unable to attend.

3. Location address will be provided to you once
payment has been received.


We really look forward to seeing you on the day. If you know of anyone who lives in KL/Selangor and may be interested in a miniatures workshop, do let them know!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Workshop + Tea Party Coming Soon ~ Selangor

Happy New Year to all again, and sorry for the lack of posting!

I have been very busy and exhausted for a few weeks. I was away on vacation, but then I rushed back for my grandmother's wake and funeral...that's why I have been missing in action. Before I know it, it's back to work again. I'm still trying to get things together ready for this year.

But first, I'm very excited to share something with you. I am planning to hold a 1:12 miniature workshop + tea party in Malaysia. It will be held in Selangor. The date has been fixed in March, it will be a Saturday. Of course, what is a tea party without food?! Lunch and tea will be provided.

The idea came about together with my friend Joanna last year. We conceptualized it, and came up with everything, food menu, tea break menu, etc.

If you are living in that area and had always wanted to take a miniature art class, we really would love you to join us for a fun-filled lovely Saturday learning and hanging out with us!

Details coming soon... so please stay tuned! :D

Friday, December 10, 2010

The making of 1:12 scale Christmas Train

Every year, I try to come up with a new christmas miniature art piece. The idea of a 1:12 scale christmas train came up 2 years ago, but back then, for several reasons, I did not have the chance to attempt it. The reasons include not having enough time, not having the skills! (it is true), and I just have not figured out how to go about realizing it.

I started working on this design mid July this year. 2 years ago, I started my research on gingerbread christmas trains. Just go to Google and you will find many images of the real gingerbread christmas trains. I did another research again this year, and spent some time looking at images and figuring out how to adapt it into a 1:12 scale miniature piece. At the same time for me, it's also about injecting my personal style through the art piece.

There were many considerations, but first I had to come up with a design. Some people prefer drawing various designs on a sketch book. I work a different way though. I dive right in. Nothing beats just getting down and experimenting it. Because there wasn't a miniature "template" to begin with, I just create it from scratch, based on the image of my ideal miniature train in mind. What you see in the photo below is the result of my first piece. The only changes I did was the decoration of the train.

After I assembled the train, I sent several photos to a few friends showing them my new design, and I spent more time finalizing the decorations. I changed several things along the way and am pleased with the final result!

This is now being offered as a Christmas workshop to all who are interested to learn to make this unique 1:12 scale miniature Christmas Train art piece. Impress your family and friends with a realistic hand created miniature art work of your own! This workshop will be made available all year round, so even if you can't complete it by this Christmas, there's always Christmas next year! :D


Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Teaching

You know, it was only after I started teaching miniature classes recently that I realized that it meant something to me on a deeper level. Knowing that at the end of the day, my student really love what they have accomplished and learnt something that they never knew they could make with their own hands is indescribable.

Another big satisfaction for me was being able to develop a new way to help my student create the miniatures. I'm learning something myself here every time I teach.

Right now, I'm grateful for all the opportunities!