August 2025 - Class Reunion

Our challenge sample comes from Barb Antol who writes: 

This month’s “Class Reunion” theme gave me chance to reminisce on all the Create classes I’ve taken. I enjoyed all of them and learned so much!

One of the first was the Pirate Book Nook class taught by Bonnie Helterhoff. I thought it would be the perfect setting for a Captain Jack Sparrow action figure I had in my collection. It was the first book nook I built plus I learned some great aging techniques and using different fabrics to dress the window and bed. It turned out to be the perfect space for my little Captain Jack and this will always be one of my favorite mini projects.

Our second challenge sample also comes from Barb Antol who writes: 

Often I’m inspired to create far beyond the initial scope of the class. Another early class I took was a folk art painting workshop taught by Ginger Landon Siegel. I had always admired this style of art but had never tried it on my own. The class included techniques for hand painting some shelves as well as decoupage techniques for some wooden boxes and plates. I had such fun that I went on to create additional furnishings and accessory pieces to fill a little roombox. Here’s my folk art shop:

Our third challenge sample also comes from Barb Antol who writes: 

A recent class I attended was taught by Andi Vinciquerra and demonstrated how to create red string boards. This was something totally different that I had never thought about doing in miniature. However, I had so much fun that I went on to create multiple roomboxes with different themed red string boards. One of my favorites is this cat mystery board:

Our fourth challenge sample also comes from Barb Antol who writes: 

Often the new techniques learned in a class can be applied to many other projects. One example was a fairy lighting technique I learned in the Enchanted Forest Book Nook class, also taught by Andi Vinciquerra. I really enjoyed that one and some months later, I took another class where Pat Jackson taught us how to dress a little porcelain fairy doll. The techniques of wigging and cutting, draping and beading the beautiful silk fabrics were all new to me. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do it. Pat was a very good and patient instructor and my little fairy turned out way better than I had hoped for. I decided to use the fairy lighting technique from Andi’s class to make a special little woodland scene in a lantern where my beautiful little fairy Iris lives happily.

Our fifth challenge sample also comes from Barb Antol who writes:

Some of my other favorite classes included the Christmas Elf and Fancy Witch Hats classes taught by Cat Wingler. I had so much fun and again, they’ve inspired me with more ideas. I’m looking forward to making more of those wonderful hats and I’d love to create a leprechaun using the Elf techniques learned from Cat. I have the fabric and the red beard, but I haven’t gotten around to doing the figure. Some day 😊

Another favorite was Ester Marker’s stained glass lamp class. I love how my first lamp turned out and incorporated it into this little library roombox. BTW, I created the library steps using a great technique learned in another Create class taught by Wanda Waterfield. She showed us how to create spiral stairs from a bamboo folding fan.

Our final challenge sample also comes from Barb Antol who writes: 

Lastly, not all the classes are “traditional” miniature projects. Last year, Tammy Witthaus taught a great workshop on making mini scenes in a locket. I loved this class and was thrilled with how my locket turned out. I enjoyed wearing it throughout the Christmas and Winter season. I’d love to do more of these to wear other times of the year 😊

Create has lots more fun classes coming up in the months ahead. We hope you’ll join us. If you’ve never taken a Create class, I’d encourage you to try one. You’ll be glad you did.

Here are the beautiful submissions:

From Jackie Browder:

I made the Rose Cottage in a class last January.

From Cindy Bottasso:

The shepherd's hut. What a fun class!

From Lesia Lennex:

This is a photo of my Create class, November 2024 with Mini Cousins, the Special Edition Christmas Tree Market Stall. 

I really enjoy making market stalls. So much in a tiny space! This one promised and delivered new techniques. I've also included a larger scene with MiniCousins Candy Cane stall. I plan to use this scene as part of a Santa's Home scene. It's lots of fun sharing our minis with each other in ZOOM sessions and creating wonderful minis! 

From Susan Mellinger:

I’m relatively new to the online workshops. I had a great time participating in the distressed hutch workshop on January 11 of this year! 

From Margaret Gordus:

1/12' scale "Annabelle goes to Paris"
Zoom workshop by Ginger Landon Siegel
Made the trunk ,luggage. hats, dog and dog carrier
I made the blouse for the doll & Eiffel tower lights up.

From Vicki Scidmore:

I haven't done many of the large projects except for "Camp" but I enjoyed the monthly little classes to make all the items for the 50th Anniversary Box!

From Laura Johnson:

Santa Kitchen Class With Cat Wingler.

From Elizabeth Lubera:

For the August 2025 Create challenge, I am doing a variation on the stated theme, one that I hope you will enjoy! At 92 years old, I can no longer take the new classes offered on the Create website. Instead, I am going back in time to a completed project from a past class that I took in 1995 with Pam Junk at the NAME Convention in Chicago. While it happened 30 years ago, I still remember vividly the start of the class because it was the day that my first grandson was born. 

The theme of the class, titled “the house that Junk built,” featured a 3-story Tudor style quarter-scale home, designed with a magnificent stucco exterior and decorative timber detailing.  I am proud to say that I completed Pam Junk’s very complex house kit, it was up to me to add other details and items – some from Pam Junk kits and others of my own creation.

I started my personalization by giving the house a new name: “the Old Homestead” after a family home. In the months after the class ended, I continued to work on the exterior of the house, including: creeping ivy vines (made from model train tree greens) on the façade and several beds of realistic-looking flowers (from a Pam Junk kit) in the front yard. The side yard includes a garden area with a large tree (made of twisted wire and branches from model train greens), a bird’s nest, bird bath, bird house, and mini garden. The other side of house – accessed via a gravel path (made with miniature railroad stones) -- features a trellised arbor, cozy seat and garden with another smaller tree. Pam Junk designed the home’s interior with electric lights and picturesque wood beams, making it the ultimate blank canvas for further customization. But I will save that discussion for a future challenge.

From Jane Holbrook:

Pirates!

From Barb Antol:

I finished McGregor’s House. Such fun. Here are some photos.
Thanks again Shaun. It was a great class and I’m so glad I was able to attend.

For now, I’m displaying it on the shelf above our TV. I like how the light above the TV illuminates the windows. Plus I can admire it while I’m sitting here in the sofa ☺️