Running Karen's Miniatures, is quite a departure from what I having been doingover the past few years. I returned to education as a mature student and graduated with a B.Sc. Hons. Degree in Geological Science in 2001.? This is one of my greatest achievements as I struggle with being dyslexic.
Any Craft skills I possess I owe to my parents, who are both very talented. Dad used to make the toy boxes for many of the wooden toys I sell. Mum is a retired senior teacher and National Flower and Vegetable Judge (one of the first women Judges and the only one in the West Country for many years). Since retiring from teaching mum has pursued her thrust for knowledge completing floristry and painting courses that have come in very useful in the completion of many of our miniature lines.
The tiny teddies were the very first things I made and like Topsy things have grown from this, very quickly progressing to the celebration cakes which people so kindley admired and giving me the courage to have a stall at my first miniatures fair in Torquay Devon in July 2002 (run by MGM Fairs - I must thank Gail Tucker, the organiser, for all her help and encouragement). Since then I have had stalls at fairs all over England and Wales and have met some wonderful people, both customers and other stall holders.
You may wonder how a geology degree qualifies me to decorate Wedding and Celebration Cakes. Well, it does not, but many years ago, when I was first married I made the full size articles. These were decorated in Royal Icing for a wide range of clients, from hotels to retirement cakes and for headmasters complete with the schools' coat of arms.
This was after completing a course at Mary Fords in Bournemouth, at which time they were completing one of the official cakes for the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana?s Wedding (so I got a sneak preview).
So far all the cakes I have completed are unique as they come from my own imagination and not from books, but if you have something specific in your mind I will try to interpret it for you as COMMISSIONS are UNDERTAKEN.
I make all food items, bookends and most flowers. Mum arranges the flowers, makes the wedding bouquets (in the same way that full size bouquets are made with flowers individually wired) and the desk items. All the rest is a mixture of us both.
Any Craft skills I possess I owe to my parents, who are both very talented. Dad used to make the toy boxes for many of the wooden toys I sell. Mum is a retired senior teacher and National Flower and Vegetable Judge (one of the first women Judges and the only one in the West Country for many years). Since retiring from teaching mum has pursued her thrust for knowledge completing floristry and painting courses that have come in very useful in the completion of many of our miniature lines.
The tiny teddies were the very first things I made and like Topsy things have grown from this, very quickly progressing to the celebration cakes which people so kindley admired and giving me the courage to have a stall at my first miniatures fair in Torquay Devon in July 2002 (run by MGM Fairs - I must thank Gail Tucker, the organiser, for all her help and encouragement). Since then I have had stalls at fairs all over England and Wales and have met some wonderful people, both customers and other stall holders.
You may wonder how a geology degree qualifies me to decorate Wedding and Celebration Cakes. Well, it does not, but many years ago, when I was first married I made the full size articles. These were decorated in Royal Icing for a wide range of clients, from hotels to retirement cakes and for headmasters complete with the schools' coat of arms.
This was after completing a course at Mary Fords in Bournemouth, at which time they were completing one of the official cakes for the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana?s Wedding (so I got a sneak preview).
So far all the cakes I have completed are unique as they come from my own imagination and not from books, but if you have something specific in your mind I will try to interpret it for you as COMMISSIONS are UNDERTAKEN.
I make all food items, bookends and most flowers. Mum arranges the flowers, makes the wedding bouquets (in the same way that full size bouquets are made with flowers individually wired) and the desk items. All the rest is a mixture of us both.
