The Bay State African Violet Society annual show and sale was held this last weekend. As usual I participated, but in addition to bringing the usual potted, blooming plants for show and/or sale, I had signed up to do a design. This particular design is created within a 6" square niche, using very small objects; a mini design, you might say.
I have done mini designs before, (even before I realized I liked miniatures!) and I thought I would share with you a litle about my project this year.
The theme of the show this year was Heavenly Violets, and the design 'title' was Cosmic Dust. It was up to me and the other entrants of the class to create a small design within the 6" square that suggests Cosmic Dust. I must have done OK, because I got a blue ribbon. Now, before you get all excited about the blue ribbon, let me explain that if you have an exhibit or plant in the show, it can win a blue ribbon on its' merits alone; you are not competing agaist the plant/design next to you. However, once you have won a blue ribbon, the judges then decide the best design out of the blue ribbon winners, and award the 'Best in Class' ribbon. Finally, out of all the different design classes in the show, one design wins Best Design in Show. I'm happy with the blue ribbon; I was trembling in my boots while doing this design, because I couldn't get the flower to behave. Fortunately they judge very soon after the designs are completed, but the show goes on for two days, and by the time the second day rolls around, you're lucky if the violet blooms are not completely shiveled up!
Mine is the first one; the white design; I took this photo about an hour before the show closed. (That's why it looks so bedraggled.) The pink one belongs to another club member, and I believe this design won the Best in Class. It was just lovely, and that meshy stuff was real sparkly and really conveyed 'Cosmic Dust." I love mini designs!!!
2 comments:
Hi, Caitlin! Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog. Do I have your link listed? I'll have to check and add you if I don't. I love your violet mini arrangements. To answer your question about whether you have to give credit to the artisan pieces you use, I'm not sure. I don't have the entry form in front of me but I think you just send them either four prints or slides to enter the contest. I am spending so much time and $$ (which I don't have either of really!) that I intend to type up a list of the various pieces I am both making and purchasing with the origins, especially if I use artisan pieces. I would like to display it at some other spots locally including our county library, a new cultural center in our county and/or the Arts Center and I'd love to enter it in our state fair as well. All this work, you might as well show it off everywhere they will take it! LOL! I'll look again to see if it says. I am sort of wondering if they will refer to their records of your purchases to see how much you ordered from them?? I am ordering from them but also stores on eBay, picking up a few things in antique shops and other places as well as making some things. Are you entering?
Hi Caitlin. I'm only entering the HBS contest so it will 'force' me to get a project completed within a time frame and give me a goal to work toward. When I am only making something for myself, like my abandoned witch's cottage, I tend to. . . well, abandon it midway thinking I'll get back to it when I can and then I don't seem to. I truly don't expect to win but I am having a blast (although spending too much $$) collecting things and making things for it. I'm currently trying to figure out how to make a tree! I also think I am going to make mini roomboxes for some of my relatives for Christmas--how many sweaters and pairs of earrings do they need? This they could keep forever and it would be specially designed for them.
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