Oversized flowers: to dare or not to dare

It seems that I create my flowers faster than I write about them :-) Which is probably not bad!

I have noticed that there are quite a lot of oversized flowers found in bridal and fashion collections. They can be worn as hair accessories, as waist line decoration or an arm corsage. Pinterest is full of ideas and photos.

So I have decided to try and make one myself. In fact I have another thought about an oversized flower which is more fluffy and airy but this version is all noble, regular and smooth. 

The flower is a large fantasy camellia about 15 cm in diameter which looks like a small hat in itself.

I painted it in shades of blush pink and mounted it on a headband.

The flower is made of silk satin, the leaves are made of lace and doubled with silk organza.

The headband (as always) is wrapped with thin silk.

All the fabrics and the lace used have been painted by hand.

I believe that this hat is a unique and delicate accessory to complete a bridal image and does look very nice when worn.

It can be purchased from my shop on Etsy

Please share your opinion on this new design of mine in the comments below.

First ever Craft Fair to take part

Craft Fairs season was officially opened last Saturday when we took part in our first ever Craft Fair in a small village of Methwold, Norfolk. Having read a number of articles in both English and Russian on how to prepare oneself for the first fair I can say that we have done a very good job! The Fair took place in the Village Hall which turned out to be a pleasant and well-lit building. Tables were laid out in a circle letting potential craft hunters flow freely around the Hall making several rounds. Here is the picture of our display:

We also used a laptop slide show to demonstrate stages of flower making process and more flowers.
I have to admit that despite a decent footfall the public was not ready for hand made from scratch and hand painted silk flowers. We did give out some business cards, but people who stopped and got interested in the silk flowers were mainly thinking weddings and occasions. It is a pity because most of my creations were perfect for everyday wear and one does not need a special occasion or a wedding invitation to wear a silk flower brooch. I guess a lot of work needs to be done to make people see silk flowers as a very nice and stylish, extremely feminine accessory, be it a brooch, a hair clip or a headband