Miniature University Workshop: Ice Cream Shoppe
Materials/Tools Needed Lists
Instructors: Naga, Ruth Nier, Jo, and Melissa Darnell
This week we're having a "spring blow-out" of garden related goodies, including a secret garden setting, the much-requested tree trunk house (or treehouse), tissue rose arrangements by Naga, Ruth Nier's popular potting soil bags, and a neat potted palm tree by Jo, plus a long list of other plants, flowers, gardening tools, and more to fill up your garden setting or tree trunk house! Get ready, this week is gonna be BUSY!
Lesson #1: Secret Garden Setting

Materials/Tools Needed:
2 sheets of foam core board (styrofoam sandwiched between two sheets of posterboard)
1 sheet of plain styrofoam (like the kind found packed within boxes for appliances - check your local appliance store to see if they have some to be discarded)
terra cotta or brick red colored acrylic paint and paintbrush
white or gray acrylic paint and paintbrush with tiny tip (for painting the lines between the bricks)
sharp craft knife
white/school glue
gray and white polymer clay
hot glue gun and low temperature glue sticks
grass paper (available at train and hobby shops)
empty soda can and tin snips (for creating a wrought iron gate; could also use brown colored polymer clay instead to create a wooden gate)
unused coffee grounds
toothpicks
Wednesday's Lesson #2: Tree Trunk House

Materials/Tools Needed:
empty gallon sized ice cream container (for 1/12th scale house; use one quart sized ice cream container for 1/2 and 1/4th scale houses, or a bathroom sized Dixie paper cup for 144th scale house)
1 sheet of foam core board
hot glue gun and low temperature glue sticks
black and white newspaper (no color printed pages)
flour
water
extra gallon sized ice cream container to mix in
cinnamon oil (to prevent mold)
gesso or clear acrylic seal
acrylic paints in shades of gray, black, and brown
real sized silk leaves
grass paper (available at hobby/train model shops)
rubber gloves for your hands
Thursday's Lesson #3: Flowers and Plants
Potted Palm Tree
Materials/Tools Needed:
2 inch masking tape
20 gauge wire
green paint
scissors
Tissue Flower Arrangement

Materials/Tools Needed:
Mini pots/bottle caps or make your own pots with white fimo/paperclay
Mini dried green leaves or moss
Any dried violet coloured flowers
Pink coloured tissue / toilet rolls/ crepe paper (use any other desired colour if preferred)
Thread (pink preferably to match the tissue colour)
Clear drying glue
Stainless steel scrubber (used for washing utensils)
White acrylic paint (optional)
Fine point brush
Pipe Cleaner Flowers
Materials/Tools Needed:
wire
colored pipe cleaners
strong scissors or wire cutters
white/school glue
Easy Ivy and Ivy Topiaries
Materials/Tools Needed:
green or brown cotton string
white/school glue
parsley flakes (found in the spice section of any grocery store)
miniature pot
air-drying clay
small stick or twig from a real tree
small styrofoam ball
Quick Cattails
Materials/Tools Needed:
wire
wire cutters or strong scissors
white/school glue
cocoa mix
Toadstools
Materials/Tools Needed:
polymer clay in cream, beige, apricot, and red
white acrylic paint and cotton bud (also known as a Q-tip)
Friday's Lesson #4: Gardening Tools and Garden Accessories
Potting Soil Bag

Materials/Tools Needed:
Label for bag
Dime wrapper
Tooth pick
White glue - that dries clear
Dried used coffee grounds (or tea leaves or soil)
Black or brown permanent marker (I use a Sharpie)
Trash to Treasure Birdfeeder

Materials/Tools Needed:
clear plastic straw
clear sequin
white/school glue
two or three toothpicks
small sewing needle
cigarette lighter or other small open flame source
rubber handled pliers (or something else to use to hold a hot wire with)
Trash to Treasure Watering Can
Materials/Tools Needed:
small plastic eye dropper or plastic bottle
scissors
empty throat lozenge package or other similar package with small plastic bubbles on it
barbecue skewer cut to 1 1/2" long
fine sandpaper
thin wire
acrylic paint in your choice of color for the finished watering can
Gardening Tools
Materials/Tools Needed:
2 lengths of barbecue skewers each cut to 4" long
3 lengths of barbecue skewers each cut to 3/4" long
double-sided tape
silver foil (aluminum foil)
scissors
sandpaper
small drill
white/school glue
old toothbrush
sharp craft knife
Trash to Treasure Wooden Planter
Materials/Tools Needed:
empty plastic 35 mm camera film canister
sharp craft knife
rubbing alcohol and cloth or tissue
brown acrylic paint and paintbrush
aluminum foil
Antiqued Bronze Statuary

Materials/Tools Needed:
large plastic cherub cake decoration (available in most department and craft stores)
large plastic wedding bell cake decoration
sharp craft knife or small saw
sandpaper
thick button to fit diameter of cherub base
thin button of about the same diameter
spray primer
hot glue gun and low temperature glue sticks
bronze paint and paintbrush
pale green acrylic paint