Peonies, Peonies and Peonies!

I've been completely obsessed with making peonies. The more I study them, sketch them and finally make them, I come to increasingly love this flower more.

I'm just amazed at how God took the time to intricately design and make each petal and then place them together to create this beautiful masterpiece.  Before I started making flowers, I never took the time to really appreciate them.  Better yet, I never knew names of different flowers until a couple of months ago.  I didn't know the difference between a peony or a poppy.  Bernie actually loves to buy me flowers and when he would bring home an arrangement, I would just look back and admire them from a distance, but never really saw the depth of detail and beauty of each bloom.

Here's an arrangement that I made that incorporates some of my peony studies.  It's difficult to replicate the whimsical nature of a real peony, but I think I'm getting closer.  It's challenging to make each petal thin and lifelike with clay, but my motto is practice makes close to perfect!  The arrangement below consists of peonies, roses and a small gerber daisy all made from Deco clay.

I hope you have an amazing day and really soak in the beauty of God's creation all around you!