(excerpt. For full review, go to the review on their site)

Ruth Mazur is full of wisdom one-liners like "nothing is difficult, if you know how to do it." That almost sounds like one of those silly play on words sayings like "everywhere you go, there you are", but if you stop to think about it she is right.

Most of the things we admire in other people or respect in professionals like doctors or actors isn't impossible for us to do as well- they simply learned how. With a good teacher and some dedication there is no reason you can't do those things as well.

The Master Miniaturists series tries to provide you with that good teacher if you've got the dedication. Ruth Mazur hosts the Tips & Techniques video and demonstrates a wide variety of them for you- from shingling or thatching a miniature roof to braiding a miniature rug or framing a miniature work of art.

I have read about how to do many of these things in various books on creating miniatures, but it is easier for me to follow a video and to actually SEE what the teacher is doing rather than trying to understand which piece goes under the other and where to apply the glue simply by reading about it.

This is the first of the Master Miniaturists series that I have had the privilege of watching. I learned a lot. The video is a little slow at times, but it certainly makes up in education what it lacks in entertainment value. The end gets a little more frantic when Mazur supplies you with a tip a minute for the last 20 minutes. I definitely recommend that you check this video out!