Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
A Rock by any other Name...
- 25 February 2011
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Oasis Design 6
In geography, an oasis is a remote area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source.
In Floral design Oasis is basically the same thing.
It is a small block of floral foam that we use as a water source for plant material.
But as a contemporary designer there is so much more you can do with Oasis. Over the coming month I will explore and use Oasis (focusing mostly on Rainbow Oasis) in my designs and add a few tutorials as I go along.
My Oasis design series include: Prickly Oasis, my take on using Oasis as a water source, A Work of Heart, using Oasis to weigh down an underwater garland Hanging Garden Oasis in powder form, One Singular Sensation, carving pebbles, Crossing Boundaries, using Oasis to conceal mechanics and A Rock by any other Name.. for Oasis rocks
See below for the design links
It's not really what we call things that matter but what they are made of- in this design, it's made of all three types of Oasis and wool.
I carved the rocks to be slightly more pod shaped than rounded to emphasize the shape of the lily buds.
A Mikado Reed armature or grid placed over the rocks keeps the lilies nestled securely in a double half moon.
I made a very thin felt strip from wool to cover the test tubes with so that they blend and disappear into the design without distracting from the pod shapes.
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet”
William Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet)
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Tutorials
Trying all kinds of floral foam to get the best results when carving
How to tangle wool into felt and make pebbles, felt strips and test tube covers
How to keep Lilies in bud for longer. Removing the pollen. Stringing a Lily Garland.
Sometimes you want to keep flowers in tight bud for as long as possible to suit your design
Favourite Flowers
Lily
Related Designs
A Touchstone is something or even someone that you can rely on to evaluate the strength or worth of an idea or concept.
Twig waterfall creates the boundary between the "under" and the "over" of the design. Tutorial: How to cover test tubes with Rainbow Oasis
Carving hearts out of Rainbow Oasis to create an under water design
A Fun Halloween design with "poisonous mushrooms" tucked between the moss and petals
Glue a bunch of twigs inside a container to create a round stack
Create a subtle contrast by floating or anchoring some of your design elements.
Loosely weave grass to create a decorative grid keeping flowers in place over a square container.
… and why we call this the special craftsmanship edition
Three Lilies plaited to create a sensational, singular flower "growing" out of a Equisetum dome filled with Rainbow Oasis pebbles.