High-Strung

Gather what you'll need

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Dew-Drop Crystals

I created the Tutorial for how I add these crystals to my floral designs 11 years ago! Since then I have tried, tested and searched for the perfect crystals that would go from studio‑table picture perfect to show‑day‑dependable and I always come back to these. They remain the absolute best. They’re inexpensive yet have a refined, high‑quality crystal brilliance; they don’t tarnish and their adhesive backing stays reliably tacky even after they were exposed to water.

Tutorials

21 July 2021

Knot a delicate hammock from ripped foliage

Light and airy addition to a floral design to celebrate summer

14 January 2011

Ripping Flax

Flax can be ripped into fibres creating long and versatile strips

29 August 2018

Coil slip on sandals

Braid ripped flax and coil it into shaped slip on sandals.

22 July 2020

Adding flowers to those pretty hand coiled flip flops I made for my book

Step up the flip-flop design by decorating it with some long lasting succulent flowers. It might look delicate... but these flowers are robust and long lasting.

8 July 2015

Using a pin to place tiny dew drop crystals

It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.

25 April 2012

A plait, a braid or a French knot grass collar

"Plaid" and "braid" are synonyms, and where you are from will most likely dictate whether you use plait (British) or braid (American or Celtic). Some people also refer to cornrows as braids or refer to pinned up plaits as braids. A French braid is a braiding technique.

23 August 2017

Twirl a ripped Phormium pumpkin pod

Rip the New Zealand flax to create a delicate fiber armature

6 November 2012

Ripped Grass Frame

Create a sheltered or veiled design by framing the outer edge of your armature (in this case thick cardboard) with long strands of grass

27 March 2013

Bird's Nest Lattice

Cherry stems and ripped flax makes a perfect natural lattice to suspend floral material from

30 April 2014

Scattered grass armature

An grass armature that looks scattered but is actually very secure

4 June 2014

Weaving a ring basket

Create a wire frame and weave ripped foliage around it

25 May 2016

Sliced Grassy Cabbage

Slicing a cabbage to create an armature for a vegetable design.

8 August 2018

Wrap around grass loop and knot armature

Connect strips of ripped grass to create a knotted armature for short stemmed flowers

7 November 2018

Ripped Flax Mittens

Knot delicate floral mittens from flax.

31 December 2012

Knot a Cordyline Catcher

Create a rigid grid to place over a glass vase to keep flower material in place

15 April 2015

Stretching leaves and foliage into a ringlet curl

Most leaves and foliage can be slightly manipulated to curve or curl.

26 August 2026

Knot some knots to elevate a traditional knotted butterfly to slip into a messy grass sheath frame

Combine two sheaths of grass into a wreath. The perfect habitat for the very rare... "LooksJustLikeASquiggle" species of butterfly

1 July 2026

Fairy light grid with a hover like glow from below

Give a fairy light grid a slight lift to allow the lights to glow below the design.

29 April 2026

Knot so that your tiny stems don’t roll and your flowers float just so

Even tiny stems need a bit of support and floating flowers a bit of direction to get them... just... so

11 March 2026

Turn, tuck and refine a papyrus disk bird’s nest armature

Twist the edge of a papyrus together to craft a neat little nest for a bird for your Spring floral display.

8 October 2025

Curve a handful of grass to twist into place

Use two tiny budvases to display a few blades of grass for autumn.

31 July 2024

A cluster bunch of just enough floral ingredients to spike into a Kenzan for a larger display

A larger summer display in a Kenzan

13 July 2022

Suspend a tiny flower over a large water filled container in a sandwich knot support

You don't have to design with a bud vase when you have a bud vase sized flower.

15 June 2022

Swing ripped foliage over a mop-head of hydrangeas to follow the natural curve

Gently curve ripped foliage over flowers to add a cooling movement to a minimal summer design.

Related Designs

29 August 2018

It’s not that it is inexpensive… it’s priceless!

Yes, this Coil slip on sandals design is in my book: the effortless floral craftsman, a floral crafter’s guide to crafting with nature ... it is also the first design from the book featured in a magazine: Thank you DIY Wedding Magazine , I am so happy to share finally the this with you:

22 July 2020

Step It Up

Dress up a pair of hand coiled flip-flops with succulents.

13 September 2017

Around again

Tape a grid at the edge of a container

19 October 2011

In an Oriental Manner

I wanted my parasol design to be thoroughly me, and thoroughly contemporary yet respectful of the guiding rules and methods shared by the different schools of Ikebana.

23 August 2017

Almost is still not quite

Weave just a hint of the Autumn to come

18 September 2012

Tying the knot and loosening those curls

Romantic rose centerpiece with just a bit of an edge featured in the DIY Wedding Magazine

10 September 2012

Tying the knot

Gypsophilla design with Celtic love knots featured in the DIY Wedding Magazine

6 November 2012

Mr. Stalk, the Seriously Terrifying Scarecrow, on his Day Off

An easy going design of ripped grass and calla lilies. But look a bit closer. See if you can find Mr. Stalk relaxing somewhere between the blades of grass.