Well, I'll be

Sprouting willow armature

Carefully manipulate and bend green willow stems to place in water to sprout as an armature for tulips to mature and open

Where to cut Tulips to condition

Here is a trick to make sure your tulips will condition thoroughly

Stripping foliage from weaving stems

Remove foliage from stems to weave with

Manipulating stems: Snapping at an angle, Bending, Spiraling, Curling and Straightening

Most stems, twigs and even sturdier branches can be bend into shapes. It takes practice and more than a bit of patience. The main idea is to slowly manipulate the branch without breaking it.

Well Rooted Sprouting Willow Weave

Weave a sprouting armature

Hana-kubari Bamboo

Hana-Kubari is an Ikebana flower mechanic. Only natural materials such as pebbles, sticks and branches can be seen to support the flowers. Traditionally no twine or wire, nails, or screws or any other man made materials are used

Willow Heart Wand

Slow down tulip growth, after the stems have been severed from the bulbs

Tulips continue to grow after being cut. Sometimes when you make a very small design or for competition or bridal work you want to minimize growth. The best way to do this is to divert their energy.

Reflex Tulip Petals

Tulip petals can be opened or reflexed to create a fuller bloom

Slip-slit tapped in stems to keep vines upright in a muted autumn display

A tiny adjustment in a stem wedged into a vase mechanic to give you even more control over the placement of design details.

Use Firethorn spears for a Vine and Orchid twist support

Sharp thorns can be used to keep your floral details in place

Rock steady for tiny floral details

Lean a large pebble in a display container to keep your summer floral details exactly where you want them.

Tap in support for horizontal placement of your top heavy flowers

Placing gladiolus stems horizontally so that the stems... disappear.

Latch an imperfect stem support for thin stemmed and heavy design details

Bundle and tie a few stems to create a support for even heavy design details.

A wild "found it this way" thorn and overgrown tulip design with a ribbon tangle instead of a bow.

Glue an overgrown thorn armature to a container to display fully opened tulips

Place delicate stems at an angle in a shallow fiber lined container

Line a shallow container with fiber to create a mat for the flowers to hydrate and stand in the exact way you want to place them.

Knot a wool grid for a cozy Tulip and twig armature design

Bring in some warmth with a tulip design that still hints at winter

A radiating, gradient carnation design in a shallow container

A bit of Kenzan support for a floating shallow container design

A Spring Sprout Wreath Flower Frog

Craft an everything is still growing spring design to celebrate... what we love!

Trapped Bubble Double Shallow Vase Design

Trap air between two vases to create a third circle... and frame for a small feather hint to a hopeful Spring

Curve a feather

A small adjustment to the shape of the feather creates a more whimsical look.

Create a tighter fit with pebbles so that you can wedge a twig securely into a vase

It all started with my twig being just too small to wedge into the glass vase tight enough to keep my orchid stem in place...

Create a break in a willow twig to support a flower stem

Break a willow twig at and angle to support your flowers

Adjusting the curve in plant material

It is possible to curve or adjust a curve in plant material

Incise waxy Gardenia foliage to decorate the edge of a container

Cut a small wedge out of a stack of waxy leaves to keep the flower and twig in place.

Tap in a Twig Support

Wedge snipped twigs into a glass vase to act as a support for your flowers

Creating contrasts in shallow containers with pebbles and water

Such a peaceful design with just enough float and "stay put" elements

Using a fork in a twig to “peg” a stem in place

A easy to use Hana Kubari technique

Hana-Kubari twig

Slip a twig over the side of a container to keep an elegant flower stem upright

Bamboo frog for a shallow container design

Cut short bamboo lengths to keep your flower material upright in a shallow and narrow container

Harnessing the Wind

In a State of Flow

weave some willow to use as an armature

Love Spell

Weave willow to create a heart shaped wand design

Design-time saving tip sheet for a demanding Mother’s Day

Time Saving Tips and Article in the Canadian Florist Magazine

Steeling yourself against stealing creativity

I wrote this article for Wedding Business Success (an online meeting place for the wedding industry) exploring a positive way of looking at creativity and... stealing!

FLOAT

Reflex Tulip and Passion Fruit Tendrils in a wax disk

Designing a Feeling

The emotions your designs inspire give real meaning to your work. My article in the Canadian Florist Magazine

Hanging Space

Suspend small bud vases with Macramé-like knotted wool. This design is featured on The Fusion Flowers Magazine... Fusion Links page.

Scattered

Scatter some dried grass to make a floral armature

I've got my head in the clouds

Wax and Rainbow Oasis keep the flower heads in place.

ANTI-BACTERIAL

Waxed fruit and a Hot Glue nest

Toning down the summer up into the earliest autumn

Using summery floral details in a way that it gives you all the autumn feelings... when autumn details are not yet out.

Refresh-ing

A tall vase for a short orchid stem summer design

It’s leaps of faith, grasshoppers

A sunny rock to make your design... not rock

Look at me… doing math!

Adding our own "bit" to our floral design work.

The Wiggle Is Part Of The Plan

A easy going summer design that makes full use of the imperfections you harvest from your cut garden.

Found it!

A very secure thorn branch armature to hold overgrown Tulips in place

Plan Together

Leaning Muscari flowers in a snow covered twig armature.

Thaw

It's Tulip Season! Perfect for that "it's still winter ... but is that something green I see...?" mood designs.

It’s up there

Whether it’s a solid foot for floating flowers, the tips of new growth or the curve of a dried twig your design needs help to stay upright.

To two too!

A Spring Tulip celebration design... with a special message

Hope Bubble

That good old double vase trick... but this time I deliberately added a bubble between the two layers to create a third circle in the design.

It starts with WHY

Add design elements that serves a purpose for a minimal summer inspired floral design.

For just this moment… let’s take a break

Simplicity to showcase the perfection of the Lisianthus buds

It goes like this...

Gently curve plant material.

What is the meaning of this?

Create a minimal design with a few leaves to keep is all upright.

Grow on it

Wedge twigs into a vase to create a grid.

Flowering Between a Rock and a Hard place

Create a subtle contrast by floating or anchoring some of your design elements.

Happy Coincidence!

Some designs really do just make themselves. I received this tiny vase for Christmas from Marius (thank you, Marius!) and while cleaning out my design room I found this little twig with a fork in it. Add a ranunculus with a ridiculously gorgeous curve in it's stem... done.

In no time at all

Hana-Kubari twig armature

Perfect!

Tulips are so perfect just as they are all that is needed is to simply drape their graceful leaves around the flowers

Saved up

Cut lengths of bamboo to place in a shallow container as a flower frog

That Will Be

Freestanding willow twig armature design

Tulipa

Plaited tulips in my I’ve got my head in the clouds design.

Salix matsudana "Tortuosa"

I wove three willow spheres for my Floral Art design Three Drops of floral chocolate.