On my online workbook this week: Have yourself a Merry Cellulose Fibre Christmas: Yule log

Dear

This week's inspiration is a light dusting of snow.

There are oh so, so many reasons why using floral foam is not a great design solution for contemporary designers. And apart from the obvious I would like to add my personal design reason why I avoid using foam: It’s depressing. It’s visually and emotionally heavy. It weighs you down in the same way as walking into a cluttered space or instinctively knowing a cupboard is stuffed to the point of bursting. It’s too solid to ever be uplifting.

This week I show you my trick for creating pave or low designs without needing a heavy block of floral foam. My tip for you is to play up the visually uplifting effect you get by allowing some gaps to show between the water tubes and slightly vary the height of the flowers to shadow each other.

A special note on varying the height of the flowers when creating a pave design in this way: adjust the height of the design by using different heights of water tubes rather than different flower stem lengths so that the flowers always sit snugly and don't fall out or flop about.

When calculating the height you need, remember to add the height of the flower head to the height of the tube so that the flowers sit either level or just above the edge in the design. Then cut and place the stems so that they are all the way to the bottom of the water tube with the flower head resting securely just above. This way the stem will remain hydrated to the last drop of water. It is, of course, easy to push aside the flower to add more water or replace any flowers as well.

Resist the temptation to think you can just go in and adjust the stem lengths as you place them in the tubes at the end to make them stand lower or higher because a too long stem makes the flower flop about and ultimately fall out causing a lot more frustration when designing and maintaining the design. A low flower (in a shorter or taller tube) sits snugly in the design and becomes even more stable as you fill the space with plant material.

Enjoy!

Every good wish,

Christine

ps: There is a second new Tutorial (how to craft a wire nest for the candle) for you to explore this week. You will find the link below the post.