On my online workbook this week: Hey look… it totally worked!

Dear

This week’s inspiration is pollen and stamens and buzzing pollinators buzzing here, there and everywhere.

We are doing just a tiny bit of design work this week but it requires a deep understanding of how designing works. My design note for you is exactly that annoying thing experienced designers (and chefs, for some reason) do when they tell you "you will know when it is just right".

A lot of design techniques can easily be taught. And a lot of our design skills we pick up while learning the things that can be taught. This is one of them. You will need your experience as a designer for this one.

Yes, we are taught to always design with well conditioned plant material. This is a great golden rule to learn as a beginner designer… always, and then you will notice there actually is also a "sometimes" when you gain experience.

For designs that require you to manipulate plant material you will need to rely on judgement and your understanding of consequences to make the design technique work for you.

You need to allow the coleus foliage to be slightly dehydrated to manipulate it into the most interesting ruffled bud vase blossoms. But not so dehydrated that it becomes floppy and will not hydrate again. Just enough that the leaf won't snap when you roll it into the leaf-blossom.

Try it and see. Wait a few minute and try again. And note the difference. And then when you have a pretty coleus leaf rosette that is ruffled without the foliage snapping, you can gather the stem ends and slip those into the tight opening of the bud vase. Use a syringe to carefully top up the budvase with enough water to not only cover the cut ends of the leaves inside the vase but also create a slight puddle inside (see the pictures above) the leaves. This way the coleus leaves hydrate completely creating ruffled spaces for you to design the long thin stems to remain perfectly upright, exactly in the position you want for your design, naturally.

Fun, right?

Enjoy!

Every good wish,

Christine