On my online workbook this week: Just how easy peasy breezy summer lemon squishy?

Dear

This week’s inspiration is one of those… ‘I wonder if it will work”… design moments. And yes! It absolutely works. Not as well as the lily placed in water and you absolutely have to top up the lemon with water each day (see the end of the Tutorial post) but for a short period of time (mine lasted for two rather hot summer’s days) it looked so fun! And would probably have lasted for longer if I topped it up with water more often. It's pretty enough to give it a try, don't you think?

It is easier for cut flowers to absorb water in slightly acidic conditions. Lemon juice, with its citric acid content, lowers the water's pH, making it easier for the flowers to drink- but a little juice goes a long, long way. You still need to dilute the juice with water if you want the design to last.

My tip for you this week is to choose a slightly older lemon for your design. The skin should feel softer and a bit more squishy than what you would choose to eat. As lemons age, they lose moisture through the skin, causing them to become less juicy (but no less acidic).

Be careful not to squeeze the lemon and break down the membranes and juice sacs as you prepare the design. You want just a bit of lemon juice to be released to make the water you add more acidic but not so much that the lily notices.

I used a syringe (see the picture above) to top up the water and it worked beautifully. If you are curious about the syringe I have a Tutorial for you on how I add the tube to the syringe below the Tutorial for the design.

Enjoy!

Every good wish,

Christine