On my online workbook this week: Parallel Hang Ups

Dear

This week's inspiration is Valentine’s Day… and waiting for the blossoms to appear… but also Valentine’s Day.

My tip for you this week is not to be too distracted by what is obviously “supposed” to be the highlight of your design. We buy blossom twigs… for the blossoms.

But for this design I brought out every bit of green I could find on the stems by twisting those to the front and I even allowed the peach twigs to develop a bit longer. I also removed the fully opened pink blossoms (I know!!! How we suffer for our art!) so that I get these fantastic sprouting leaves on the twig ends and closed peach blossom buds sitting on the pinkish-green stems. It’s not something that is super obvious… maybe more so because we are conditioned (see what I did there?) to think of these twigs in terms of blossoms, but the green of the woven grass hearts now looks less out of place with the sprouting leaves on the twigs. It is still a very dramatic placing of the focal point, with the severely vertical twigs and the negative space-gap for the hearts… but it is just slightly softened by playing with colour.

Talking about a fun problem to solve... I am so excited to tell you that I am now going to have to be very clever with packing as I get ready for the Canada Blooms Show in Toronto. All the books that I thought of fitting in the box I planned to take with me to Toronto sold out so quickly! We will still try to find space for a few more books in my design boxes for anyone who has not yet reserved their copy so when you see me at the show and want a book remember to ask… I might, might just have a book for you at the reduced show price. Please email me (or connect with me on Instagram @chris10debeer ) if you are attending the Canada Blooms show in March and would like me to keep a copy for you aside for you.

Enjoy!

Every good wish,

Christine