Of should and must

Display tiny design details in a budvase by crafting a stopper-frog.

Whittle a stumpy stopper to peg precious tiny floral details in place

An easy way to create a design using only a few bits of plant material that can be maintained... effortlessly.

A Buzzin’

Just like a buzzing bee... give a mature Tulip a Phalaenopsis orchid buddy to keep it company.

Reflexed petal Tulip… with a surprise Orchid flower buddy

Gently pop the petals of a mature tulip back to open up the flower... to add another flower, of course!

Spring Roll

oh yes... Spring is definitely rolling in with some fresh growth on the willow just to prove it!

Willow nest roll that continues to grow for a Spring display

This design is meant to be long lasting and ever changing... make now and enjoy all the way to Easter and beyond

A tendril Valentine connection

A delicate... but robust armature framing a heart space.

A tendril Valentine connection

A delicate... but robust armature framing a heart space.

Have your heart set on it armature for Valentines Day

A prepare ahead armature design that relies on the strength of a heart shape.

Spot on!

Connect the dots with round willow cuts and the spotted lip of the tiniest mini miniature Phalaenopsis orchids

Bring out the pretty spots on the lip of this tiny orchid with a dotted twig stump armature

Create a delicate floating and natural display without using floral foam with a twig frog armature.

Refresh-ing

A tall vase for a short orchid stem summer design

Use Firethorn spears for a Vine and Orchid twist support

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

Spoiler Alert: It’s You

A birch bark heart for Valentine's Day

Craft a birch bark bud vase topper for a openhearted Valentine's display

Craft a keepsake heart on top of a vase to display special flowers.

Surround and Sound

Half moon frosted glass chip edge for a winter themed design.

Frosted Glass Chip Edge for a glass container

Glue glass chips into a half moon to help keep the floral details in place.

Note to Self

An easy to weave natural grid for summer floral arrangements.

Basket weave bunny tail grid to catch your floral details

A no waste... but still decorative way to keep your flower in place and hydrated in the warm days of summer.

here… from … my little corner… of the world wide web

Weave a web of jasmine vine to support orchid stems

Tangle a wild wide web of Jasmine vine to suspend your flowers

My summer design strategy: the warmer the weather the deeper the water. A vine frog is just the thing!

Column… try it flower buddies

A bottom to the top... top to the bottom support to help keep your summer flowers hydrated.

A woven grass grid cage for flying Column and Augmented petal Phalaenopsis orchids

Pick away the petals from a few Phalaenopsis orchids to display in a summer grass tunnel design.

Floral Hurricane

My Floral Hurricane design entry for the BC Floral Art Society mini show competition

Even More

This orchid developed at the very end of a long stem... right as the rest of the flowers started to die back so I made a special armature to display the cut stem.

Snowy Magnolia forest floor armature

An armature to display a lovely surprise orchid that developed on the long spike just after the other flowers started to fade.

All Pumpkind Out

A physalis husk pumpkin to celebrate the last bright rays of Autumn.

Roof-tile pumpkin from dried physalis pods

Carefully stack dried physalis berry husks to craft a long lasting pumpkin that you can refresh with fresh flowers and vines.

Branch Manager

Managed to find an utterly gorgeous branch... perfect contrast to the minimal orchids.

Balanced branch with dangling macrame vases

Create a display branch for ever changing fresh flowers and foliage... or vines.

The tiniest drop

A radiating summer design that waves in the slightest of breezes.

Breezy lily grass ripple

A radiating design that has the freedom of movement to add a bit of a cooling effect on the warmer days of summer.

You Say Tomato I Say Tomato

Tiny tomato vine design to celebrate Summer.

Using European OASIS floral glue to secure floral details… yes! It makes a difference

Securing the most delicate of design details successfully has a lot to do with what glue you use. But what glue is even more complicated than just brand.

Shine Shade

Glue snippets of grass into a double layer sphere to create a sheltered floral globe.

Grass snippet globe with T-connections for a (shaded) second layer

Craft two snippet half moons to connect... and... then add a second layer of grass snippets here and there to shade the flowers.

Hop on… it’s Easter!

A cheery Easter basket for a new beginning

Handcrafted grass and twig basket to hold some Easter flowers

Easter basket filled with (almost... almost chocolate) anthuriums.

Gaps between those in-between Spring days

Give a minimal design a few grass "whiskers" to feel that Spring breeze.

Create a design gap with two leaves to create shivering whiskers for your Spring design

Adding design details to create tiny gaps for more design details.

Poised to Spring

An "it's only 10 days to Spring" design to display some blossom buds.

Sturdy, blossoming armature in a shallow puddle

If you know just a bit more about the "why" we do the things we do it is easy to discover new "how's". This week I show you why it is possible to design with blossoming twigs in a shallow puddle.

Carry On

As sturdy as it is delicate basket made from off-cut stems and grass.

Off-cut stem snippet and grass curl basket

Piece together a floral basket that looks delicate AND overgrown.

A good measure of Autumn

A wire and twig permanent display basket with tiny water sources for a few fresh flowers that can be replaced as needed.

A quick and easy way to Craft a Twig Basket Using Wire Tendrils

The hardest part of this is actually making the tendrils. From there it's a few twists... and we are done!

Doing a loop tangle twist

oh yes, a light an airy design showing off those very first autumn leaves.

Loop and Twist a Wire and Twig Tangle Grid

Wire twigs and wire around a shallow container to keep your floral details suspended in water in a shallow container.

Light as a Kite

Spike a wire frame into a disk floret for a light summer design.

Light as a kite wire spiked sunflower heart

Using the disk floret of a sunflower to support your floral details.

Like an open book

Position foliage to create a smaller, shallow pond for your floral details to shelter in.

Two leaf lining your container to shelter your orchids

Create a shallow puddle in a larger container to keep your flowers in place.

First we learn HOW to design… and then we learn how only WE design.

Whipped up to be light in the Spring breeze wreath design.

Spring breeze tangled ribbon wreath

Using branches pruned from a fruit tree... with a few dried flowers and just a few orchids to make a fresh Spring design.

Criss-crossed

Hide an egg inside a interwoven nest for a dainty Easter decoration design.

Interweave a criss-crossed nest for an Easter Egg

Zero waste, all natural Easter craft design.

A scoop of pretty

A tiny budvase design that rearranges basic ingredients, such as a single leaf and an orchid to create a new design concept.

Cone shaped leafy puddle for a short stemmed flower

Take all the usual ingredients for a budvase design- a flower, a leafy green something and roll it into something unusual to display.

The way we curve

Tiny minimal design that explores curves.

A tiny pebble to keep it all in place

Keep an orchid and a blade of grass on an upturned bowl... with the weight of a tiny pebble.

From here in out

An all natural, zero waste design using only plant material.

Controlled breaking a thin reed to create a grass spiral armature

Carefully break... but don't snap a reed to create a curved base for a fanned out grass armature.

Knot how it was supposed to go

When you figure out the "how to" tricks of manipulating plant material it is possible to respectfully set them into seemingly impossible new directions.

Loop a Monstera leaf stem to craft an underwater hold for a knotted orchid stem

Use the unique qualities of each stem to create a submerged design in a water filled glass vase.

I tip my (flower) cap!

An enclosed design that invites the onlooker to lean in closer to explore the pretty orchid.

Rolled leaf shelter for a lean-in-closer tiny bud vase design

Create a tiny visual tunnel to focus attention.

Have yourself a Merry Cellulose Fibre Christmas: Santa’s gift bag wreath

...ok not really that fancy- it’s made from paper pulp. A cardboard box gift bag wreath… really. In the spirit of 2020- I am inspired by the endless stream of cardboard boxes being delivered.

Contactless gift exchange wreath perfect to double as Santa’s Gift Bag for your front door

Craft a small pouch into a half-and-half wreath so that you can leave... and receive tiny gifts and cards in true Christmas 2020 style .

Wire Stars

Wrap wire around a cardboard star for a quick three dimensional decoration.

Because that is just how I roll

A tumbling fall leaf design making use of the autumn leaves that are already falling to the ground.

Pot-scrubber copper wire curls and autumn twig twirls bud vase toppers

A quick solution for a minimal horizontal autumn display -on top of bud vases.

When it gets chilly

Use the heart of a sunflower as a platform to place your autumn floral details on.

Sunflower heart autumn display

Pick away the ray floret so that the disk floret of a sunflower can be used as a flat surface to display your design on.

Last full Moon of summer

All natural design using the design elements as mechanics.

Wrap a vine around a tiny vase to suspend it from a balanced twig

Using the design elements as mechanics to secure the design elements.

It starts with WHY

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

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...

A lesson in letting be

Deceptively simple. A design that relies on you working with not against what is already there.

Upside down and on it’s side glass display that plays with natural balance

Utilizing those not so obvious characteristics of your design details to make a minimal clear glass summer floral design.

Tail end of the story

Craft a bark platform to design on in a foxtail fern frond.

Foxtail in a bud vase forest floor

Create a sturdy platform from bark to design an entire forest floor on a single foxtail fern frond

Pass it on

A cascade of orchids growing over a slice of wood. Easy to design... and even easier to maintain!

Tea stained Bamboo husk orchids

Paint bamboo husks with strong tea to create a pretty orchid.

Phalaenopsis orchid cascade over a log slice display

Add the design details to the wood... and not to the orchid plant so that it can easily be removed to soak for a long lasting still growing display.

End Up

Connect small wreaths to create a pretty summer armature to arrange your flowers on.

Building up a wreath panel

Connect six wreaths to build up a hanging panel to display your flowers on.

Yes… but what would she put in it?

Some floral fashion inspiration: weave a pretty clutch purse

Weave a trendy oversized clutch purse with a hidden magnetic closure

A three in one Tutorial to show you how to weave a clutch purse, how to add a magnetic closure AND how to incorporate a ribbon into a weaved design.

Don’t put all your Baskets in one Egg

A bit of a wrong way round pretty Easter design. Put the basket weave inside the egg instead of putting the eggs in a basket.

Basket weave in an eggshell

A tiny little basket weave to add to an Easter Design

The Upside of being Inside

A creative design that has some height to it without blocking the view. This can easily be scaled up or down to match the environment you want to display it in.

Twig snippet pillar armature

A great do-in-advance and reusable design solution for a winter, early spring floral display.

Spacer

Armatures are great (budget friendly) spacers for creating large floral designs without using an enormous amount of your resources.

Bamboo cross-hatch spacers

A small design detail for contemporary floral arrangements.

Hanging bamboo from a wired hook

This design can be hanged from anywhere... a case filled with twigs or a branch.

This way we connect

Weave a connected panel to frame a single orchid.

Over and under weave floral panel armature for inside a vase

Weave a small panel that fits snugly in a container for a minimal, foam free design that is quick to make but looks spectacular.

With a thankful twist in the middle

Fold and thread an autumn leaf armature for a thankful Thanksgiving design

Quarter fold and Thread an Autumn leaf tube armature

This armature is actually made of four times as many leaves as what it looks like to create a hinge to fan the entire leaf-tube open yet keep it's shape.

Jitters!

Zig-zag grass details add a bit of tension to the design

Adding folded grass "jitters" to a Sunflower

Adding tension to a design with a grass frame and collar.

Taking a Breather

A relaxing summer design that spins gently in the wind

Grass Spiral Wind Spinner

Thread grass into flexi grass to create a spinner that gently turns in the wind.

Creative Competition

This week I am so excited to share my article and design that was published in the recent issue of the Floral Art Society of New Zealand's Academy Magazine for NZ qualified teachers, judges and demonstrators. It's all about good competition.

Putting your own spin on it

I would definitely describe my own personal style as minimalist classic... but with an edgy twist.

How to avoid your wedding treasures from becoming “after the event trash”

My article and grass wedding basket design.

Interweave an enchanted gift basket

A bit of a planned-messy woven basket that is sturdy enough to carry small items.

Magical Craftsmanship

My article and winter white Tulle bridal basket design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine.

Winter white Tulle bridal basket

Craft a delicate bridal basket from twigs and tulle.

A Very Merry Season’s Greetings Holly Jolly Happy Most Wonderful Christmas Time to you!

A Merry Christmas Twig Snowflake

Twig Snowflake

Glue twigs into a snowflake twig armature for Christmas trimmings.

Curl tinsel

Gently pull the tinsel over a blade to curl

Personal Preference

The third design I did for my book launch demonstration looking at aspects that influences my effortless style of designing.

Long Lichen branches to dress up a curvy vase

Secure two lichen covered branched to rest around the neck of a curvy vase.

Hole-ding it’s breath

Craft an almost Autumn armature from dried sweet pea vines

Off-center hole-wreath armature

Craft a slightly off center wreath from dried vines and grasses for Phalaenopsis orchids.

Wonder

Tie a bundle of grass to support your floral details

Bundle Support

Tie a bundle of lily grass in a bundle to offer support for your flowers.

Get in line!

Line up a few pussy willow twigs for a hanging armature

Bring some Spring

Just like the weather is only hinting at spring, so is this design only hinting at being a basket

Craft a Spring basket from a wreath

A wide gap nearly basket for nearly spring

A Very Merry Christmas Star

A wire Christmas star with a secret plan to hide the twinkle

Twinkle and Pine Christmas Star

Use a cardboard shape to craft a simple wire Christmas star

Secret Battery holder

Sometimes the best way to hide something in your design is right in the open

On the inside

For a softer autumn leaf pod turn the leaves so that the bright side faces in when making the pod.

Papier Mache pumpkin half

Glue thin tissue paper layers to a pumpkin to create a shape to design with

Dracaena Roots

Grow Dracaena plants in water for the roots

You Wear It Well

My article and body flowers design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine

Hand Corsage

Inspired by Hath panjas or Indian hand jewelry an easy and comfortable alternative to a corsage

Around again

Tape a grid at the edge of a container

One of those difficult questions

Glue a bunch of twigs inside a container to create a round stack

Contained rose twig stack

Glue the twigs in a container to easily follow the round shape

Making Ends Meet

Criss-cross corset style connect the gaps in a Monstera deliciosa leaf

Sparkler

A radiating twig design

Things are looking up!

My article and Bamboo Lantern design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine

Dream, Job

Create a grid to rest some plant material so that it floats and some with their stems to rest in the water below

Biomimicry

A design demonstration and workshop at the Floral Trends Design group in South Africa exploring how we emulate nature’s best biological ideas to solve our modern day design problems.

Biomimicry Demonstration and Workshop at the Floral Trends Design Group, South African Flower Union

Looking at how we emulate nature’s best biological ideas to solve our modern day design problems.

Gumusservi

To celebrate the 6th year anniversary of My Creative Workbook I am looking at the most popular Tutorial I have done to date:

Step Along

Create twig steps to display the orchids

It could hold

A fragile looking heart made from twigs that can hold a lot of orchids

Not yet Spring, Spring but a spring

Coil wire and grass to create a spring

Woven

Weave a canopy or parachute shaped armature for orchids to perch on

Make the design

Weave a reed cradle to suspend orchids from

Reed Cradle Armature

Glue reeds on a wire frame to create a dimensional armature to suspend orchids in

When the wind whisper

Glue a fantasy forest from Popsicle sticks, grape vine tendrils and willow tips

Because I think I am making Progress

Create a floral ceiling

Sealing water leaks

Petroleum jelly is both waterproof and not water soluble it creates a waterproof barrier to keep the water from leaking out of the vials when you hang it upside down. In fact, this trick work so well that you can use drinking straws or plastic tubes and seal it around the stem with the petroleum jelly

That Will Be

Freestanding willow twig armature design

Celebrate!

A closer look at my design at the 20th anniversary of Canada Blooms and The Toronto Flower Show

Creative Expectations

My article and a floral parasol design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine

Once Upon A Time

Stack and glue a Grass Pyramid Armature

On a Grand Scale

My article and a floral panel design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine

So white

A dried Baby's breath and fresh orchid wreath

Pointing In

wrap and glue a ring armature to create a decorative wreath

Hana-Kubari Bamboo Stilts with a Hidden Water Source

Split bamboo stems to create a water source for dancing orchids

Beautiful Things

Glue a few twigs into a disk armature

Finding Common Ground

My article and twig boutonniere design featured in the Winter issue of DIY Weddings Magazine

Creativity will come

My Twig Bridal Basket design and Tutorial featured in the Extraordinary Wedding Flowers issue of the New Zealand Floral Design Magazine

What's done is done

My article and lace fine wreath design featured in the Autumn issue of DIY Weddings Magazine

Brought Together

Loosely weave blades of grass together

Unraveling fast

Weaving foliage to create a lush water scene

Fine Tune

Thread cane through sticks to make a music inspired armature

To

Make a quick and easy twig disk armature

All white, just not quite

My article and woven ring basket design featured in the summer issue of DIY Weddings Magazine

Be Silent And Listen

Lash a few bamboo pieces together to create a scaffold armature

Bound to Keep

Weave and tie a decorative catcher to suspend flowers

To think of that

Create a natural, swinging test tube holder to keep flowers hydrated

Easy does it

Rip foliage to sprinkle as a light as air flower frog

One foot at a time

Delicate ballet slippers from the first Autumn leaves

Losing some of that Muchness

A barely there sisal Mad Hatter's floral hat

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

A tiny orchid stem ladder keeps the orchid suspended just above the water line

This Moment

Create an armature design outside the vase

So happy together

Glue a sisal bubble for a few delicate flowers to rest in

In one basket

Weave a nest for an Easter design

'Tis the Season

My article looking at contrasts and 6 winter lantern designs featured in the DIY Wedding Magazine

Just Right! Floral Art demonstration: Too Cold!

My first design in my demonstration at the BC Floral Art Society meeting

Diamond Jubilee Waterfall

To commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee and the 20th Anniversary of Friends of Government House Gardens Society a Horticultural event was hosted in the gardens and Great Hall of Government House in Victoria, Canada entitled British Columbia Blooms.

Bubble raft to float flowers

Flowers naturally float in water. They just don’t always naturally float on water. For that they sometimes need a bit of help.

Jack Frost’s Christmas stocking

I used wire, fishing line (mono-filament) and Phalaenopsis orchid roots to make a messy lace Christmas stocking and dressed the stocking with frost green Cymbidium orchids

Ichi-go, ichi-e

Freely translated it means Each Moment, Only Once. It is a saying associated with Japanese tea ceremonies.

Suspending and positioning a Phalaenopsis orchid under water

Flowers naturally float and you will need some kind of sinker to keep them suspended under water.

Placing orchids in test tubes

Cut the Phalaenopsis orchid with a bit of green stem attached. This will make them last longer.

Touchstone

A Touchstone is something or even someone that you can rely on to evaluate the strength or worth of an idea or concept.

Pleated Pleasure

Pleats are accordion like folds of equal width in alternating opposite directions in any kind of fabric. I absolutely love the tight buds of Allium and they represent the "pleasure" part of my design

Blown Away

Kyogi Paper and Phalaenopsis Orchids Blown Away in the wind

In the Bag

My bag was woven from re-purposed wire and recycled fishing line and tiny stems of growing sweet pea plants and orchids

Harnessing the Wind

Intimate Dinner For Two- Table Setting Competition Class

Floral Sushi Dinner, for two

Mud!!! Floral Art Demonstration at the Rondebosch Flower Club, Cape Town, South Africa

So much goes into one stage design that I thought it would be worthwhile to break up the design elements and explore each in more detail.

Floral Art Demonstrations

When I demonstrate I focus on sharing the art of contemporary floral design, as I see it.

Mud!!! Floral Art Demonstration at the Rondebosch Flower Club

My demonstration looked at ways to use mud to enhance floral art.

Floral Trends Design Group Opening Demonstration: 2010

A look at the Old and New of Floral art

The Plant Material used in the Demonstration

I wanted my design to feature mostly growing plants- creating a natural display on the supernatural wreath.

"Canada" Demonstration in Cape Town, South Africa

After our second Canada visit in 2009 I did a demonstration entitled "Canada" at the Durbanville Flower Club in South Africa

Condition Epiphyte Orchids

How to condition Orchids to use as plants in an arrangement without placing the roots in a growth medium

Inspired by Nature

Flax leaves are ripped with a kenzan and wrapped with copper wire and small blue beads to create a rope to weave into a delicate spider web.