Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
A cluster bunch of just enough floral ingredients to spike into a Kenzan for a larger display
- 31 July 2024
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This is a question I am often asked: how do you make sure the kenzan won't come undone and topple over when you add taller or heavier floral details? The secret to fixing a Kenzan to a display container is creating a vacuum, like a suction cup. Roll the fix into a doughnut. Then when you fix it to the container press down and give it a twist.
Book readers turn to page 160 of my book to read all about using a Kenzan. For more information about my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman but to get you started you can also find a Tutorial in the links below.
Pour water into a display container to make sure to reach at least halfway up the metal teeth of the kenzan to give the flower material access to the water.
Divide and gather your floral material into small bunches...
Cluster the stems together and secure with corsage tape...
Adjust and cut all the stems to end level or just below the tape. They should all be the same length.
Spear the flower cluster into the teeth of the kenzan. Because they are all in a bundle even the tiniest of vine stem will now stay neatly upright.
With the tape keeping the stems together and preventing damage to make sure no stem splits and falls over.
Add more stems by simply spearing a thicker stem into position...
And use the clusters as support for additional thinner stems.
Drape the vines around the design...
Design note: have you ever seen a more perfect colour match as between this stigma and stem? So pretty!!!
And conceal the Kenzan with a few glass chips.
Oh boy! These chips proved to be a bit of a challenge for this design. It is a large surface to conceal and they kept slipping off! It took me most of the design time to position... and then I thought... well... I tell you all about my solution in this week's subscriber email lesson. I send out a free lesson email every Wednesday morning (Vancouver time) to explain a detail of this week's design further so that you are armed with inside information when you view the design. The sign up is below this post if you want to subscribe.
And I finished my design off with a few sparkling dew drop crystals
I always add these crystals with a pin to prevent it from damaging my delicate floral details. You can read more about my how... and my why below in the Tutorial links.
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Tutorials
How to keep Lilies in bud for longer. Removing the pollen. Stringing a Lily Garland.
A single lily flower design dressed up with a grass veil.
Temporarily adhere a traditional Ikebana Kenzan or pincushion to a shallow container.
Light and airy addition to a floral design to celebrate summer
It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.
Pick away petals from a lily to create space for delicate vines to really shine.
A zero waste and sustainable floral design solution to keep your flowers exactly where you want them without using floral foam.
A cool and minimal floral design for summer.
Design in two levels by using two vases, the smaller slipped into a bigger one.
A single stem of lilies turned into a celebration just by twirling a handful of lily grass around it.
Favourite Flowers
Lily
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… and why we call this the special craftsmanship edition
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Fold open a lily bud to conceal a clever little BoutStix floral magnet for an unusual corsage.
A creative way to keep foliage hydrated for a cool, water filled summer design.
