Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Balloon out grass to craft a framed armature
- 24 August 2022
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Fill a tall and narrow container with water.
Slip a small bunch of lily grass into the container.
Allow the grass to flop over the sides of the container by making space in the middle with your finger.
Slip a tall water tube into the space you have created with your finger.
Fill the water tube with water.
Bundle up the grass...
And tie it with a knot.
Design tip: I liked the knot ends extending. It created a lovely contrast to the smoothness of the curved grass so I left it dangling. Cut it short if you prefer. Also a great knot for this can be found in my book. Book readers turn to page 59.
For more information about my book:
The Effortless Floral Craftsman
Tie another knot at the vase opening around the grass and the water tube
Carefully curve the grass so that it balloons out to the sides.
To secure the ballooned out grass, knot one end of a blade of grass...
Slip the knotted grass through the middle of the bundle from the top down...
Thread it through the ballooned out space at one side...
Add a bit of tension to exaggerate the balloon shape and secure it between the water tube and the grass where you knotted it.
Place the calla lilies into the water tube...
So that the elegant shapes can be admired in the grass frame from all sides
This week I added a few notes about maintaining the design in your notification email- if you adjust it slightly in a few days there is no reason why this will not last for weeks- even in a heatwave as it did in my design room! You can sign up for this one email per week below this post.
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Tutorials
It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.
Create a sheltered or veiled design by framing the outer edge of your armature (in this case thick cardboard) with long strands of grass
Keep all the fresh flower material hydrated in water by weaving the stems from one side of the vase to the other.
Snip, roll and glue a few blades of grass to create a design feature
Weave a canopy or parachute shaped armature in a way that you can place the stems in two vases to keep it hydrated.
Tulips continue to grow as they open. This means you not only have to be mindful of their proportions as they are now... but also as they will be once open.
A single stem of lilies turned into a celebration just by twirling a handful of lily grass around it.
A cool and minimal floral design for summer.
Reshape a vine wreath into smaller wreaths to combine as a pumpkin
Curl and secure a few blades of flax into a bubble to frame your flowers
Hook the calla lilies over the edge of a vase to create a support for your taller floral details.
Favourite Flowers
Calla Lily, Arum Lily
Related Designs
Pull tab support for "canned" Calla lilies and bunny-tail grass.
An easy going design of ripped grass and calla lilies. But look a bit closer. See if you can find Mr. Stalk relaxing somewhere between the blades of grass.
A creative way to keep foliage hydrated for a cool, water filled summer design.
Weave a basket with dangling edges for a single orchid display
This is a great "space-keeper" design. The tulip will continue to grow into the vase height as they open... but until then the grass platform part of the design diverts your...
Loop a grass veil over a lily stem to create a minimalist summer design.
Bright and sunny cymbidium orchids and roses, lilies, lisianthus and pincushions
Hang the arum lilies from the edge of a container to support all the other floral details.