Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Bubble raft to float flowers
- 3 January 2012
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Flowers naturally float in water. They just don’t always naturally float on water. For that they sometimes need a bit of help.
If you want to float really delicate floral material see the Transparent ripple Tutorial below
Water slowly seeps in between the petals to pool and weigh down the bloom.
Cut the bubble raft to fit like a skirt around the flower base
Cut a disk out of bubble wrap. Cut it just slightly smaller than the petals for flat based flowers.
Fold the wrap and cut a hole for the stem to fit through.
Also remember: the heavier the flower head the larger the bubble raft. In the water the bubble wrap becomes almost invisible
Simply slip the stem through the hole
Cut the stem as short as required
And set it in water to float
Even flat petalled orchids float better with a bubble skirt
And keeps the water from slowly sinking the bloom.
Press the stem all the way through so that the bubble skirt support the petals
And float the flowers
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Tutorials
Tulips continue to grow after being cut. Sometimes when you make a very small design or for competition or bridal work you want to minimize growth. The best way to do this is to...
When suspending items under water it is convenient to add a tiny magnet so that you can reposition it if the water distorts the lines of your design
Give new life to an old vase by turning and balancing it on it's side. It's actually easier than it looks... and it looks super impressive!
Add a leaf to a large-ish vase to create a small puddle of water for your short flower stem to rest in.
Flowers naturally float and you will need some kind of sinker to keep them suspended under water.
Create a barely there armature with sturdy end of season vines.
Hide the water source in a rolled leaf
Fold a single blade of grass or slender leaf around a small container to stand your flower in position
Hana-Kubari is an Ikebana flower mechanic. Only natural materials such as pebbles, sticks and branches can be seen to support the flowers. Traditionally no twine or wire, nails,...
Here is a trick to make sure your tulips will condition thoroughly
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.
Favourite Flowers
Tulip
Cymbidium, Boat Orchid
Phalaenopsis, Moth orchid
Transvaal Daisy, Gerbera Daisy, Germini
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