Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Frond Support for short stemmed flowers
- 12 July 2023
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Cut two fern blades to create the floral support.
Slot the one fern into the other between the pinna (leaf part) and the petiole (stem part)...
Creating a continuous fern blade with the tips pointing to either side.
This creates a handy "catch" for your delicate and short stemmed flowers. I show you more in our email for this week. If you are not yet receiving your weekly bonus tip email from me every Wednesday morning (Vancouver time) you can sign up below. This is also a great way for us to connect. If you have any comments or questions... or to say Hi, simply reply to the email. The sign up is below this post.
Place the ferns in a shallow container.
Pour water into the container so that the ferns and flowers remain hydrated.
Slip the delicate flowers between the ferns to keep it exactly where you want it in your design.
Drape a few blades of grass over the fern support.
You can find detailed instructions on how to curl grass in my book on page 288 where I show you how I manipulate grasses... but to get you started I have also added a simplified Tutorial below.
Add a few grass curls and dew drop crystals to finish the design
These grasses are so important to create the overall look of the design. Without it the fern creates arrows leading your eyes out and away from the design. By adding the grasses and draping them back into the flowers you soften the look and make the design more welcoming.
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Tutorials
Most leaves and foliage can be slightly manipulated to curve or curl.
Suspend flowers in tight bud to slip over a folded and threaded grass grid
It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.
Stack green lily stems to create an upright mechanic to keep shorter stems in place.
I use perlite to root my cuttings... and to support flower stems in an upright position in designs without using floral foam.
An easy to do, budget friendly, craft ahead- use many times floral armature.
Combining dried and fresh floral details for a easy breezy summer design.
Wedge snipped twigs into a glass vase to act as a support for your flowers
Cut short bamboo lengths to keep your flower material upright in a shallow and narrow container
Stack snippets of grass on a wire frame to make a floating pyramid armature
Wire twigs and wire around a shallow container to keep your floral details suspended in water in a shallow container.
Easy to weave design that can hold your prettiest autumn design treasures.
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A quick-to-do-but-looks-impressive way to display a beautiful cut garden vine for an effortless summer design.
oh yes, a light an airy design showing off those very first autumn leaves.
A visual breather from all the bright and festive designs to come when designing for Autumn.