Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Hellebores, Foxtail and copper star garland for a happy glow-man
- 1 December 2021
- click to send Christine a smile
Place a long foxtail fern into a water tube.
Book readers please turn to page 188 where I show you how to position stems in water tubes so that they remain hydrated for as long as possible.
Place a second fern in a water tube and add a few sparkling dew drop crystals.
I add my crystals with a pin. It is just so much easier to position it exactly where I want it. See the Tutorial below for more details.
Curl and curve bark wire to give shape to the garland.
Don't overthink the shape too much. In fact it is part of the charm of this design.
This week in our newsletter I tell you about adding personality to a design. This is part of that. Make sure you are subscribed to receive the weekly tip email. The sign up is below this post.
Add the wire to the twig glow-man so that it twirls from one twig hand...
... also, the link to the glow-man Tutorial is below this post.
To the other twig hand on the other side.
And shape it to curve away from the glow-man.
Design note: I add the wire spine in the garland because I am hanging rather heavy design details (like the real copper stars) from it and I want it to keep this shape.
Soften up the heavy wire by treating it like the lightest part of the design- and the lightest part of the design (the foxtail fern) as the heaviest by weaving the foxtail through the wire so that it looks like a ribbon twining lightly around. Try not to bend the fern. Instead bend the wire.
Connect the two water tubes at an angle in the middle with wire.
And place the tube bottoms so that it leans on the glow-man to offer more support.
See the Tutorial below for more detail instructions on How to add a patina to copper, How to make copper stars and also How to prepare copper ornaments to include into the design.
Add in the copper stars to rest on and conceal the water tubes.
Follow the wire and glue in tiny water tubes into the garland making sure the weight is carried by the wire and not the fern.
See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions on how I make these small water tubes.
Fill the tubes with water and add the Hellebore flowers.
See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions on how I fill my tiny water tubes.
Twirl a ribbon around the garland to mirror the wire shape.
To connect in the middle point.
Design note: It is my personal preference to let the ribbon dangle down. For me, and this is just my opinion, I love ribbon to look like the wind redecorated it. But absolutely, add bows if you want.
Curl some copper wire.
Book readers you can read a whole lot about the wires I use on page 36 of my book where I show you what is in my tool bag.
For more information about my book:
The Effortless Floral Craftsman
... and then lastly add this super fancy (if you know my work... you know that I mean copper wire from a pot scrubber) copper flat wire to add the copper colour throughout the garland.
See the Tutorial below for detail instructions on How to unravel flat wire from a copper pot scrubber and How I curl the copper wire like a ribbon.
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Tutorials
Cut stars from a copper plate for a lovely turquoise patina Christmas decoration.
Craft a twig and foam snowman with an inner glow.
When you need to keep a tiny stem hydrated this is just what you need. If you can't find a suitable drinking straw... I also have an upgrade: tiny food grade pipe water tubes.
The colour and the effect will vary due to application, temperature and humidity.
Easy way to fill test tubes and easiest way to remove water from a vase
When you glue a structure with hot glue there are always a few stray strands of glue stuck all over the design. Blow it away with a hairdryer.
This is the easiest battery operated votive candle lantern to hand craft from a copper sheet... ever! As always with my Tutorials you will not need any special tools or workshop...
Up-cycle a pot scrubber to get a huge roll of very pretty copper wire
Remember how Olaf from Frozen remained cool? With a personal flurry, of course! Two fishbowls, stacked and you are very nearly done.
Use delicate sprigs of cypress or juniper, fir, pine, eucalyptus, ivy or a combination of them all to create a winter themed kissing bough
I build up the spheres by weaving willow wreaths and then use those to shape the ball
All natural decoration with a secret water source to keep the fresh flowers hydrated
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 .
It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.
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