Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Interweave a fairy light and grass glow vase
- 25 October 2023
- click to send Christine a smile
Silly step one but yes, test the fairy lights. You don't want to go through all the trouble to discover the light are not working right at the end... ask me how I know.
Stand the fishbowl vase on the fairy light wire.
Bring the wire up around the vase and secure it temporarily with painters tape to keep it from slipping off.
Twist the wire to secure in the middle of the opening of the vase.
Leaving the tip of the fairy light wire to dangle... I have plans for this bit so make sure it is long enough to have at least one light on.
Wrap the fairy light around the vase again to divide it into wedges...
Like a pumpkin... each time twisting the wire to secure it at the top.
Once you have a nicely spaced out grid...
... You are ready to design.
Design tip: If you can, try not to soak the grasses and weave them dry, or dry-ish. They can become moldy when woven tightly when wet. It is harder to weave dry and brittle grass, so if you are new to weaving try this design first with fresh grasses. Or if you prefer, soak the grass in warm water before designing to make it more pliable and set it out in the sun to dry completely before adding the flowers. Or... book readers turn to page 111 where I show you how to make brittle, dried plant material pliable (and reshape them and clean the dust off...)
For more information about my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman
Interweave the blades of grass through the wires to cover the opening and top half of the vase.
Slipping the grasses over and under the wires with most of the pretty tip ends pointing to the opening to be incorporated in the flower display.
My favourite thing about dried grasses is the curls they naturally make... those can be left to dangle at the top to shadow the flowers to come.
Weave around the lights so that you mostly cover the wires but the lights are exposed.
Make sure to leave the top part of the vase mostly unwoven and do not weave the grasses in. The wires will support the flowers and the grass tips are then arranged over the flowers. This is also a great way to make sure you can pour the water into the vase without spoiling the grasses. I have a bit more information about using both dried and fresh floral material in one design in our email this week. And I would love to hear what you think. You are welcome to reply to the email. Or say hi... I would love to hear what is happing in your floral world. If you are not yet receiving an email from me on Wednesday mornings (Vancouver time) you can sign up below this post. It's a great way for us to connect.
Pour water into the vase through a gap in the grass.
Slip some chrysanthemums stems into the water with the flower heads resting on the wire grid.
Allow the dried grasses to curl over the flowers.
... see that dangling bit of wire? Time for it to shine!
Wrap the wire around a pretty twig and roll it so that the wire suspends the twig just above the flowers so that it hovers slightly above the design.
This adds to the light and airy feel of the design.
Glue in a few curled and rust coloured autumn leaves to look like they are softly settling on the grass below. I picked mine up below the cherry blossom trees.
And finish the design by placing a few dew drop crystals on the tips of the elegantly curled autumn leaves to draw your attention to them.
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