Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Long lasting floral finial decoration for Christmas
- 20 November 2024
- click to send Christine a smile
Cut birch bark into long strips.
Soak the strips overnight in warm water
Use metal clips to clip the strips into one long birch strip...
The clips are just temporary because it is easier to manipulate the bark wet but glue the bark once dry.
Use a round stick to help guide the bark and start to roll it from one end.
Roll the bark to about the mid point...
Start to roll the other end, this time without the stick to create a more open roll to shape the finial.
Bring the two ends together...
Stack the bark rolls and set it aside to dry in this shape.
Design tip: To keep it from unrolling slip the rolled bark into a vase so that it is kept tightly rolled.
Remove the bark once completely dry.
Remove the metal clips...
And secure the strips of bark where they overlap into one long strip with hot glue.
Pull the two rolls out towards the sides.
And secure the bark rolls into position with hot glue.
Paint the finial shape (or giant, delicious looking Christmas Croissant, depending on who you ask...) with thinned wood glue.
And sprinkle on artificial snow to settle in the glue puddles.
Set the bark shape aside to dry...
Add in a few dew drop crystals and more snow and your finial is ready for its flowers...
If you would prefer a table top design using the bark armature you can find a link below.
Measure out and cut wire to be longer than the bark finial...
Slip the wire right through the bark from the one side to the other.
Decide on the top and the bottom of your design... I wanted my end to be thinner and more elongated so I am using the tighter wound side for that...
Roll the end of the wire with pliers to create a flat base...
That fits snugly on the bark roll.
Roll the top wire twice around to make a sturdy hanger...
Secure the end of the wire with pliers and twist it back into the bark roll to conceal the sharp point.
Use hot glue to secure the wires at the top and bottom firmly in place.
Test your design to make sure it hangs straight before hanging it up to design. Adjust by bending the top wire if needed.
Book readers turn to page 208 for a similar idea for a design... only this time using eucalyptus threaded leaves. For more information about my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman
I started my design by gluing in a few alpine huckleberry tips...
Extending over the top...
And all the way to the bottom...
And every here and there in between.
Paint the hook on the top with wood glue and cover with a sprinkling of snow to conceal.
I am cutting kalanchoe flowers straight from the plant. These flowers look delicate but last so well even without a water source. This design will look pretty for weeks!
Glue the tiny flowers into the design with floral glue.
And build up tiny arrangements by adding buds and sprigs of lemon cypress.
Be careful not to compact the flowers too tight.
Allow the flowers to blossom naturally...
With some flowers higher than the others... and others pointing to the side.
And the lemon cypress sprigs to extend out from the design.
This week in our email I tell you how I cut the sprigs of ever green to insert into the design... yes! there is absolutely a trick. I send out an email every Wednesday morning (Vancouver time) the moment the design is ready for you to view with a note about the design that is "nice to know" when looking at the week's inspiration. The sign up is below this post.
Allow the design to spin so that you can make sure every tiny arrangement is complete with no gaps visible from all angles.
Finish off the design with a few larger dew drop crystals to add sparkle...
And a pretty bauble... or three. It's Christmas time!!!
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Tutorials
It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.
This is a convenient way to keep flowers perfectly upright while you wait for glue to dry.
Long, long, long lasting display that will even root in place with a few adjustments.
A snowflake covered design that will hang on to well past Christmas.
Use delicate sprigs of cypress or juniper, fir, pine, eucalyptus, ivy or a combination of them all to create a winter themed kissing bough
Glue curved twig snippets to craft a delicate winter white Christmas tree
Cover a wreath frame with bark strips and fluffed out cotton
Cover a cardboard shape in cotton and bark to create a floral armature
Craft an ethereal Christmas tree from Eucalyptus leaves, twigs and sparkling snow flake crystals.
The delicate Kalanchoe flowers last surprisingly well without a water source and is ideal for glue techniques
Kalanchoe flowers last weeks without a water source and is the perfect way to dress up a bark and silver bell sleigh
Not only will your home smell wonderful while crafting this design you will also have a ethereal and long lasting design to enjoy.
Long lasting berries, magnolia leaves and succulent (kalanchoe) flowers that can remain without any water or maintenance for... well... all the way to Christmas!
Spiral birch bark strips into two mirror images to create a wintery wrap for a bud vase.
A pretty way to warm up your living space with the luxurious velvet texture you find on the underside of Magnolia leaves.
Cozy textured tall and luxurious table top tree design.
Favourite Flowers
Christmas Kalanchoe, Kalanchöe or Kalanchoë
Related Designs
A light... and slight start to designing for Christmas... an oversized Finial
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A frozen in a moment bark scroll with silver leaf letters that was about to reveal Santa's Nice list!
An on-purpose-not-yet-quite-done design to remind us to enjoy the Christmas moments as they unfold.
Bark ice skates on a snow covered pond... perfect for capturing Christmas memories!
My Spring/Easter design and the introduction article about my floral journey written by the editor, Nina Tucknott in the latest issue of Flora Magazine.
Glue the most delicate twig table top Christmas tree
Cover a wreath frame with bark and cotton for a textured Christmas wreath design
Glue bark to a wire frame to create a Christmas stocking armature
My article and flower girl net basket design featured in the Red! issue of DIY Weddings Magazine
Craft a bark sleigh that will last for weeks.
An easy and naturally fragrant winter white candle decoration to bring nature into your house this Christmas.
A little bit of effort... that will last for weeks design to roll us in to the Festive Season.
A little bit of effort... that will last for weeks design to hang about the whole Festive Season.
Roll birch bark into a double spiral to cradle some perfect flowers to admire all winter.
Tall and velvety Christmas tree... with a starlight garland