My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Loop and Twist a Wire and Twig Tangle Grid

Place a shallow container on your design surface

Place a shallow container on your design surface.

Gather your super fancy flat copper wire

Gather your super fancy flat copper wire.

And with gather I mean unroll it from a copper pot scrubber. And by super fancy I mean you can curl it like gift ribbon. To get you started I have a Tutorial below to show you how I unravel the wire and how I use it. It really is my favourite. Book readers turn to page 37 where I tell you about this wire and how I customize wire for unique design solutions.

For more information about my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman

Cut a few twigs and gather a handful of autumn leaves

Cut a few twigs and gather a handful of autumn leaves.

Twist tie the wire around the container

Twist tie the wire around the container.

Tie a twig down over the container with the wire

Tie a twig down over the container with the wire.

Loop the long end over the wire and secure the twig on the other side

Loop the long end over the wire and secure the twig on the other side.

Loop the wire around the bottom and add another twig

Loop the wire around the bottom and add another twig. Loop the wire around it to secure.

Break up the neat wrapping pattern to create a tangle

Break up the neat wrapping pattern to create a tangle.

I love the idea of a more tangled look for Autumn- it just seems to "go". Maybe for winter I would have used a silver wire and looped it more neatly creating a more formal look. Or for summer I would have used clear line to create a cool clear look. For spring some ribbon. Easy to customize and add a distinctive personality.

Work your way down the container tangling wire and twigs

Work your way down the container tangling wire and twigs.

Wind the wire around and around the container

Wind the wire around and around the container to create a copper shine around the base of the container.

Wiggle the twigs to make sure they are secure and wire down any that are not yet secure

Wiggle the twigs to make sure they are secure and wire down any that are not yet secure.

Fill the container with water between the twig and wire

Fill the container with water.

Cut the sedum clusters and groom it so that you have mostly fresh and open flowers

Cut the sedum clusters short and groom it to both thin the cluster and remove the faded flowers in between.

For my design I wanted to use mostly fully opened sedum so that it is not too compact. I have a tip for you in this week's email discussing how I thinned out the sedum to keep the design light and airy. You can sign up for the always on a Wednesday morning email by entering your details below this post.

Place the opened sedum flowers to rest on the grid

Place the opened sedum flowers to rest on the grid.

Add flowers to the container to rest gently in the tangle

Add flowers to the container to rest gently in the tangle.

To make sure all the flowers are in the water gently tap them down using your ring finger

To make sure all the flowers are in the water gently tap them down using your ring finger. Your ring finger is your weakest tapping finger and you will not knock off any flowers. If a stem has more bounce than the rest it means it is suspended too high. Either reposition the stem or cut it shorter and place it back in the water.

If you want- especially if the design is going to be transported you can go back and loop a few wires around to secure the sedum.

Glue in a few autumn leaves

Glue in a few autumn leaves.

And wind a few strands of copper wire to curl around the twigs

And wind a few strands of copper wire to curl around the twigs.

This is honestly why copper scrubber make the best wire. You can curl them by simply running your nail or scissors down the length! It creates such gorgeous curls. Well worth the effort of unraveling it.

Reset any leaves that are not quite as you want it

Book readers turn to page: 111 for a fun way to make dried material less brittle. This is especially handy so early in the season where you might not have such a huge variety of material to choose from and might have to reset or rescue some.

Extend some of the wire ends beyond the twigs to make them more noticeable

If you include something fun in the design you might as well show it off. Extend some of the wire ends beyond the twigs to make them more noticeable.

Place the orchids in the design and make sure the stems are deep in the water

Wiggle the orchid stem ends between the sedum to sure the stems are deep in the water. I use a tweezer to make it easier.

Also cut the stems as long as possible. I have a bit more information on how I cut flowers from a spike in my book but to get you started I have added a Tutorial below to show you how.

Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.

Tutorials

5 May 2011 Unravel wire from a copper pot scrubber

Up-cycle a pot scrubber to get a huge roll of very pretty copper wire

25 August 2011 Placing orchids in test tubes

Cut the Phalaenopsis orchid with a bit of green stem attached. This will make them last longer.

4 November 2020 Pot-scrubber copper wire curls and autumn twig twirls bud vase toppers

A quick solution for a minimal horizontal autumn display -on top of bud vases.

5 May 2011 Wire curls

curl wire to add to designs

3 December 2014 Magnetic Twig Bundle Boutonniere

Glue a few twigs into a bundle to hide a corsage magnet

22 May 2012 Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.

10 May 2017 Skewered Eucalyptus leaf line-up armature

Thread leaves through wire

2 November 2016 Driftwood base for a floral foam pebble design

The flat surface of a piece of driftwood creates a base to design on

5 June 2019 Stack a Stack of Stems to create a sturdy grid Armature... with some height

Stack green lily stems to create an upright mechanic to keep shorter stems in place.

6 September 2017 Contained rose twig stack

Glue the twigs in a container to easily follow the round shape

13 January 2016 Stacked Grass Pyramid Armature

Stack snippets of grass on a wire frame to make a floating pyramid armature

10 August 2016 Bamboo frog for a shallow container design

Cut short bamboo lengths to keep your flower material upright in a shallow and narrow container

29 July 2020 Foxtail in a bud vase forest floor

Create a sturdy platform from bark to design an entire forest floor on a single foxtail fern frond

1 January 2020 Create a centerpiece foundation with lumber and the cellophane your flowers were wrapped in

A winter themed centerpiece with a secret water source (without a container or floral foam)

Favourite Flowers

Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis, Moth orchid

Related Designs

25 August 2021 Doing a loop tangle twist

oh yes, a light an airy design showing off those very first autumn leaves.

12 July 2023 Standing in frond

Standing your delicate flower stems in a fern frond.

27 December 2023 A Very Merry Dried Orange and these from My Greenhouse to yours Trendy Christmas Cheer

And of course I would add the environmentally friendly-estest floral design option to top all the rest. Reusable and upcycled... and smells wonderful.

18 September 2024 Finding balance

Balancing dried ribbons of foliage to craft a wind twisted floral display.

4 November 2020 Because that is just how I roll

A tumbling fall leaf design making use of the autumn leaves that are already falling to the ground.

3 December 2014 Finding Common Ground

My article and twig boutonniere design featured in the Winter issue of DIY Weddings Magazine

10 May 2017 About a line

Skewer and line up leaves to create an armature

5 June 2019 Add up!

Stacking green stems to create an armature for short stemmed flowers.

6 September 2017 One of those difficult questions

Glue a bunch of twigs inside a container to create a round stack

13 January 2016 Once Upon A Time

Stack and glue a Grass Pyramid Armature

10 August 2016 Saved up

Cut lengths of bamboo to place in a shallow container as a flower frog

29 July 2020 Tail end of the story

Craft a bark platform to design on in a foxtail fern frond.

2 November 2016 Pick your poison

A Fun Halloween design with "poisonous mushrooms" tucked between the moss and petals

1 January 2020 How to freeze a wow moment

Create a long lasting winter inspired floral design that looks like it is frozen in time.

22 January 2013 It's High Time for Tea: from craft to art, taking a delicious floral journey with veneer techniques

This was my second two designs for my It's High Time for Tea Floral Craft and Art Demonstration at The Capilano Flower Arranging Club meeting.