Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Magnetic silverleaf bell and snowy twig clusters to suspend your flowers in a display
- 3 January 2024
- click to send Christine a smile
Paint some metal bells with wood glue and rip up a sheet of silver leaf to cover the bells with.
This week in our email I tell you a bit more about how I use or rather guild with silver (or gold) leaf. It is a wonderful and eco friendly alternative to glitter as it is not considered toxic to us or the ecosystem. If you are not yet receiving my once a week email you can find the sign up below this post.
But make sure the bells are magnetic... your entire twig cluster design hangs from this tiny magnet.
Make up three small bundles of winter twigs. The easiest way is to think of the design as three twig corsages. Place them together and add in twigs. Some pointing up, some down. Create a pretty bundle and secure the twigs in place with hot glue. Then cover them with artificial snow.
See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how I add artificial snow to twigs.
Fold and guild your paper snowflakes.
You can find a detailed Tutorial below that shows you how to make these snowflakes.
Book readers if you want to try something similar but this time using bleached mulberry bark turn to page 344 of my book for a Tutorial. For more information about my book:
The Effortless Floral Craftsman
Suspend the snowflakes over a log stand.
See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how to make the yule log stand.
Wire a tiny glass vase or water tube into the winter twig bundle with a metal wire.
So that the glass container is secure in the twig bundle.
Slip the magnet into the paper of the snowflake...
So that the magnet is concealed by the paper.
Fit the twig bundle to the snowflake to see where you need the bell to be and wire the bell to the cluster.
Snap the bell and winter twig cluster into the design using the magnet.
Fill the glass container with water.
See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions on how I make this syringe to fill containers quickly.
And place the floral details in the water... rosary vines so that it can root...
... and Helleborus with their tall stems in the water to remain hydrated and a few more succulents around the twig bundles to tie it in with the yule log below.
And finally I dressed up the design with a few dew drop crystals. There is a Tutorial below with more detailed instructions on how I add the tiny crystals into my designs.
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Tutorials
A robust stand with tall dowel sticks to slip your display over.
Fold some snowflakes to display your beautiful winter flowers on.
It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.
Glue curved twig snippets to craft a delicate winter white Christmas tree
The fluffy stuffing found in pillows create beautiful, water repellent tree skirts.
Cotton balls can be unrolled and fluffed to create long garlands of "snow"
Using all those cardboard boxes to craft a bark covered "log" design for getting a head start on Christmas decorating.
Soft and minimal glow lantern that you can make ahead of time to last all Festive Season.
Add warmth to a space with a softly glowing winter white arrangement
A cranberry lantern to cozy up a white winter's evening.
Favourite Flowers
Rosary vine, Chain of Hearts, Collar of hearts and String of hearts
Echiveria, Hen and chicks
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