Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Making light of a heavy, heavy pumpkin in double low containers for a zero waste kitchen pumpkin display… a few days before Thanksgiving
- 9 October 2024
- click to send Christine a smile
A great way to show off your Thanksgiving pumpkin before cooking it… keeping the pumpkin well above and out of the water so that it will not rot and you can easily remove it from the design when you are ready.
Measure out your pretty pumpkin to find a low container that is just slightly bigger...
Place this container base side up in a bigger shallow container.
Create a generous stem by stripping a foxtail fern. I wanted almost half of my design be fern-free. If you want to extend the fern all the way around strip only what you need.
Slip the fern stem under the container in the middle to anchor it in the design.
Curve the fern between the two glass containers.
Position the pumpkin on the middle glass container...
I am placing mine so that it is closer to the edge on one side leaving a wider halfmoon in front.
And slip the tip of the fern under the pumpkin to anchor it on that side.
Lift the fern so that it is rests on the edge of the container.
Pour water into the container taking care to leave the container dry where the pumpkin rests. The waterline should be below that so that the pumpkin is always above the water.
Slip chrysanthemum stems through the foxtail fern and make sure the stems are in the water below so that they remain hydrated.
Simply fill the gap around the back with a row of chrysanthemums.
To support the flowers with the foxtail fern use a paint brush or a stick to separate the fern to create a gap...
Cut the whole chrysanthemum stems shorter...
Slip the stem through the gap...
And nestle the flowers between the fern so that the forks in the flower stem catches on the fern.
Make up smaller bunches to fill the larger gaps by hooking the flower stems through the forks in the stems to tangle them a bit.
Settle the bunches around the edge of the container to fill the gaps all the way around. The ideal is that it should be light so do not overstuff the bowl with flowers.
Curl a few grasses and slip it through the fern.
Book readers turn to page 288 where I show you how to manipulate grasses. For this design you will do two kinds of curls though. So try the ringlets from the book for the smaller curls and the Tutorial below for the larger curves. For more information about my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman
Because the flowers are standing upright you have a bit of a harsh transition between the flowers and the stems showing through the glass. To fix this pay special attention to curve the grass curls over the front edge of the container so that blend the glass edge of the design with the flower filled top
Add in grasses all the way around the design to create a wild grass tangle.
This week in our email I talk a bit more about the two types of curls that I am adding into this design. Make sure you are signed up to receive a tip email from me every Wednesday morning (Vancouver time) the moment the new design is ready for you to view.
Add in a few stems of contorted hazel. Dried stems around the outer edge of the design...
And fresh contorted hazel stems in the water every here and there around the inside.
My last ingredient is a few roots...
They are so fine that you hardly see them but it is a great way to add a rustic feel to the design so that it looks like a just harvested autumn design... and you are almost forgiven for using a organic pumpkin with imperfections because it is now deliberate.
Also don't cut the stem clean, if you have a rustic pumpkin. It makes the rustic look more deliberate. In fact open it up a bit so that it looks like the roots.
And as always I finish my design with a few sparkling dew drop crystals
See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how and why I use a pin to position the crystals.
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Tutorials
It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.
Most leaves and foliage can be slightly manipulated to curve or curl.
Use a wreath to keep flower and a heavy little ghost pumpkin in place in a small vase.
Glued Baby's Breath Wreath, folded in half to create a moon shaped armature
For this design I wanted my wreath to be light and airy so that it just whips around the solid pumpkin like a breeze.
The word ‘Besom’ derives from the old English ‘besma’ meaning ‘bundle of twigs’.
Suspend a heavy butternut over water in an early Autumn design.
Create a textured wreath with Chrysanthemums and rolled up Autumn leaves
Wrap and tie a fishbowl vase with corn foliage to craft a lantern for autumn... almost... Halloween.
Weave willow between the fork in a twig to create a paddle like armature
Made from dried cherry twigs and a skeleton leaf.
It’s amazing how we sometimes try to complicate a design. I tried adding calla lilies… took them out and loved the willow. Added gerberas. Took them out and loved the willow....
A hovering Halloween design that seems to float.
Instead of vegetable net bags becoming trash wrap it around your container for an instant armature. It even looks a bit like a spider web- perfect for a long lasting design as we...
Reshape a vine wreath into smaller wreaths to combine as a pumpkin
Twirl and wrap wire and lily grass around a dowel stick to create a spring frog
Favourite Flowers
Chrysanthemum or "mums"
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A simple way to keep the plastic mesh the pumpkins are sold in from becoming trash: wrap it around the container as an armature for a quick Fall design. Replace the flowers as...
