Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Palm and hazel fan together to support perfect to pick Helleborus stems
- 15 January 2025
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Paint a few hazel twigs with wood glue and sprinkle on some artificial snow. Set it aside to dry while making the rest of the design.
See the Tutorial below for more detailed information on how i prepared the hazel twigs.
Snip a few leaflets from a palm front...
Stack the leaflets together.
Hold the stack of palm leaflets tightly...
And pierce right through the entire stack with a bamboo skewer. You can use either a kebab skewer or a toothpick. This hole is just a guide hole. We replace it with prettier twig.
Cut the top and the bottom of the palm leaflets straight.
Fill a small display vase with an opening that will just fit the palm leaflet stack with water.
Keep the palm leaflets in a tight stack to make it easier for you to insert the twig into the display container.
Cut the hazel twig end at a sharp angle to make it easier to thread the palm leaflets. Carefully remove the bamboo skewer and use the hole as a guide to thread the leaflets onto the more decorative snow covered hazel twig. Be careful not to break off the snow bits.
This week in our email I show how I keep the stack of leaflets together so that I can easily replace the twig. I send out an email every Wednesday morning (Vancouver time) to let everyone know when the latest design is ready to view with a bonus tip for you to have a closer look at. You can sign up below this post. The next email will go out at about 8 on Wednesday morning.
So that the palm leaflets are threaded through the sturdy cut end of the hazel twig with the softer, more pliable side branches on the other end.
The idea is that the twig will wedge inside the container from side to side to keep it in place. For my twig I needed to insert the stem first...
Bend the hazel twig so that it fits into the display vase...
And tuck the cut end of the hazel twig into the display vase so that it wedges the entire palm lead stack securely into place.
Fan open the palm leaflets.
Top up the water in the display vase so that all the cut ends are below water and can remain hydrated.
Leave the one side of the fan perfectly in place and guide the other side to follow the twig...
Thread the palm leaflets through to follow the curves of the hazel twig.
To give the fan shape a curve on one end...
... that is also a bit more spaced out...
... To fit a larger hellebores flower stem.
Insert a few flower buds lower into the fan...
Drape rosary vines over and around the palm leaflet fan.
Add in a few curled blades of lily grass.
Book readers turn to page 288 where I show you how to manipulate grasses. For more information about my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman
But to get you started I also have another way linked below in the Tutorial section.
And finish the design with a few dew drop crystals for some extra winter sparkle.
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Tutorials
Thread grass into flexi grass to create a spinner that gently turns in the wind.
Most leaves and foliage can be slightly manipulated to curve or curl.
It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.
Fanned out Tulips for a snowy winter display... that stays just so.
I wanted to make a thin and delicate fan with open spaced slats for weaving plant material through.
Tulips continue to grow as they open. This means you not only have to be mindful of their proportions as they are now... but also as they will be once open.
A larger summer display in a Kenzan
Threaded Heuchera (Coral Bells) rosette with curved stems to kick against the sides of your container to keep it suspended above water.
Carefully bubble out a tied bunch of grass to make a cavity to display gorgeous flowers.
Stack snippets of grass on a wire frame to make a floating pyramid armature
Dark and dramatic burgundy lilies are tucked in low to line a fan shaped basket that unravels into an unruly nest
Hide the prettiest of flowers in the entire bunch in plain sight by framing it with elegant grass.
Weave a small panel that fits snugly in a container for a minimal, foam free design that is quick to make but looks spectacular.
Carefully break... but don't snap a reed to create a curved base for a fanned out grass armature.
Favourite Flowers
Rosary vine, Chain of Hearts, Collar of hearts and String of hearts
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