Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Rolled up Autumn leaf wreath
- 21 October 2015
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Soak yellow tissue paper in thinned wood glue
I cover the foam wreath frame with paper to create a barrier for the glue and to give the design a foundation colour that matches the design. See the Tutorial below for more details on how to make Papier Mache
Smooth the tissue paper over the frame
A single layer of paper just to cover the frame.
Set the frame aside to dry completely
I used rolled up autumn leaves to cover the frame. See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions on how I roll the leaves and secure it with its stem
Glue the leave to the frame
Continue adding leaves
Move around the frame and glue leaves
Wiggle a few rolled leaves between the glued ones to create a completly random pattern
Let the stems point in all directions
Fill in any gaps as you cover the wreath frame
Set the wreath aside so that the leaves can dry. The leaves will shrink leaving gaps for the flowers and more fresh leaves.
Blow away the strands of hot glue with a hairdryer. See the Tutorial below.
Fill in the gaps with fresh rolled leaves
Tuck a few small drinking straw test tubes ( See Tutorial below) deep into the leaves to keep the flowers hydrated and add a few more leaves to create depth.
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Tutorials
I save all the thin tissue paper or un-printed newsprint papers that are wrapped around the flowers that are delivered to me to make batches of Papier Mache with. These sheets...
A glue-less way of manipulating leaves
When you need to keep a tiny stem hydrated this is just what you need. If you can't find a suitable drinking straw... I also have an upgrade: tiny food grade pipe water tubes.
It is easier to peel a pine cone from the flat side than to try and break the scales from the top
Break pine scales from the cone and glue on a wreath frame to create a continuous pine scale wreath
Pick up a few fall leaves to glue on paper to make fairy slippers
Keep in mind that in order to make a realistic looking fantasy design element, such as the wreath, you must focus on how this item would grow in nature.
When you glue a structure with hot glue there are always a few stray strands of glue stuck all over the design. Blow it away with a hairdryer.
Favourite Flowers
Chrysanthemum or "mums"
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