Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Slot together Monstera Twin Leaves to create a design gap
- 24 April 2024
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Match up the leaf fenestration (gaps or holes) in two Monstera leaves so that it can be slot together to overlap.
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The leaf stem needs to be manipulated to give it a sharp angle...
Be firm but careful when you bend the stem you don't want to snap your carefully chosen stem.
Book readers: turn to page 284 where I show you how to manipulate stems.
For more information about my book:
The Effortless Floral Craftsman
... but to get you started I have also linked a basic Tutorial about twig manipulation below this post.
Test the leaves to make sure it slots in together seamlessly...
Choose a small and shallow display container to keep the flower material hydrated.
Carefully lift the two monstera leaves and place it in the shallow container so that they stand upright.
Pour some water into the shallow display container to make sure all the floral material remains hydrated.
The tiny gap between the two leaves are perfect for giving support to a flower stem...
Simply wiggle the stem through the gap and it will remain perfectly upright.
... but you can also level up the design and add a small bundle of stems:
Gather a small bunch of Spring floral treasures...
Secure the bunch with florist (gutta percha) stem wrap tape.
Roll a tiny tape ball.
And place the tape ball into the stems...
The little ball keep the stems apart so that the tiny bunch stands upright on its own.
Design note: Give the stems a slight twist so that it spirals.
Slip the bundle through the gap in the monstera leaves...
And set the design back into the shallow container. Make sure all the stems are below the water line.
Finish off the design with a few dew drop crystals on the monstera leaves.
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Tutorials
Most stems, twigs and even sturdier branches can be bend into shapes. It takes practice and more than a bit of patience. The main idea is to slowly manipulate the branch without...
It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.
Glue short sections of rosary vine into the natural gaps in the Monstera deliciosa leaf
Fold and glue a Monstera deliciosa (delicious monster) leaf
Curl and pin a few leaves into a tube to create an armature for those "left over" freesiabuds.
Add a leaf to a large-ish vase to create a small puddle of water for your short flower stem to rest in.
Prevent a leaf from ripping or bruising when positioning it in your design.
Adding design details to create tiny gaps for more design details.
Quick and easy design... perfect for something tiny to celebrate spring.... everywhere!
Create a shallow puddle in a larger container to keep your flowers in place.
Create a tiny visual tunnel to focus attention.
Stack snippets of grass on a wire frame to make a floating pyramid armature
Related Designs
Support a small bundle of spring florals to stand upright in water with two Monstera leaves.
Dutch floral designer Pim van den Akker, from Flower Factor invited me to participate in a FloraHolland initiative promoting the versatility of Freesias entitled ...
Freestyle Freesia design video for Flower Factor
... a something to look forward to design that makes you lean in closer to see what might still be.
Criss-cross corset style connect the gaps in a Monstera deliciosa leaf
Gently curve a shallow area with a leaf to showcase a gorgeous flower with a short stem in a water filled vase
A small design to display those last Spring snippets from your garden...
Give a minimal design a few grass "whiskers" to feel that Spring breeze.
Position foliage to create a smaller, shallow pond for your floral details to shelter in.
An enclosed design that invites the onlooker to lean in closer to explore the pretty orchid.
