Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Spin a tinsel and eucalyptus Christmas star gift basket
- 25 December 2019
- click to send Christine a smile
Cut out two cardboard star shapes
Design note: I wanted my basket to have that wabi-sabi handmade look so I made the shape imperfect. It makes it a bit more difficult to match the box and the lid perfectly... but I felt it is worth it for the overall look. If you want to have the basket look a bit neater draw out a perfect star to use as template. In this case perfect is definitely easier.
Cut a cardboard strip as thick as you want the basket to be deep.
Glue the strip around the outer edge of one of the stars.
No need to be too perfect this is just to help you measure the edge later on.
Glue the cardboard all the way around.
Match the second star to the box to make sure you know which way around you should make the lid.
Cut some eucalyptus seedpods and stems.
I used tinsel to tie the stems together. You can also use wire or just glue... or a combination of all.
Curl the left over tinsel strips to create a festive contrast to the stems.
Newsletter subscribers: My tip for you this week is another reason why I curled the tinsel after knotting it... it really makes the task so much easier!
Tinsel curls are so pretty... see the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how to curl wire, ribbon and tinsel with a knife.
Fill in the star shape with twigs. Make sure to secure each twig at at least three places to another twig for a sturdy gift box.
Add in the seedpods.
Lift the stem star away from the cardboard and "strap down" the seeded eucalyptus by wrapping it with tinsel. The surface should be... flat-ish so that you can see the shape.
Tie the stems and seedpods with tinsel and curl the tinsel ends.
I wanted my box to be light an ethereal so I left some gaps between the twigs, tinsel and the seeded eucalyptus.
Make a second star.
It's important to keep track of the shape so match it together often and adjust if needed.
The support pieces of the sides are made in a wire frame. I do this so that I can adjust the shape slightly to fit the lid on the box.
Simply twist in long lengths of wire.
Place the cardboard star on the bottom twig star to measure the height of the wire. Twist the wire to combine.
Extend the wire ends to the sides and connect with a new piece of wire. Twist in new wire to create the side panel.
Follow the pattern that you have set on the lid and base of the basket when you filled in the shape with twigs so that if forms a unit.
Press the box slightly down on the base so that you can measure the wire all the way around the star.
When the sides are wired you are ready to fill in the gaps with twigs, seeded eucalyptus and tinsel.
Make sure the lid still fit on the basket.
Adjust the wire where needed...
... So that the lid fits on the box shape.
Press the corners to make sure you can clearly see the star shape.
Follow the star shape with stems all around the top edge of the box.
Secure the stem to the wire with tinsel with a double knot and curl
Book readers if you are concerned that the knots are slipping see page: 49 of my book on easy ways to make a granny knot permanent.
Follow the same pattern to add stems to the sides.
Add in the seeded eucalyptus and strap it in with the tinsel.
Design tip: Use a lei needle to help you spin the tinsel. The needle's eye is open and you can easily thread in the tinsel to feed through tiny gaps. To see a close-up picture of a lei needle look at page 219 of my book. You will also find a mini tutorial there for how to improvise and make your own lei needle from wire.
Decorate the lid. I used large crystals and gorgeous blue green Eryngium flowers...
Spin over some curled tinsel to finish the design.
To close the box:
Weave a ribbon through the sides and around the bottom of the basket.
Weave the ribbon through the bottom and not just resting on the bottom so that it closes securely.
Make sure the ribbon follows the shape so that you have space to place the gift.
Place the gift in tissue paper inside the basket.
Because of the seeded eucalyptus the lid will also settle on the basket so that it is secure.
Wiggle the lid gently on the basket to settle and bring the ribbon over the top.
Tie a bow to secure.
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Tutorials
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