Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Spiny Twig Porcupine Armature
- 2 October 2013
- click to send Christine a smile
Cut a large cardboard circle
Cut the cardboard circle in half
Cut a few twigs...
Cut the one end at a very sharp angle
Pour out some wood glue to cover a Styrofoam block.
Spread the glue evenly on all four sides
Sprinkle an even layer of black sand on the block while the glue is still wet
Set the block aside for the glue to dry.
Pour out some more glue...
... and spread it evenly over the block.
Sprinkle all four sides with potting soil and set aside to dry completely.
Fit the one half of the cardboard under the block. Spear the first twig into the Styrofoam block.
Add a few more twigs. Continue to follow the outlines of the cardboard circle.
Remove the cardboard and add or adjust the twigs to make sure the armature is secure
Place the cardboard on the foam block and secure with four pins
Spear in the first twig...
Spear in two more twigs...
Spear in a few more twigs...
And a few more twigs...
Spear in a test tube. I covered the three test tubes with potting soil (see Tutorial below)so that they are almost invisible against the Styrofoam block
Add a few more test tubes
Fill the test tubes with water
See Tutorial below for information on how to make your own "syringe with tube"
Add the fresh flowers
Bend a wire into a hairpin or "U" shape to pin more twigs in to place.
Pin a few twigs to hide most of the foam block
Spear in a few more twigs to complete the shape. Wrap a few twig ends with blue wire to pick up the colour from the flowers
See Tutorial below for more information on wrapping twigs with wire.
Add a twig garland, a few bits of wire and finish the design with a few fall leaves.
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Tutorials
Easy way to fill test tubes and easiest way to remove water from a vase
I do not believe in arranging flowers without a water source of some kind. I want my flowers to remain as beautiful for as long as possible and I often get quite creative to...
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