Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Sunflower heart autumn display
- 21 October 2020
- click to send Christine a smile
Place three bud vases in a display container. Fill the vases with water.
Pick out the petals of a sunflower... or three.
See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how to expose the disk floret of a flower.
Measure and cut the sunflower stems. They should be short enough so that the flower head rests on the edge of the vases creating a platform.
Place the sunflowers in the vases.
Place a pretty twig to cross over the sunflower.
As always, look at the twig. The colour mirrors both the red foliage I am gong to add and the green of the sunflowers- perfect to tie the design together.
For a dramatic look extend the twigs well beyond the flowers.
Glue in tiny water tubes.
Book readers: if you want more ideas of how to add water tubes to designs- not only positions but also creative things that you can use as water tubes, including one particular one that is sooooo fun that my editor wrote me a note saying "no way! I never thought of doing that!" turn to page: 184 to 197 (the tip that my editor wrote about is on page 197... the last one)
To learn how I make my own little water tubes see the Tutorial below.
Place the orchids in the water tubes to make sure they remain hydrated.
Glue in a red chilly pepper and a smaller green one.
Glue in dried Autumn leaves...
This week in my newsletter I show you my special tip for how I glue these needle thin stems to stay just so in my designs. Every week I take one aspect of my design and discuss it in more detail in my once a week notification email. This also gives you the opportunity to reply to the email if you have any questions or tips to share so that we can connect. Make sure you are signed up before next Wednesday when I send out the next email. These tips are only available to subscribers.
Finish the design by adding a few dew drop crystals... see the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions.
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Tutorials
Gently pull the petals ( Ray floret) from the seeded part of the sunflower
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.
Adding tension to a design with a grass frame and collar.
Set the rosary vines into the natural cavity of the flower head.
A hidden water source small enough to fit into a dainty flower.
Dry fall leaves to create a ball shape structure
Create a contrasting base to lift the heavy flower-head to design in
Making a truss out of sunflower stems for a free standing design
Favourite Flowers
Sunflower
Phalaenopsis, Moth orchid
Related Designs
Use the heart of a sunflower as a platform to place your autumn floral details on.
Adding more to an autumn design... but leaving everything out that you don't need.
Using summery floral details in a way that it gives you all the autumn feelings... when autumn details are not yet out.
Filling a trumpet flower cup... with more flowers!
My Halloween design... with some scary stuff hidden if you can read between the leaves!