Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Suspend design elements around a poinsettia forest floor display
- 30 December 2020
- click to send Christine a smile
Draw a basic reindeer outline on cardboard and cut the shape out.
Paint the reindeer black.
Craft branches from wire and add a few crystals and spray snow...
See the Tutorials below for more detailed instructions on how to add snow and the crystals to a design.
Bind the branches to candles and secure it with hot glue.
Design tip: this is a great way to protect the candles (especially battery operated candles that will not burn down) so that it is not damaged so that you can use them again.
Spray on more snow.
Newsletter subscribers: I wanted to explain a bit more on how I used the placement of my design elements to add to the illusion of lightness but it required a more lengthy explanation and I wanted you to be able to write back if you have a comment or question. Make sure to subscribe, if you are not yet, so that you can receive advance notification of the exclusive tips and join our weekly floral design conversation.
If you want decorate tie a ribbon around the reindeer's neck...
I went for a simple glitter scarf tie... but you can decorate it as colourful as your style is.
Test out the placement of the design elements so that everything fits in the display tray with more than enough space for the exquisite green poinsettia flowers.
For more placement tips see this week's Newsletter email.
Add a tiny silver bell... just for extra jingle...
Add in a few more crystals.
See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions.
Tie in any other decorations- for my design I used the smaller snowflake crystal ornaments from the Swarovski Christmas collection.
Caramelize the milky stem of the flower over a candle.
If you are interested in the how and why of conditioning flowers I have an entire section on it in my book. Turn to page 69-110: First Aid for your design elements. It's fascinating!
Glue in tiny water tubes into the display tray. See the Tutorial below for an easy way to make your own water tubes.
Again there is a reason why I did this and not simply placed the stem in the water filled display tray. See this week's newsletter email.
Place the stem in the water filled tube so that it remains hydrated.
Fluff out cotton wool to conceal the water tubes and line the display container with fluffy snow.
See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how to fluff out cotton wool.
Glue in the cardboard reindeer.
Sign up for my weekly newsletter
Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.
Tutorials
It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.
When you need to keep a tiny stem hydrated this is just what you need.
Cotton balls can be unrolled and fluffed to create long garlands of "snow"
Because even Santa takes out a moment to have some fun on Christmas eve.
Inspired by seedpods... Glue Silver Dollar Eucalyptus leaves into 3 dimensional Christmas decorations.
Artificial snow covered cardboard mittens to add to a winter themed design.
The fluffy stuffing found in pillows create beautiful, water repellent tree skirts.
Cover a wreath frame with bark strips and fluffed out cotton
Cover a cardboard shape in cotton and bark to create a floral armature
Artificial snow can be very "chemical" and flowers deteriorate quickly when exposed to it. It also dissolves in water. I use candle wax as "snow"
Glue tiny sections of pipe to the bark to fill as a water source for the fresh flower material
Using all those cardboard boxes to craft a bark covered "log" design for getting a head start on Christmas decorating.
Related Designs
An easy to do ahead of time winter wonderland themed design for the calm days just after Christmas but before New Years Eve.
Weave a wire and twig Christmas chandelier
For this year's Christmas tree I wired and glued a wild and wintry twig armature... but... these little eucalyptus baubles are just the cutest!
...ok not really that fancy- it’s made from paper pulp. A cardboard box snow mittens… really. In the spirit of 2020- I am inspired by the endless stream of cardboard boxes being...
Glue the most delicate twig table top Christmas tree
Cover a wreath frame with bark and cotton for a textured Christmas wreath design
Glue bark to a wire frame to create a Christmas stocking armature
Design 3 looking at How to style with artificial plants and branches using quality faux plants and stems. This week: mistletoe! And also .. give your faux a reason for being...
Design 2 of my three week pre-Christmas designing series looking at How to style with artificial plants and branches using quality faux plants and stems. This week: wired branches
Capilano Flower Arranging Club Designing for Christmas Workshop: Yule log
...ok not really that fancy- it’s made from paper pulp. A cardboard box Yule log… really. In the spirit of 2020- I am inspired by the endless stream of cardboard boxes being...