My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Tendril support to anchor a floating vase (and its ginormous bubble) in place

The tricky part of this design is… for the two vases to have a giant trapped bubble between the layers they need to float. But a floating vase moves and the design details will move with it. How do you anchor it in place… without actually looking like you anchored it in place?

For this design you will need two shallow display containers

For this design you will need two shallow display containers, one slightly smaller than the other.

Book readers turn to page 167 where I show you how to use the double vase trick.

For more information about my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman

Remove most of the larger foliage from a passion fruit vine

Remove most of the larger foliage from a passion fruit vine...

I want the design to look like it just "woke up" and... it's Spring!

Slip the cut end of the vine under the top container to keep it in place while you twirl it inside the containers

Slip the cut end of the vine under the top container to keep it in place while you twirl it inside the containers.

Wind the vine around the container and rest the tip inside the smaller container

Wind the vine around the container and rest the tip inside the smaller container.

Add in a shorter clematis vine

Add in a shorter clematis vine.

Make sure the clematis vine is hooked under the passion fruit vine so that it remains under water when the container is filled with water

Make sure the clematis vine is hooked under the passion fruit vine so that it remains under water when the container is filled with water.

The vine tendrils tell a story in this design

The vine tendrils tell a story in this design... I hint at that by letting the two vines meet in the middle. Stretch out a tendril and let it catch on the vine

Now for a bit of a trick... as I pour in the water...

The top vase starts to float and a bubble forms between the two containers

The top vase starts to float and a bubble forms between the two containers.

Hold the containers with your one hand and guide the bubble to frame the meeting place of the two vines...

The bubble now forms a third circle just there where you want the onlooker to notice the vines meet

The bubble now forms a third circle just there where you want the onlooker to notice the vines meet.

It is a tiny little detail. It makes you notice the tendrils... because...

I now use the tendrils to neatly anchor the containers in place

I now use the tendrils to neatly anchor the containers in place. Look carefully at the design. You want the anchor points to be natural. Stretch out a vine and use floral glue to attach to both containers.

Use the tendrils as support for the flowers

Use the tendrils as support for the flowers.

This week in our email I tell you more about cutting and conditioning clematis flowers. They can be a challenge. And it is exactly for the most challenging of clematis flowers that this kind of design is ideal... working with what they need rather than getting frustrated by it. I send out a design specific bonus tip each week in an email, the moment the new design is ready for you to view.... always Wednesday mornings (Vancouver time) always at 8. If you are not yet receiving the email the sign up is below the post. This is also a great way for us to connect. Simply reply to the email if you have questions or comments (or have another clematis conditioning tip for us) I would love to hear from you.

Move all the way around the design and secure the tendrils

Move all the way around the design and secure the tendrils. first to the one container and then to the other.

Creating a barely there anchor.

Creating a barely there but surprisingly secure anchor for the floating container.

For interest... this was inspired by the mooring snubber of a boat. A snubber is a piece of rubber that acts as a shock absorber to dampen the sudden jerking or pulling forces on the lines that moor your boat.

Carefully inspect the vines all the way around the container

Carefully inspect the vines all the way around the container to find places where you can connect the vines to the containers with the smallest bit of glue.

The idea is to rather have many weaker connections than large obvious ones. The vase should be held in place but gently. It should rather let go than break.

Finish off the design with a few dew drop crystals

Finish off the design with a few dew drop crystals...

When you pick up the vase it should still wobble but not move so much that they bubble escapes

And make sure all the tendrils are secure. The idea is not for the entire design to have no movement. Part of the charm is that the container floats. When you tap on the containers or pick up the design it should still wobble but not move so much that they bubble escapes.

Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.

Tutorials

8 July 2015 Using a pin to place tiny dew drop crystals

It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.

18 August 2021 Racked up dried Twig Snippets to display a few flower buds

Combining dried and fresh floral details for a easy breezy summer design.

14 September 2022 Summer harvest Vine Swirl

A great way have your vines root and enjoy them too...

13 September 2017 Tape a grid around the edges of a container for a table top wreath

Suspend flowers with an almost invisible taped grid

15 April 2020 A Sticky-tape way to keep blossom petals from dropping

Capture Spring for just a little bit longer by sticking blossoms down, in place.

1 November 2023 Canary vine tangle in a double vase

Great craft for when you are tidying up the garden before the first frost but would still like to enjoy the vines for a bit longer.

22 January 2014 That good old double vase trick

Create a dry layer by placing a smaller vase inside the larger vase

11 August 2021 Dried twig collar in a double vase display for gravity sensitive flowers

Putting the focus on the flowers with an ever changing design.

24 January 2018 Stack two glass vases to keep a leaf upright in water

Slip a leaf into the gap between two glass containers to keep it upright... and add a plastic lining to support the flowers nestled into it.

31 January 2024 Frosted Glass Chip Edge for a glass container

Glue glass chips into a half moon to help keep the floral details in place.

3 February 2021 Weave a Ceropegia Woodii Vine grid to catch your flowers

Suspend flowers over a water filled container by weaving a natural grid.

10 April 2024 See through Jasmine Vine tangle support

This is a great way to explore using vines dried, soon to dry and fresh and hydrated to craft the thinnest possible transparent design.

Related Designs

17 April 2024 In The Time it Takes To Listen To Learn

Ideal design for those flowers that needs a deep soak to remain hydrated.

24 July 2024 Just... the Most

Perfect for summer designing with some space for the vines to continue to grow in your design.

20 January 2021 Hope Bubble

That good old double vase trick... but this time I deliberately added a bubble between the two layers to create a third circle in the design.

18 August 2021 At Play

A quick-to-do-but-looks-impressive way to display a beautiful cut garden vine for an effortless summer design.

14 September 2022 Overgrown S-Autum-mer Swirl

Designing for somewhere not still summer not yet autumn weather...

13 September 2017 Around again

Tape a grid at the edge of a container

15 April 2020 Helping Spring Stick Around

Blossom petals drop so quickly! Here's a way to make them last just that little bit longer.

1 November 2023 That day after Halloween feeling

Time to cut down vines... and enjoy them a bit longer in a Halloween display.

11 August 2021 A bit Special... four dimensional designing

Using that little something that is unusual about your flower to make the design stand out.

24 January 2018 How to make a stack of just enough:

Stack two vases to create a small gap at the side to keep a leaf upright

31 January 2024 Surround and Sound

Half moon frosted glass chip edge for a winter themed design.

3 February 2021 here’s the catch

Weave an all natural net to place over a vase to keep your flowers above water.

10 April 2024 (if only) I can see you

Tangle jasmine vines outside a vase for a transparent screen to display floral details on and around a sea horse vase to display floral details in.