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Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Threaded stem and wire spacer wire garland

  • 10 August 2022

Set aside a small bundle of stems. Off cuts are just perfect for this.

Cut jewelry wire to start the garlands.

Twist the wire on one end to create a stopper.

Thread a stem into the wire working from the sharp end towards the twisted stopper.

Allow for a space in the wire and then twist another stopper in the wire.

Slip in a stem to rest on the stopper, allow for another space in the wire and twist the wire into a stopper to add another stem. Work all the way up to the sharp tip of the wire.

Curl the sharp end into a butterfly feeler. See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions about wire butterfly feelers.

Finish threading all the garlands...

Before hanging them into the design.

This week in our email I show you how I hook these feelers into the design... and why I prefer using this method. Make sure you are signed up to receive a bonus tip or a bit more in depth detail about each week's design. The sign-up is below this post.

Book readers for more inspiration also turn to page 352 where I doubled up on this method to craft a horizontal flower frog.

For more information about my book The Effortless Floral Craftsman, a floral crafter's guide to crafting with nature

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Gather what you'll need

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Dew-Drop Crystals
Dew-Drop Crystals

I created the Tutorial for how I add these crystals to my floral designs 11 years ago! Since then I have tried, tested and searched for the perfect crystals that would go from studio‑table picture perfect to show‑day‑dependable and I always come back to these. They remain the absolute best. They’re inexpensive yet have a refined, high‑quality crystal brilliance; they don’t tarnish and their adhesive backing stays reliably tacky even after they were exposed to water.
Tutorials
Cross stem spacer
10 August 2022
Cross stem spacer

Use the off-cut stems to create a spacer to keep the flowers in place.
Wire hairpin needle for threading flowers
3 April 2012
Wire hairpin needle for threading flowers

Hairpin wire needle to pierce flowers.
Twig garland
2 October 2013
Twig garland

Add a dangling garland of twigs to the design
Butterfly feeler hooks for swinging test tubes
18 January 2012
Butterfly feeler hooks for swinging test tubes

I don't always want to wire my test tubes into the design. I like to create a bit of movement by simply hooking the tubes to gently swing.
Rock Rest for a heavy Protea Flower Head
31 January 2018
Rock Rest for a heavy Protea Flower Head

Create a contrasting base to lift the heavy flower-head to design in
Delicate twig and rosary vine garland
31 July 2012
Delicate twig and rosary vine garland

Spiral stems around a Ceropegia woodii or Rosary vine.
Skewered Foliage Garland
22 March 2017
Skewered Foliage Garland

Create a garland that dries well with rolled up leaves
Stringing wool and Spanish moss
8 August 2012
Stringing wool and Spanish moss

Create veil of wool and Spanish moss
Hanging bamboo from a wired hook
22 January 2020
Hanging bamboo from a wired hook

This design can be hanged from anywhere... a case filled with twigs or a branch.
Twig Chain Garlands
23 July 2014
Twig Chain Garlands

Knot stems into decorative swinging chains
Three Tier Wire Ring Chandelier
29 March 2017
Three Tier Wire Ring Chandelier

Bend and weave three wire wreaths to string up as an air plant chandelier
Related Designs
Rock, don't Roll
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Rock, don't Roll

Balance the heavy Protea flower head to lean against a rock.
But wait… there's more!
17 October 2018
But wait… there's more!

Tucked into the box with every advance copy of the book, the effortless floral craftsman is a packet of clips. This design and Tutorial is a bit of inspiration... what will you create with your clips?
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Chain of Thought

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A Twirl

Suspend a wire chandelier design to twirl
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Celebrate!

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Diamond Jubilee Waterfall

To commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee and the 20th Anniversary of Friends of Government House Gardens Society a Horticultural event was hosted in the gardens and Great Hall of Government House in Victoria, Canada entitled British Columbia Blooms.
Space holder
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Space holder

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