Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Tri-petal (with vines to fill in the gaps) lily flower wand
- 13 January 2021
- click to send Christine a smile
Self study suggestion: Turn to page 104 of my book for more detailed instructions on designing with succulents and page 72 to understand the process of using a plant's natural defenses in your favour.
Cut away flowers from a lily stem to create one tall flower.
See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions on how to remove the stamens to keep the flower tidy.
Pick away all but three of the petals from a fully opened lily.
Place the flower in a vase to keep it hydrated...
Attach a succulent vine to the stem of the lily. Bring the stem up through the petals and loop it around to create the outline of the now missing petal.
Sometimes I add a water source for succulent stems- even if I don't have to. And sometimes I don't even if it looks like I do. It's a bit of a longer conversation as to how I decide. It boils down to one of my foundation "rules" as a designer... and it is something I find endlessly interesting and often inspires my entire design. I explain in more detail in this week's newsletter. If you are not yet subscribed you can sign up below and join the conversation.
... like this... up and through and then loop it...
So that the vine rest between the two petals... with the vine tip draping naturally over the flower.
Add in the third vine...
Bring it up through the petals...
Loop it around the draw the outline of the third missing petal and let the vine rest on the flower.
Wind another long vine from the lily stem end up the stem and to the base of the flower to secure all the petal vines at the back of the design.
Bring the vine back to the front and drape it around the flower...
... to finish the design.
Lastly I added double crystal beads to mimic the stamen shape.
See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how I add the crystals so that the delicate flowers won't be damaged.
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Tutorials
How to keep Lilies in bud for longer. Removing the pollen. Stringing a Lily Garland.
It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.
Most of the time I would gently tug the pollen covered stamens away the moment it becomes yellow and messy. But the Gloriosa looks rather pretty with the stamens on, so I fix it...
Knit a corona (as in that inside skirt like part of a daffodil) by weaving a Ceropegia woodii vine around the stamen filament of a lily.
Keep all the fresh flower material hydrated in water by weaving the stems from one side of the vase to the other.
A hidden water source small enough to fit into a dainty flower.
Create a contrasting base to lift the heavy flower-head to design in
Set the rosary vines into the natural cavity of the flower head.
Wire and glue a few acorns into the fork of a twig to create an Autumn armature
Favourite Flowers
Lily
Rosary vine, Chain of Hearts, Collar of hearts and String of hearts
Related Designs
Use the petals of your flower to cleverly keep all the other floral details of your design firmly in place.
Easy does it design that hints at but is not yet as intensive as the fun basket weaving and crafting that comes with Spring designing.
A creative way to keep foliage hydrated for a cool, water filled summer design.
Filling a trumpet flower cup... with more flowers!
… and why we call this the special craftsmanship edition
Hoard a few acorns in the fork of a twig to show off a single oncidium orchid.
