Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Turn shop bought baubles into designer frosted snowballs
- 13 November 2019
- click to send Christine a smile
Dip a dry bristle brush in thick water based craft paint
Dab the brush in a dry container to spread the paint on the brush.
Paint the lightest dry brush strokes over the shiny bauble.
I usually test my brush on my hand. It is rather messy but it is the best way to make sure you have just enough paint on the brush.
Don't cover the entire surface... just enough to let the shine shine through the paint.
Turning a shiny, inexpensive bauble into a designer, antique look snow ball.
For my design I frosted both shiny and matte gold baubles to create an understated glow of gold without it looking too stark against the winter themed wreath.
Once dry your frosted baubles are ready to design with.
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Tutorials
Just a few adjustments can transform a boring artificial wreath into a high end looking designer decoration.
Part of the charm of contemporary designing is adding elements to your work that create a story.
You can use any type of paper to make flowers. I use tissue paper, Crêpe paper, cardboard, newsprint and coffee filters (new and used) to make sweet peas, carnations, paper...
I wanted my design to look more "found this way" than "designed this way" so I strategically tangled the ribbon to dangle down the design rather than tie it in a neat bow.
What if you absolutely HAVE to decorate with faux plants? Here are my guiding rules when it comes to styling with permanent botanicals
Use delicate sprigs of cypress or juniper, fir, pine, eucalyptus, ivy or a combination of them all to create a winter themed kissing bough
Cover a cardboard shape in cotton and bark to create a floral armature
When you glue a structure with hot glue there are always a few stray strands of glue stuck all over the design. Blow it away with a hairdryer.
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"
Related Designs
Design 1 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: a wreath
