Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Twig and Tinsel Candy Canes
- 6 December 2023
- click to send Christine a smile

Fill a container with some Christmas greenery...

Snip out a few stems and remove the needles... make sure to keep the tiny buds on the stem.

Place the stems on a foam sheet.

Gently curve the stem and peg it in place with a bamboo skewer.
Book readers turn to page 284 where I show you how (and why) to manipulate stems. For more information about my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman

Curve all the stems into the candy cane (or staff) shapes.
Now, and this is important: go stare out of a window or have a cup of tea or hot chocolate. The twigs need to do their own thing for a bit. Let them dry into this shape.

Once dry the twigs are now candy cane shaped.

Place a drop of wood glue on the twig...

And place a single strand of tinsel on the glue at an angle to secure it to the stem.

Set the stems aside so that the glue dries.

When the tinsel is secured to the stem...

Wind the tinsel up the stem at an angle.

All the way to the top and all the way back down... and secure the tinsel with a knot.
Have a look at the tip that I shared in our email for making sure it is easy to knot the tinsel. There is a trick! If you are not yet signed up to receive a weekly tip email from me (on Wednesday mornings, Vancouver time) the moment the design is ready for you to view sign up below this post. It is also a great way for us to connect. Reply to the email if you have questions or comments or say hi.

Of course this is where you can have a bit of fun and add a bit of personality to the candy cane. You don't have to follow the same winding pattern down. Cross the tinsel or add a double line. Or (and this adds even more sparkle) twist the tinsel as you go...

You can even curl the tinsel into ringlets to add another festive touch.
See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how to curl tinsel.

Finish off your candy canes by adding... whatever you like. And you know I like a sparkling dew drop crystal or two.
See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how to add the crystals.

Glue the candy canes into the design. Again this is up to you. Show off your own design style.

I added them to dangle from the branch tips...

To compliment these amazing black baubles and chocolate brown ribbon nestled in the middle of the greenery.
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