Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Winter Solstice Kalanchoe and Berry twig Lantern
- 21 December 2022
- click to send Christine a smile
Set a display surface down on your design table. It can be a tray or a plate or a shallow vase... or even some wood.
Place a candle in a glass vase and set it on the display container.
Glue a delicate twig to the top and bottom of the container. Scatter a sprinkle of artificial snow around the bottom of the display container to keep it from sticking to the display surface.
My email tip for you this week is all about that sprinkle of snow. Make sure to sign up for the notification email if you are not yet receiving your once a week design tip. I send out my email every Wednesday morning so that you can look at the tip first... and then reply to the email if you have questions or comments. Or just to say hi. The sign up is below this post.
Move around the vase and glue in delicate twigs...
Creating a lantern of twigs for the light to shine through.
Scatter a dusting of snow inside the vase.
And settle the candle on the snow.
Snip some holly berries from the branch...
And glue the berries to the twigs
Glue in a few kalanchoe flowers- the delicate looking flowers are so robust! They will last weeks without a water source, perfect for designs like these.
Place some artificial snow on the twigs.
See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions on how I do this. And if you are unsure of where to put the snow have a look at section Crafting An Illusion (from page 273 onwards) where I discuss how we create realistic looking floral effects.
For more information about my book:
The Effortless Floral Craftsman
And finish the design with a few dew drop crystals. I place the crystals with a pin. For more detailed instructions on how to place the crystals without disturbing the delicate design details see the Tutorial below.
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Tutorials
It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.
Kalanchoe flowers last weeks without a water source and is the perfect way to dress up a bark and silver bell sleigh
Glue curved twig snippets to craft a delicate winter white Christmas tree
Cover a cardboard shape in cotton and bark to create a floral armature
Cover a wreath frame with bark strips and fluffed out cotton
Use a cardboard shape to craft a simple wire Christmas star
Use wood glue to make a light as air table top wreath from pine needles
Use delicate sprigs of cypress or juniper, fir, pine, eucalyptus, ivy or a combination of them all to create a winter themed kissing bough
Not only will your home smell wonderful while crafting this design you will also have a ethereal and long lasting design to enjoy.
A snowflake covered design that will hang on to well past Christmas.
A fuzzy wool and twig snowflake that starts out as a handful of candy canes.
A snowy Christmas scene crafted from a handful of twigs... and a few kalanchoe flowers.
A pretty way to warm up your living space with the luxurious velvet texture you find on the underside of Magnolia leaves.
Favourite Flowers
Christmas Kalanchoe, Kalanchöe or Kalanchoë
Related Designs
Not quite winter but also a bit late for autumn design that is somewhere between sparkle and flying leaves.
Paper snowflakes to display small snippets of Festive flowers on.
An on-purpose-not-yet-quite-done design to remind us to enjoy the Christmas moments as they unfold.
Glue bark to a wire frame to create a Christmas stocking armature
Glue the most delicate twig table top Christmas tree
Cover a wreath frame with bark and cotton for a textured Christmas wreath design
A wire Christmas star with a secret plan to hide the twinkle
Celebrating my book launch by knotting floral mittens using the design Tutorial from my book and the template from the free gift template booklet.
An easy and naturally fragrant winter white candle decoration to bring nature into your house this Christmas.
A little bit of effort... that will last for weeks design to hang about the whole Festive Season.
A wool and twig snowflake design (made from candy canes!) that will last the entire Festive Season.
A twig sleigh... to collect your twig Christmas tree, of course!
