STYLING TECQ SHEETS - Flowerhandlers · of your bouquet. Then add more flowers to the center of the...

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STYLING TECQ SHEETS

Flowerhandlers® • 17601 Queen Anne Road • Upper Marlboro, MD 20774 USA • 301-249-1669 • flowerhandlers.com

A publication of

Styling, Designing and Arranging

f lowersfresh cut

theflowergodmother.com

Y ou can trust what recent studies show … that flowers have a positive impact on our lives. Or, you can start living with flowers throughout the year and run

your own simple experiments by noticing how you and others feel when they are present, shared, and offered in your daily life.

From the simplest budvase to the most elaborate arrangements the design techniques offered in these TecQ Sheets will enable you to spontaneously purchase fresh cut flowers, style them to perfection, transform them into various displays, enjoy them in your home, and share them with others – enriching your life and the lives of those around you. You’ll soon discover that flowers are not a luxury but a necessity for life well lived.

Whether you’re already a Flower Lover or new to understanding the intrinsic value of flowers these TecQ Sheets offer an affordable way to include fresh cut flowers in your daily life – beyond the traditional holiday and special occasion purchases – and reap their benefits throughout the year.

“Flowers are not a luxury but a necessity for life well lived.”

– Dottie Harrigan “Voice of The Flower Godmother”

STYLING TECQ SHEETS

T he benefit of learning the rubber band technique is that most bundles, bunches and bouquets of

flowers are bound with a rubber or elastic band of some type. If you keep it, rinse it, save it, & use it – you’ll always have a simple way to create an armature for controlling the positioning of your flowers in a vase – no other design mechanism necessary!

F1. Clean and sort your flowers into a Styling Vase in sets of 3-6 stems per group - less than 3 stems is not enough and more than 6 is not necessary except for very large arrangements.

We’ve done 2 sets of three iris and stock, 2 sets of six veronica – 24 stems total. Figure 1.

F2. Gather the first set of flowers in your hands making sure the blooms are even across the top. Measure the stems and cut them to be about half the height of your finished design (as you see it in your mind).

Decide where the rubber band will go around the flowers. It is usually where vase narrows or where the stems will naturally crisscross in the vase. The rubber band can be placed towards the top, bottom or middle of the stems – depending on shape of vase and the finished look that you want. Figure 2.

F3. For this arrangement (even though the vase narrows in the middle) we’re placing the rubber band at the bottom of the stems.

Loosely wrap the rubber band around the stems at the point you have determined (in this arrangement it is

A Flowerhandlers® publication


theflowergodmother.comf lowers

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at the bottom). Make the band tight enough to gather and hold the stems in place and loose enough that the flowers can fan out. Figure 3.

4. Insert the group of flowers immediately into your vase of water and fan them around vase so they rest on the upper lip or rim of the vase with equal space between each stem. If the flowers won’t relax and rest on the vase rim, loosen the rubber band one strap at a time.

After aligning the first set of flowers take a Bird’s Eye View (BEV) of the arrangement to be sure the flowers are evenly distributed around the vase equal with same space between each one. These first stems bound by the rubber band will create a nice structure for the rest of your design.

The first set of flowers bound in place should offer enough holding capacity to insert another set of flowers. Measure and cut the next set of flowers a few inches taller than the first. Insert them on a more vertical angle between the first sets of flowers. Figure 4.

5. Now you can easily place the next sets of flowers or individual insertions of flowers and foliage at varying lengths - disbursing them between and throughout the original groupings and filling in any gaps – until the vase is filled to your satisfaction.

This simple and easy rubber band technique is extremely versatile and can be used for vases filled with the same type of flowers or assorted selections of flowers. Figure 5.

Note: Get good at this and you’ll amaze your friends by bringing a mixed bouquet to their home and styling it (in a something they already own like a pitcher, soup tureen, or vase) right in front of their eyes!

This TecQ Sheet is part of the FREE floral resources offered to Flowerhandlers Community members. You can access all 12 TecQ Sheet, plus our Fresh Cut Flowers Care-N-Handling Guidelines, Inspirational Floral Quotes, and Set Up Essentials by visiting FlowerGodmother.com and joining the Flowerhandlers® Community.

COMING WINTER 2015!

BloomsFOR BUSY HOMEMAKERS

The Flower Godmother’s Guide to Living a Charmed Life with Flowers Throughout the Year!

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T here are lots of different ways to make a hand tied bouquet from spirals and straight stems,

and tight tuzzy-muzzies to loose and airy high-style designs.

What I have found in making them is that the first placements of flowers often get lost in the bouquet. So for beginners I recommend using a design mechanism as a base.

You can use a fresh or silk hydrangea bloom, a silk flower or foliage bush, a cluster of bound foliage, even a bow to create a mound of low cost flowers to get your hand tied started.

You won’t see much of this base once you finish. But your next and finest placements will be seen and enjoyed - not lost in the depths of the bouquet. In this hand-tied we’ve used a single fresh hydrangea bloom as a base for calla lilies and roses.

1. Gather your flowers and a nice vase for them to be placed in when finished. Embellish the vase with ribbon trim if desired. Once the bouquet is made and resting in the vase it will be harder to tie a ribbon around it.

Fill the vase with 3” inches (or appropriate amount) of water and flower food or fill to a natural waterline if the vase has one. Figure 1.

2. Strip all the foliage from hydrangea. Strip all the leaves, thorns, and lateral buds from the other flower stems and trim the bottoms of the stems so there is nothing to catch or snag the hydrangea bloom (base)




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when designing. Figure 2.

3. Start with one type of flower. Insert them one at a time through the hydrangea bloom (base) on a slight angle and encircle the outside perimeters of the hydrangea (base). Complete this step with a set of five or six flowers.

Take a Birds-Eye-View (BEV) at your bouquet to insure that the flowers are evenly distributed around the base of your bouquet. Then add more flowers to the center of the bouquet.

Tie off with wax cord, bind wire, or thin ribbon along the way as necessary. When I first learned to do hand-tied bouquets I had to tie off with every few placements but now most of my bouquets are complete before I feel the need to tie off. Figure 3.

4. Using another type of flower place blooms between your first insertions running the stems through the hydrangea bloom and tying off when necessary.

Add foliage and/or fillers if desired. When the bouquet is complete tie it off with bind wire, wax cord, or plastic ties. Then trim it with ribbon, raffia or something decorative as desired. Figure 4.

5. Cut the bottom of stems so the hand-tied bouquet will rest in the vase comfortably. Figure 5.

One of the great things about doing a hand-tied bouquet is that the flowers are held in place – allowing you to trim the stems every few days without loosing the look of the design.

And, it’s a beautiful little way to present flowers as a gift. Once its made the recipient can just chop and drop it into a vase for an instant centerpiece.

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COMING WINTER 2015!



T here are lots of reasons to choose a liner for arranging flowers. You can use a liner to raise

the design in the container, add weight to the design, reduce vessel size (minimizing water used), get control of container size, the arrangement shape, and to keep the flowers in place.

A liner is a simple solution to arranging in wicker, wood, metal, heirloom serving ware, collectables, fragile vessels, pretty paper bags and decorative boxes. You can turn anything into a flower design container by using a liner.

1. Choose an appropriate liner for the reason you need it. A glass jar can be used in a decorative box. A plastic food storage container can be used in a cute gift bag. A glass or plastic bowl can be used in a wicker basket.

Here we used two glass cylinders to control the size of the vase. One fits in the other. We want the look of the large vase but the size of the small one to control the placement of the flowers and the shape and space of the arrangement. Figure 1.

2. You’ll have to anchor or secure the liner to the container appropriately. Sometimes they fit snuggly other times you’ll need to use a mechanism to wedge, tape, glue, strap, tie, or wire them into place for safety - or for ease of design. Here we wedged wool between the glass cylinders not only for the look but also to keep the glass from clanging together and breaking.

Other mediums (marbles, polished stones, moss,




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shredded sisal) could have been wedged between the cylinders just as well. Figure 2.

3. Once the containers are married together water can be added to just the liner. And a cluster of flowers can be gathered in your hands, cut to an appropriate length, and placed in the liner.

Or, another styling technique (Rubber Band, Interior Wire Armature, Maxi-Mini Clusters) can be used in the liner for controlling flower placement and movement. Using the smaller liner to actually design in allows the flowers to flow over the large vase while holding the stems securely in place. Figure 3.

4. For anther approach glass marbles were placed between the vase and its liner (another way to Divide & Conquer). Water is added to both the liner and the vase. And both liner and vase are used for designing. Figure 4.

5. The roses were placed in position first. No design mechanism was used. The smaller cylinder held the roses in place.

Then sunflowers were cut short and inserted between the two glass vases as marbles held the large stems in place. The large oversized blooms look great under the small clusters of spray roses. Using a liner this way allowed us to separate the two types of flowers. Figure 5.

Using liners will give you flexibility in your designs. Just pick something you want to arrange flowers in, find a simple liner, and have fun mixing and matching styling techniques. You can even replace the design from one decorative container to another – when it has been created in a liner.

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A rranging with Mini Clusters Maximizes your design choices. It’s a quick and easy way to go

from tall vase to a centerpiece height design.

It allows you to create a low centerpiece in a shallow bowl without flowers constantly falling out of the bowl. And, it’s perfect for mixed bouquets because it allows you to cut all the flowers short and easily distribute color throughout the arrangement.

It makes small amounts of fresh flowers go a long way because the design medium (tulle, mesh, netting, fabric) adds volume. It’s also a nice technique when flowers like roses or lilies are fresh and haven’t opened yet, because the design medium will fill spaces until the flowers come into their full maturity and then (if it’s soft enough) will allow the flowers to open when they are ready.

It’s a sure way to get the color you want in your arrangement when the flowers are not available or don’t even grow in the color of your choice. And the texture can add a seasonal or themed feeling to your design.

1. Choose a container you want and then select a medium that enhances it in which water can flow through like tulle, netting, fabric, or burlap in a color and texture you like. You’ll also need something to tie the flower clusters. Use something pretty like ribbon or raffia if you can see through the container. Or simple bind wire, wax cord or string if the container is opaque and you can’t see through it. Figure 1.




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2. You’re basically going to wrap little clusters of flowers in a porous fabric, tie them off, and put multiple clusters of them in a bowl or design dish. Make one prototype first (cut a square or round of fabric, gather a cluster of flowers, cut them short, place them in the fabric, test the height in the container) to decide how many flowers to use in each cluster and how long to cut the stems. Figure 2.

3. Once you’ve tested for size keep the test cluster drinking while you prepare all the materials - cut several pieces of fabric, cut your ribbons or tying off material to the right length. And sort the flowers into groups for clusters. Figure 3.

4. A broad leaf foliage like aspidistra, hosta, even lily of the valley can be used to wrap the clusters instead of fabric. When using foliage wraps you can gather the clusters (as seen in hand) wrap them in foliage, tie them off and then cut them all to the right length. So you can make all your clusters, leaving them out of water for a while, then cut and place them right in your design bowl.

For netting or fabric wrapped clusters, you have to make the cluster, cut it to the right length, and then wrap and tie it in the medium. So, be sure to have a way to keep them drinking while you make each one. Figure 4.

5. Once all your clusters are made place them in your design bowl. Make sure you have filled the bowl with enough water that each cluster is drinking. The clusters should support one another and hold each other upright in the bowl.

If you make too many of these little clusters they can stand on their own in a small glass or vase. Figure 5.

This is the perfect flower arrangement for a dinner party because each little cluster can go home with your guests as a parting favor to remember the visit. And if you’ve planned well, there will be a few left over for you to enjoy in a smaller vase yourself!

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COMING WINTER 2015!



U sing foliage as a design base or design mechanism allows you use a minimum of

flowers while filling out the arrangement and getting control of the flower placement in the design.

It can be done by making a little bundle of foliage (like a Handy Hand-Tied), tying it off, placing it in the vase, and designing by placing flower insertions through it. It can be done with the Rubber Band technique – making a little armature of foliage that holds your flowers in place as you style.

Or, you can start with a layer of crisscrossed foliage that drapes over the vase creating a grid or a nest in which you insert flowers through - adding more layers of foliage as needed.

1. In mixed bouquets, flowers and foliages are usually paired nicely. When selecting your own foliage to go with flowers be sure to choose light foliages for delicate blooms and heavier foliages to go with hardy blooms. In other words, keep the weight of your flowers and foliages congruent – like this lacy nandina foliage with sweet peas, craspedia, and oenothera. Figure 1.

2. Strip any leaves that will be under the waterline once placed in the vase – although often these foliage leaves are safe under water for some time. Cut the bottoms of the stems and place them crisscrossed into your vase to create a nest or grid of foliage. Figure 2.




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3. Start with the heaviest flowers or thickest stems and Insert single flower stems through the nest of greens and into position evenly distributing color all around the vase.

The greenery nest will hold these initial insertions loosely in place. Figure 3.

4. Then you can add your next set of flowers – higher, lower, and in between – to continue the desired shape and height of your arrangement. Figure 4.

5. Finally add the smallest flowers as accents within the design.

The space might begin to be crowded so these last insertions can be dispersed evenly all around or in clusters – wherever you have space for insertions and to your liking.

The advantage of using foliage as a design mechanism is that it is readily available - usually sold wherever flowers are sold. It’s pretty cost effective and sometimes it’s included right in your bouquet.

Foliage usually lasts longer than the flowers so it can be used over and over again – in the original configuration (bundle, armature, nest) or taken apart and re-configured into a different design mechanism. Figure 5.

When your flowers wilt and your arrangement needs to be replenished the greenery can often be rinsed, reconfigured, and used again with a new assortment of flowers - allowing you to have fun experimenting with another collection of interesting blooms without the cost of replacing the foliage.

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COMING WINTER 2015!



T here are many advantages to using an External Wire Armature as a design mechanism.

The armature becomes an extension of the vase and supports thin stemmed, vining, trailing, draping, winding, or cascading flowers. It will give them something to rest on and will train them to stay in place where you want them.

The wire is decorative, and will add desired color and a contemporary element to a flower arrangement.

There are several ways to can make an armature of wire. You can bend, twist, and mold it into a freeform shape. You can wrap it around a tube or a cylinder (like a plastic plumbing pipe) and remove it to create a coil that can be manipulated shaped into a spacious form.

Or, as in this example, you can crochet a chain and then catch it to itself, making a nest or grid to design in.

1. You’ll need decorative wire (33’ of 12 gauge wire was used to make this armature), wire cutters to cut the wire, and needle nose pliers to finish off the ends of the wires (both for safety and to make the ends pretty). It helps to have a vase with a rim to anchor the armature to. Figure 1.

2. Use 2 lengths of deco wire to create a clasp for the armature by twisting them around the neck of vase.

Coil all four ends into pigtails (wrap wire around a pencil or pen) or coins (as shown here). Figure 2.




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3. To begin the chain make a loop of wire, push a section of the rest of the wire through the loop creating a new loop. Repeat - push another section of the wire through the second loop creating a third loop. Repeat.

Continue making new loops and inserting the next section of wire through them to crochet a chain of wire. Figure 3.

4. After you’ve got a nice long chain you can begin folding the chain back to itself and catching it to itself attaching links as you go to create wider structure.

Once you’ve finished crocheting, finish the two ends by wrapping them tightly around a wire section or coiling them.

Anchor the armature to the vase with the clasp you made. Just twist the pairs of wire clasps around your armature. Or, wrap the four individual clasp sections around and through your armature.

The armature can stay on the vase or removed to be cleaned, reshaped, and used indefinitely – in lots of configurations. Figure 4.

5. Fill the vase with water to the desired height. Place flowers in the vase, working with the largest thickest flowers first and then the smallest thinnest flowers.

Just insert the stems through the armature, which will hold the flowers in place. Figure 5.

Wire comes in different gauges from light to heavy and in a variety of colors. With a wire armature can turn any one of your favorite vases into the perfect vessel for styling flowers – one that is fun, fast, simple, and easy to design in.

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COMING WINTER 2015!



D ecorative design wire makes arranging flowers fast and easy.

You can make a sweet, simple, colorful Interior Wire Armature that can be used over and over again in almost any vase by scrunching, twisting, folding, or bending, decorative wire into a bundled form that fits in your favorite vase or vessel.

1. You can also coil decorative wire over a smooth cylinder shape form like a cardboard tube shown here or, a plumbing pipe, cylinder vase, or tall drinking glass to create your armature. You can experiment with different forms – each of which will probably have different dimensions and dynamics.

You will also have to experiment with how much wire you need to fill your vase. We used one full package (33’) of 12 gauge decorative wire to make this armature. Figure 1.

2. After shaping the wire, finish the two ends - both for appearance and safety (you don’t want to be scraped by the wire as you are styling).

Using a needle nose plier to finish off the wire ends into coins will give you a tight coil. Using your bare hands will give you a loose coil. Or, you can pigtail the ends by wrapping them around a pencil or pen.

Then remove the wire from the form and uncoil it slightly, shaping it into a nest, and inserting it into your vase.

Readjust the wire so it fits in and fills up the space of your vase. Manipulate it until it looks good from all directions. Figure 2.




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3. Once you are happy with the way your wire armature fits in your vase add water to an appropriate level – enough that all your flowers will be drinking safely.

Then begin to arrange your flowers starting with the largest, tallest, heaviest or thickest flowers.

Place your first insertions where you want them. Remember to give each flower a fresh cut before placing in the vase.

The wire armature should hold everything in position while you adjust for height and placement to your liking. Figure 3.

4. Add foliage or another flower selection inserting through the armature and between the first insertions.

A variegated foliage was used in front of the design here but a second type of flower could just as easily have been chosen instead of the foliage. Figure 4.

5. Then add your last set of flowers distributing them throughout your design so they can each be seen, keeping a balance of color, size, and position as you style.

This armature can be cleaned, reshaped, even collapsed for storage, and reused again and again. Figure 5.

If this armature has too much volume (for a smaller vase or a larger flower assortment) it can be reshaped so that only some of it is inside the vase and some of it is outside the vase. That way you don’t have to cut it – just reshape it into a different configuration for every use.

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D ivide & Conquer offers a way to manage your flower arrangement by separating your

container into compartments - turning a large design surface into small segments so flowers will stay in place giving you control of the design. You can create a grid for your container with tape, chicken wire, rubber bands, or premade lids.

Not everyone has waterproof floral tape on hand but adhesive tape from a medical kit will work. Crisscross thin strips of it over your vase creating sections to arrange in. Tape can be hard to get off the vase for the next use.

Chicken wire cut to size and stretched over the vase or tucked into the container is also a popular design mechanism. It can be painted to be attractive but chances are you don’t have that hanging around either.

Rubber bands can be stretched over your design container but they can be ugly unless you specifically choose colors that align with your design - which can be fun.

For all three mechanisms you can use a liner inside a decorative container for a more appealing look. And, some manufacturers make special design caps for their vases. All these simple grids will hold your flowers and greenery in place while you style.

1. A prettier way to Divide & Conquer is with ribbon – and almost everyone has some of that that on hand. Figure 1.

2. The technique works best with square containers. Wrap the ribbon around the container as if it is a




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package - with a large bow at the top and then add water. Figure 2.

3. The ribbon not only separates the container into sections but also will add color and volume to your arrangement so you won’t have to use so many flowers to fill it.

You’ll want to use a ribbon color and size that makes sense for your arrangement. Choose a color that enhances or at least aligns with the finished look you are going for. Shear soft ribbons are the easiest to work with. But satin will do the trick too.

The small areas can be easily filled with foliage (we pulled the peony foliage from the flowers and filled each section) first.

Then flowers can be placed in each compartment – each one getting a fresh cut before it is inserted into the arrangement. Figure 3.

4. Start with the largest blooms and distribute them around the arrangement to your liking. Figure 4.

5. Then add the smaller blooms or filler flowers until the design is complete. Figure 5.

This Divide & Conquer technique is also cute when each compartment is color blocked or has a different collection of flowers.

It’s a great way to use the assorted flowers and foliage from a mixed bouquet.

You can chop most foliages into small sections and place them into each compartment.

Then distribute the flowers and colors evenly all around the design.

Or you can place different flowers and colors in each compartment.

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Awild assortment of flowers and foliages can be styled and controlled naturally in a vase using

fresh cut or dried branches as an armature.

What I have found in making them is that the first placements of flowers often get lost in the bouquet. So for beginners I recommend using a design mechanism as a base.

Branches like curly willow, red dogwood tips, manzanita, bamboo, and river cane can be used to make an Exterior Natural Armature that can be used over and over again to create a variety of arrangement styles.

Natural armatures can be as simple as using a twisted dry branch just as it is, manipulating flexible branches into flair, crisscrossed, or whip shapes, or creating a more complicated structure with sections of branches that are tied or bound together with cord or wire.

1. Here’s how to make a simple whip shaped armature with flexible curly willow branches.

You’ll need curly willow and bind wire (shown here), wax cord, or spool wire - to secure the branches together.

We’ve used six long young thin branches of curly willow. They were each cut at the bottoms to the same approximate 40 “ length. Figure 1.

2. Then each stem was cut into two sections with the bottom thick section being about 1/3 of the length (strong stub) and the top thin section being about 2/3 of the length (flexible wisp).

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tied the section off with bind wire at the bottom. Set by set (stub and wisp) the sections were added to the grouping with every set being bound together using bind wire to keep the armature securely in position.

Once all the sets were gathered and bound a few more bottoms from the cut curly willow were also added back into the armature. Figure 2.

3. The armature was placed in the vase, measured, and the bottoms were trimmed so it rested in the vase comfortably.

As an afterthought light green floral tape was wrapped around the bind wire to cover it because the stems were so green and the wire was brown. It was one of those unnecessary (but designer choice) options for this arrangement.

After water is added to the vase this willow armature will hold the all the insertions of fresh cut flowers and foliage in place. Figure 3.

4. Tall tuberoses were cut to size and placed toward the back of the vase.

The curcuma had such long stems that once it was cut to size the stems were trimmed with a point and added to the vase for additional texture in the design. The foliage from the curcuma was also used in the design. Figure 4.

5. Then the callas were cut short and placed closer to the base of the vase. Why would you cut tall callas?

All our TecQ Sheets are about arranging and re-arranging flowers. Once you’ve enjoyed a tall vase of callas for a few days this is a structure that will support them as they weaken - so you can continue to enjoy (a shorter version of) them a little longer. Figure 5.

If allowed to dry, the branches in this armature would twist, turn, and curl up - making them an interesting design mechanic to be used over and over again.

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A n Interior Natural Armature is a good design mechanism for holding heavy blooms or floppy

stemmed flowers in place – especially in a wide mouth design vessel. Vines can be gathered into balls, nests, or rings and placed in a design bowl, vase, or shallow platter to secure flowers for a great casual arrangement

1. Although you can use young flexible branches like curly willow or red dogwood tips they can be strong enough to break through the glass. So it is safer to use fresh vines like honeysuckle, grapevine, or ivy because they are more supple than branches, even when aged. The softer vines are more pliable and less likely to put pressure on the container. Plus they are much easier to form into position. Figure 1.

2. Here’s one way to make your armature. First sort and clean your vines then strip all the unwanted foliage – you can leave some on. Wrap the vines around your hands making a tight nest or ring that is smaller than the opening of your vase.

Control the size of your armature by adding more sections of vines or clipping some out and removing them until you are happy with the volume. You may have to experiment a few times to get the look you want.

I find it easier to start with the tips (the new growth) curling tighter than necessary to manipulate the vines into shape and ending with the thicker heartier part of the stem - which sometimes needs a little extra persuading.




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Usually the thicker part of the stem can be tucked into the beginning part of the nest and all the layers should hold it in place. Figure 2.

3. When you are satisfied with your bundle (ball, nest, or ring – whatever you made) keep it wrapped around your hands and gently lower it into your bowl. When you let go it will spring open. Let it expand into full size and encourage it to fill the spaces of your container.

Another approach is to feed the vine material into the bowl one section at a time - again starting with the soft tips and twirling them into the vessel - tucking the ends between the layers to disguise them and hold them in place.

Once the material is in the vase you can move individual layers into a more desired position - to your liking. Figure 3.

4. Now that your armature is ready you can add water and flowers to your bowl using the vines to hold the flowers in place. You don’t have to fill the entire vase with water simply make sure that each flower stem reaches the water.

Lots of foliage was left on the vine in this arrangement. That’s a personal preference – depending on the overall look you’re going for. Figure 4.

5. In this design less of the same armature was used to hold the flowers in place and all foliage was stripped from the vine. The flowers were designed inside the bowl – some of them aren’t even in water. Some soft-stemmed flowers can take in so much water when they are initially hydrated that they can last for days suspended in a design without water. Figure 5.

Interior Natural Armatures are most easily made when the vine material is fresh but once made they can be dried and used over and over in different designs with a variety of floral collections.

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P olished stones, glass marbles, colored pebbles, sea shells, and all those things we’ve established

as our most Popular floral design Paraphernalia are so much fun to play with. A small bag of stones (or whatever is your most popular paraphernalia) is easy to store and can be used over and over again in all kinds of vases with all kinds of flowers. And they also have very practical purposes in flower arranging. So, let’s explore those practical purposes.

1. Different types of design paraphernalia can offer you control by holding your flowers in place. They can add weight to your design making it harder for the vase to tip over if it gets bumped or brushed against.

They can add height by lifting short flowers into a taller position in your arrangement. They can add color, which is great especially if flowers are not available in the color you would like to achieve. They can and texture to your design, which is really visually pleasing when you are playing with one type of flower.

They can allow you to use a small packet of flower food by displacing (and using less) water in your vase. They can align with a theme and add interest to your creation by including another dimension to the design.

They can turn a simple clear glass vase into a very different looking vessel every single time you use it. I like smooth surfaced paraphernalia rather than ragged edged mediums because the flowers slip more easily in and around them. Figure 1.

2. This vase was embellished with ribbon and moss wire first - before the stones were placed in the vase.




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POPULAR PARAPHERNALIATECQ SHEET

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Figure 1

Figure 2

Because we didn’t want the stones to clang around in the vase and possibly break the glass (as we embellished it). Figure 2.

3. Because this vase was so wide we gathered large and small stones to fill the bottom of it. The large stones were carefully placed in the bottom of the vase first. Then the smaller stones were added in.

Always be careful when adding stones, marbles, pebbles, or shells into your vase – you’d be surprised how quickly those little things can break your vase if you just dump them in. What a mess. Figure 3.

4. Once you’ve put the appropriate amount of paraphernalia in your vase (based on why you’re using it – for weight, visual effect, or height) you can add water and begin the placement of flowers.

Just make sure each of your flowers are below the waterline and can remain hydrated.

Not only will these stones hold the flowers in place once we start adding them in… this popular paraphernalia will add weight to the design, add texture and color to the clear glass vase, and offer an earthy masculine element to an otherwise feminine arrangement of gorgeous pink roses. Figure 4.

5. The rose stems were simply trimmed at the ends and wedged between the polished stones. The first insertions stood in place and while the rest of the flowers were placed one at a time into the vase. Figure 5.

Just like your vases, vessels, and tools design paraphernalia needs to be cleaned between uses. The easiest way is to use a plastic mesh bag (like those oranges or onions are packed in). Just put your paraphernalia in the bag and swish it in some dish detergent, rinse, dry and store them away for the next use.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

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COMING WINTER 2015!



T here is strength in numbers and even a skinny little vase can make a big impression when

it’s used in multiples. This is a great technique for thin displays down a long banquet table, mantel, or narrow shelf.

Instead of just placing a series of vases down the center of a table or display you can line them up and bind them together into a cohesive unit for a more unified and interesting look. And they are easier to move from place to place once they are bound together.

1. Choose several identical skinny vertical containers. You can use cylinder vases, drink bottles, condiment jars, salt & pepper shakers – anything that is tall, skinny, and has vertical sides. I have done this technique with a variety of vase shapes but the effect isn’t as rewarding. Figure 1.

2. Line your vessels up the way you want to see them on your table to get the overall impression and to decide how far apart you will space them.

Here we’ve used three clear and three frosted 2” square bud vases – in an “every other” pattern because they are different.

Decide what you’ll use as a binding agent. Wired ribbon, decorative wire, bark cord, or wired wool all work well. Decide how many straps you want to use. You need two or more layers of strapping for stability. The taller the vase the more rows of straps you’ll want.

Measure (you’ll have to estimate) and cut your strap




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Figure 1

Figure 2

material long enough to weave across the whole collection. Here we’ve used bark wire and have cut a length twice the measurement of the vase space. Figure 2.

3. Lie the first vase down and anchor the first binding strap to it. Repeat with all the straps – anchor all your straps to that one vase. Find the middle of each strap, fold it around the vase and twist the strap together. Count the number of twists you make because you need to repeat - making that same number of twists consistent between all vases. Figure 3.

4. Once the first vase is strapped repeat with the second vase. Then anchor the straps to the next vase, and the next – counting the twists between the vases. There are three twists of Moss wire between each of these vases.

Continue the process until all vases are strapped together. Finish off the ends of the binding agent in a attractive way. Figure 4.

5. Fill the vases with water to an appropriate level and place fresh cut flowers at varying heights in the vases keeping color, texture, and size balanced to your liking in the display.

I have used this technique for wider vases and although it works, the display gets heavy and hard to move. If you use a larger collection of vases (like a standard 3” column vase) design the grouping on a tray so you can move it into position once the arrangement is done.

This is a great technique for small containers too. Just consider smaller binding agents like thin ribbon, wire, or cord and you’ll probably just have two straps. Figure 5.

Lined-Up vases make good use of a few individual flowers. And, once the vases are bound together it’s a fast, fun, simple and easy way to arrange flowers – you just can’t get it wrong.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

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COMING WINTER 2015!



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