My son's school held its first Prom this year, to those of you in the USA its no big news! But here in England its a new custom and I must say, it was a really good event. I decided to make my son's girlfriend a wrist corsage for him to give her as that way she could keep it as a keepsake of the night. I also decided to make Tom a matching buttonhole for his evening suit. Here is a workshop giving the steps to take to make something similar yourselves. Ive used the corsage magnets rather than pins for the buttonhole, as it prevents any damage by pins. I sell these of course in the store and they have been very popular, they are a brilliant idea. There will be a link to them later on in this article.

Here they are, Tom and Chelsey, and guess what!! They got to be Prom King and Queen!!

For the Wrist Corsage

You'll need some silk flowers that co-ordinate with the dress of course. Notice i didnt say 'match', and there is a reason for that. Lots of people think accessories have to match but in reality a dead match can either be impossible or boring even. Take a look at my colour theory article from the archive and you'll see all the possibilities, be adventurous. Also, in bridal floristry, too much of the same colour can look bland in photographs. Go for a contrast but add something ie ribbon, beads, etc to actually 'match' so that the design looks like it belongs to the occasion but doesnt have to be exactly the same.

To make the look unified, I used a sprig cut from a bunch of black Nerine silk flowers, some pale blue 'Love in a Mist' or Nigella to give its proper name, and some silk rose buds in ivory. This was to co-ordinate with a beautiful Turquoise Prom dress and also went well with the Dinner Suit because of the black included.

Ivory silk rose buds, black silk nerine and powder blue nigella, turquoise diamante to add sparkle. Turquoise satin ribbon was added at the end but we'll get to that.

Method of making up the Corsage
Ok so you know what you need, now to make the corsage. The good thing about silks is that you can make this well in advance, so for napkin rings, corsages, bridal flowers etc its a real bonus, and, of course, they can be kept forever so buy the best quality silks you can afford.
First you need to cut the pieces you want to use to the right length, so find the flower you want to be the focal flower, thats a way of saying, the flower to be the central point and focus of the design. This will be the largest of your selection. Then place something longer and more delicate behind it and adjust the length ratio in your hand so that they touch but dont overlap, let each flower have its own space but keep it close. Add other pieces of silk, in this case the black nerine and ivory rose bud, to the side of the first 2 placements and just move them around and experiment with the 'look' before you cut and commit yourself. Once you think they look good in the position you have, cut the stems so they are the same. See picture. See how I have bent the stem of the focal flower, the blue Nigella? Thats because when i bind and tape them, I want the focal flower to stand proud and upward from the wrist, I dont want them all flat, and hey, they have wire in them so use it!

Add diamante - in this case turquoise - if using them

Add what you like - make sure the lengths are staggered and not bunched up but...Know when to stop! Dont get carried away and make something too big fussy or heavy.

Now we need to secure what we've done so far, so taking a 56 guague long wire bent into a hairpin with one end longer than the other, hold it parallel to the stems and taking the longer end of the wire, pull and bind it firmly and quickly around the stems and the other wire.

Then, tape with stemtex tape or parafilm whichever you prefer. (Stemtex is the crepe type self sticking tape and parafilm is the thin plastic tape also self sealing, the former gives a matt finish, the latter a gloss finish.) In this instance Ive used stemtex and in a pale green colour so it shows up easier in these photos. All tapes and wires can be purchased in my store and the link will be at the end of the article, worldwide shipping. Cut the wire to an appropriate length, this varies according to the design and the size of the wrist its going on to so its pointless me being specific here. Now Tape over all wire to conceal it and tape down and across the raw wire at the end of course, cant have wire catching on the material. So now you have something like this.
Made Corsage Front View. Made Corsage Back view.

Now to wear this, the traditional way is to add ribbon to tie to the wrist so thats what ive done. The new skill saving method is to use a ready made corsage band with a metal clip which holds the design to the band.I may as well show you the first way. Take a length of co-ordinating silk ribbon and make a double bow, there is a workshop on the blog going into this in depth so wont repeat myself, but its a kind of figure of 8 from loops, see pictures. Tie another piece of ribbon around it and then around the corsage neatly just below the silk flowers. Then because it will swing around if you dont..you need to add a loop of ribbon to the middle of the corsage too for security on the wrist. At the back of the design connect the ribbons from the bow and the middle and this will then tie into a bow on the wrist.

DONT LAUGH at the next picture! ok you can Im afraid a rather hairy teenage boys arm is the wearer in this picture, his was the only arm available at the point of completion, cant get the staff! I include it only because the next one of it on the TRUE wearers arm isnt so close up.

OK

For the matching Buttonhole
Always use the same material used in the corsage, this looks so unified, in my opinion much better than just an ivory rose. So here Ive used less of each of the Nerine, Rose buds and Nigella. No ribbon in the buttonhole.

Method of making up the buttonhole
As before, select the longer part of the buttonhole from less obvious flowers, no full open flowers. Thats for the focal point. This gives visual and actual balance. In this case ive used a bud of Nigella (Love in a mist) as the topmost point, nestling close by but at shorter length, the Black Nerine, Ivory Rosebud and Nigella. Cut as before to give the same stem length and bind securely as with the corsage.

Now its secure, time to add the magnet. They have 2 parts, the thinner part is taped in with the stemtex (or parafilm) and thicker part will be placed behind the lapel. These are incredibly strong magnets and a brilliant idea as no damage to the fabric ensues. Make sure the cut ends of the wires are carefully covered with tape so they dont snag material.

See how the magnet holds the buttonhole in place. The other part goes behind the lapel.
All the year of 2008 looked so good and it was nice to add a personal touch by making these flowers. The beautiful dress was made by Chelsey's grandmother. Hope you have the chance to do the same or use this workshop to make flowers for a wedding or special event as they apply to so many occasions.
Say hi if you visit my ebay store! Im always happy to answer any questions regarding your projects. Here is the link to the store. You'll find the magnets there and all kinds of things nice. Ask if you need any help.
My Store

IN THIS WORKSHOP I WILL SHOW YOU THE STEPS TO FOLLOW TO MAKE AN OPEN (NOT SOLID) BASED HEART TRIBUTE.THE END RESULT WILL BE LIKE THIS:

YOU WILL NEED:
AN OASIS OPEN HEART FRAME LIKE THIS ONE IN MY STORE
Open Heart Frame Link
WATERPROOF RIBBON FOR THE EDGINGRibbon example link
MOSSING PINS, aka GERMAN PINSMossing Pins Link
SCISSORSFloristry Scissors Link
LE BUMP OASIS FOR THE SPRAYBump for spray Link

Fresh Flowers for the Spray, here i used mainly tulips.
Double Chrysanths for the basing, White is normally used, you need about 25 stems
Foliage for the spray, small leafed eucalyptus parvifolia, or soft ruscus is ideal.

Ok lets start then.
Firstly its important to bevel the edges whenever you use oasis as shown in all the other workshops, this allows a better defined shape, also it cuts down on the bulk of oasis foam you have to cover. So makes it both better on the eye and more economical. This is done in its dry state, and after you've cut off the 90' edges all round the shape smooth it over with your hand and it will look nice and rounded. Details are in most of the previous workshops.
In the following picture i have left the bevelled edge visible so you can see how much ive chopped off the edges, and the first stage of the outer ribbon edging is attached. The 'bump' for the spray is screwed into the top left of the heart ready to hold the spray. As before, there is a workshop showing the ribbon edge making skill. Ribbon edging is pinned to the frame by placing it upwards, not downwards as you may first of all think it should be. This sllows the chrysanths to really fit snuggly to the ribbon edge. Use german pins, also known as mossing pins, to pin the ribbon edging to the hard part of the oasis frame, its much easier to use ribbon edging on these type of oasis shapes rather than the other type known as 'naylor' base. That type has a hard plastic base and its impossible to pin ribbon to it. The hard base of the type i use here is waterproof and very solid so no worry about it not being tough enough. Im often asked if this type is strong enough to use and i assure you it is, and made for this purpose.
Just a quick note about using 'le bump', this is a caged piece of foam with a screw in the bottom that is easy to fit into the oasis, in other workshops ive shown how you can also cut down a piece of foam and tape and pin it to the shape if you are trying to cut costs.

Also take a look at this closeup of the ribbon edging, this shows the upward angle to pin it, ie towards the top of the shape, not down. Here Im putting the ribbon edging to the inside of the open heart. Previous workshops show the way to make the point so i dont want to repeat myself in case you get bored.
Make sure you get a nice point at the base.

So now you have the heart ribboned inside and outside and have screwed in the bump it should look like this.

Its time to soak the heart. Dont overdo it though, it shouldnt be too heavy. I use a garden hose for this but you can also use a jug or bottle. The foam easily absorbs the water and isnt very thick so it should only take a couple of pints evenly poured over it to be sufficient.
Right then, on to the basing. Basing is the term for the design being filled with closely placed double chrysanths. Cut the stems always at a 45' angle. 2 reasons;- the engle gives a larger surface area for the stem to drink water, but also, its easier to insert a sharp edge into the oasis with the least pressure, some times of the year, chrysanth stems are fragile and break easily when inserting them and must be wired which is a real pain, so a nice sharp point is the best way. Start by cutting off the flower heads with short stems, cut them about 2.5cm - the flower head should sit on the surface of the oasis, right flat to the surface. Grade the flowers so that you have the bigger more open ones to use along the central line of the shape, and the smaller ones to be used along the sides. This make the job look so much more professional and neat.
Using the largest most open flower heads, insert them close together so they touch in a central line along the heart shape, see the picture below.

Here you can see the flower heads are close, no oasis can be seen between them, its a good trick to slightly lift the petals of the previous flower before inserting the next so they butt up really close but dont make them look crushed, each flower head should be seen in full. The oasis along each side is visible at this stage, this is wehre you will repeat the procedure with slighlty smaller flower heads until the whole heart is completely filled. Now you will see why the ribbon edging has been pinned on in an upward way, the ribbon fits like a collar close to the flower heads and is slightly bent back and down by the flowers which opens out the ribbon slightly so you cant see the pinned edge. I bet you were wondering about that!

In this picture you cans ee the open heart, ribbon edged inside and out, the bump in place for the spray flowers and the basing all completed.

So, at this stage, you can store the heart for competion nearer the day its needed or continue with the spray, if you are making this in advance, lightly spray with water and keep in a cool place. If making the spray then you can look back in the workshops for in depth details but for now what you do is cut your pieces of foliage so it will make steps. Some long for the edges and shorter pieces towards the middle of the spray and for the sides. If you look you will see that the spray should never be larger than a third of the overall design otherwise its out of proportion to the eye and will look odd. So place the first pieces of foliage into the bump close to the basing and begin to give the design some shape. I use longer pieces to contour the heart shape, make the pieces of foliage always follow the shape of the foam so it enhances the shape. Work in stages of shorter length to the middle and edges, some pieces should be inserted close to the oasis, dont overdo the floliage at this point or you wont have room for the flowers. Foliage or 'greening'up as its called, is basically to give the spray a 'form' or 'shape' either crescent, diamond or line so that the spray has substance.
Then follow with your chosen flowers, follow the shape of the foliage, cut the stems at 45' dont forget that! And...know when to stop. Its easy to have spare flowers and just keep 'bunging' them in but try to make each flower count and use odd numbers of the focal flowers, dont overcram it. Once you are pleased with it, look at it from all angles and fill in any showing oasis with timy pieces of foliage. Spray lighlty and keep in a cool place.
Here is a close look at the spray ive made here. Not the size. Note the fact that it doesnt flood out over the design shape too much, keep it in proportion and enhance the oasis shape, dont complete with it.

Next time I will show you how to use the same frame, but make it look totally different by basing the shape with leaves for a very modern design. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. Hope you can take a look at my ebay store for all kinds of floristry and craft items. No matter where you are or what level of skill you have, im happy to help.
Visit My eBay Shop: E-Jay Trading

2009 Calender Available Here

The Smithers Oasis Company make so many shapes now - not just the usual hearts, pillows etc. It may be that you are asked to make the Hindu Symbol 'AUM' which is one of the new shapes available.

In the Hindu faith it is the sacred sanskrit word symbol for God.

First you need the oasis shape. You can, of course, find this for sale in my ebay store, there will be a link to it by clicking on the picture if you are interested.
Usually i bevell the edges of oasis but as im going to pin abaca ribbon along the edge i have left it squared off. Abaca edging is very well suited to these types of oasis shapes as it doesnt distract the eye from the shape and gives a tidy finish. Abaca is a natural fibrous product which i sell in ribbon form which is perfect for pinning to oasis among other things. To see a listing for the abaca for sale, click on the picture below. Its also excellent edging for wedding cakes, but I digress

Next using white double chrysanths, the outline of the Aum is 'based' (this means closely placed flowers without a space between on short stems inserted into the foam,) with a space left along the middle of the outline for some red roses.

So thats all there is to making the Aum shape. Please visit my store online for a look at some of my items - there are hundreds at the moment so make a cup of tea or pour the wine first! Bye for now.
Click here to visit my store

Make something different for Valentine's day design

When thinking of Valentine's day the first thing we think about is the traditional red rose or a dozen red roses isnt it? Well here is a simple idea - most of which can be made in advance with just the flowers to add. Any red flower can represent the valentine's day sentiment.

Its quite easy to gather up some willow at the moment from beneath willow trees as we've had so much wind and these thin flexible long branches can easily be wound into a circle or wooden wreath. Vine is also easy to cut as the long trails are equally good. Or, buy one from a garden centre already made. If you dont fancy braving the elements collecting willow then this is the type of thing you need.

The picture shows ivy vine stripped of leaves and bound here and there with binding wire, very easy to make or buy ready made.

Next you need to buy some glass lipped test tubes. I sell these so you can check the ebay store, (link to follow)- the lip is essential because this is the place to wind the wire that will attach it to the vine or willow.

Wind binding wire around the test tube below the lipped edge and wind onto the willow or vine wreath with a slightly upward angle so that the water you will be putting in them will not spill out!

Leaves or moss can hide the test tubes if you wish, or ribbon can be threaded through the willow, this can be made in advance to this point ready for the day you add the red flowers to the test tubes, roses, gerbera, gloriosa orchid, anemones are some suggestions.

Just to say that for Easter this idea is fabulous with white and yellow flowers!! Please visit my ebay store for all manner of floristry supplies and please ask if you cant see what you need as i have a vast variety of items.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO MY STORE

Im often asked for ideas for flowers to use at this time of year. Nowadays with modern technology an awful lot of choice is available which might not have been before, daffodils were available from early November this year! However, I think its still best to keep as seasonal as possible when choosing flowers, just personal taste I guess.

Some of my suggestions are as follows: Of course your own colour theme may exclude the use of some of them.

ERYGIUM Blue Thistle (non prickly) is a beautiful soft frondy addition to winter bouquets and arrangements, it can also be lightly sprayed with silver to catch the light - very frosty wintry looking.
DOGWOOD Shiny vibrant red stems of woody twigs look fabulous in winter arangements.

Dogwood is quite flexible and can be used to weave smaller flowers through it or support for gerbera or lillies.
Winter flower arrangements and weddings wouldnt be complete without berries of some sort.
HYPERICUM The Berry of St.John's Wort is fabulous because of the different colours the berries can be, lime, peach, pink and burgundy. Of course, they can also be sprayed to fit your theme.
As seen in previous workshops on here, these can be threaded onto grasses and made into loops as well. Very pretty in corsages and buttonholes to compliment their use in the main flowers. They are also on very long stems so excellent for using in large pedestal arrangements.I always use leaf shine on the berries as it adds to the natural gloss. Available in my ebay store. A link to which will be at the end of this entry.

EUCALYPTUS SILVER DOLLAR FOLIAGE
This type of Eucalyptus is so good for winter as its a kind of frosted green, and matte not shiny so a good choice to give interest to arrangements and flowers adding texture. Using textures is so important to making floristry interesting, the smooth shine of the berries next to the matte Eucalyptus and the spiky Erygium, for example, is very pleasing to the eye.
NEVER USE LEAF SHINE ON THE MATTE FOLIAGES! FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.
MOLUCCELLAKnown as Bells of Ireland. Another favourite of mine. Its used as a foliage AND flower as it is actually both. The smell is wonderful, and used in cosmetics and soap, buy some just to smell the fragrance! Lime veined leaves on a long stem so also good for pedestals and top table long low arrangements, but take care! The stems have long needles hidden under the 'bells'. Can be cut down for smaller lengths and cut just above a bell cluster so the cut end cant be seen, very decorative

WHITE TULIPSAdds a WAXY texture and a purity to the designs - always pierce the stem just below the head with a pin all the way through to avoid the tulips blowing open too soon, this will hold them in bud. Adds a promise of spring to Winter Weddings.
AVALANCHE ROSE, PURE WHITE ROSE FAVOURITE
WHITE PEONY These are available from around February, adds a luxurious big focal flower where impact is required, ie pedestals, top tables, and of course in wedding bouquets. Stunning in White, but also available in pink from pale to cerise.WHITE RUNUNCULUS -IN VASEa smaller version of the peony, ie in bridesmaid bouquets, its good to use Rununculus, they look very similar and are so pretty, they also come in the same colours as peonies so i use them in smaller arrangements if using Peony in larger ones, to keep the arrangements matching if you know what i mean.
ORCHIDStp://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/white_dendrobium/2245077" title="white dendrobium">
TOP - Dendrobium (Singapore Orchid) MIDDLE - Cymbidium BOTTOM - Phalaenopsis (Butterfly Orchid) The Dendrobium is the most delicate, the Cymbidium is cut into single flowers for corsages etc, and the Butterfly is a large very easily spoiled orchid so only use if you have experience with them.
WHITE LILLIES, THE LONGI LILY, Like a Trumpet in shape and comes with 2 or 3 flowers per long stem. Perfect for pedestals because of the length, allow a good few days to open so buy in advance. Always remove the stamen as shown in the lily workshop because the pollen stains permanently.
THE CALLA LILY, the smaller ones are called ZANTEDECHIA A very elegant lily, single flower per stem, thisk stem though so if making a bouquet its best to buy the smaller ones or have just a few in an over arm style. The thick fleshy stems can be warmed by the hand and gently curved if need be, these look lovely with twig frames and if left out of water the stems are flexible enough to weave with, they are fine out of water.

ORIENTAL LILY, TIGER LILY, Below - Very versatile, a little quicker to open than the Longi, but still need to be bought in advance, multi headed, sometimes speckle throated, long stem lillies.
WHITE GERBERA
The White Gerbera here has a chocolate middle but they do come with white too, they are a good focal flower but if using them, avoid other round flowers, go for points or trails otherwise they will compete visually for attention and can look clumsy. They must be supported as in the wiring workshop, give them a good long drink in cold water prior to use, they tend to droop quicker than other flowers if in a mixed bunch, but there is a tablet form of conditioner just developed which is available from my store on ebay.
WHITE SPIDER CHRYSANTHEMUM

These are very economical and hardy flowers, their petals are ragged and give a nice texture - they are sometimes called spyder with a 'y'. The lime green version is also quite dramatic. A good snowflake effect winter flower for impact.
Hope you found this article of use when choosing materials for winter weddings and arrangements, its obviously just a few of the many flowers and foliages available but might give you food for thought. Please visit my ebay store for floristry tools and sundries at E-Jay Trading. Ebay Store.CLICK HERE FOR A VISIT TO MY ONLINE STORE

MAKE A COCKTAIL ! PLANT INTO A MARTINI GLASS - OR EVEN AN ARRANGEMENT

I recently bought a Martini glass style vase as a sample to show a prospective wedding customer and as it sat on my table, I remembered I hadnt bought myself a new pot for some Money Plant cuttings Id taken. Thinking of the cuttings and seeing the Martini glass I wondered what it might look like to make a kind of 'cocktail' planted design, with visible layers in the glass!! So this is what I did. Hope you like it. It also occurred to me that to make an arrangement of candles and holly in the glass might look nice for Christmas too. Especially when the dinner table is often pretty full at Christmas, the tall glass makes the arrangement out of the way and its quite stable if you use pebbles in the base as I have done.

This is the cocktail then....
First steps are to pour some pebbles or stones or glass beads into the base, whatever you like really, and then to add topsoil or compost on top of the stones.

Next, place the cuttings, in this case money plant, but I think I may add ivy so it has a flow to it, add some sphagnum moss (reindeer moss) and keep it in place by a few hairpin wire pins, then Ive placed a ring of opaque glass chunks around the edge. Personally I think it looks like a Christmas pudding
If you plan to make an arrangement instead, hide the oasis foam with the pebbles or stones. I think one of these as a Christmas arrangement would be great using holly, berries, cones, and a chapel candle in the middle, dont you?
But for now, its just the 'cuttings martini'cocktail.

To finish it off Ive placed some large beach stones to the base of the vase. Voila!

Please visit my ebay store where there are hundres of items for sale and auction for those of you who like to make things yourself.
CLICK HERE FOR A VISIT TO MY ONLINE STORE

Bride's Handtied Design - Loose in style for a country look.

People have begun to realise that if you are wearing ivory or white for your wedding, a bright mix of colour for the flowers can be so striking in the photographs of the wedding. Ivory and White flowers have been the fashion for a long time and of course are timeless classics, however, just lately brides have been looking for some individuality and colour.
Here Im going to show the bq I recently made for a small wedding that was big on colour. The bride wanted a loose (as opposed to a packed) style bouquet, a 'messy' muddle of colours that would look like an old fashioned country garden.

Firstly here is a picture of the flowers opted for. They were chosen for the colours, yes, but also for the variety in shape and form, bright advancing colours (Lime) contrasting with dark receding colours (purples) take a look.

Roses Cerise edged californian
Wax flower Pink
Trachelium Purple
Monkshood (aconitum) Purple
Lisianthus (eustoma) Ivory
Hard ruscus leaves
Blupleurum Lime

Blupleurum is used here as a foliage but is in fact a lime flower of the euphorbia family. I use it as a contrast to the deep dark purples in the chosen flowers.

First of all strip off all the foliage that will be below the binding point, this is the point at which you will tie all the stems together. The next pictures show the hard ruscus prepared, stems stripped and leafshine applied to the leaves, a fine mist is all they need to be glossy and luxurious looking. Then you'll see the Monkshood stems stripped to the same point on the stems.

Do the same with the Lisianthus, Roses (strip of all thorns!) Wax flower branches and blupleurum bracts, as in previous workshops for handtied designs, make sure you add to the design in a spiralling way, all stems in the same direction, none crossing over each other. As you add stems, check the lengths as they often slip and slide down as you ope your hand to take another stem into your grip, so check and tug them back to the desired length. It helps to make these designs infront of a mirror so you can see whats happening and see where colour needs adjusting so that the textures and colour spacings are even. If you cant make it in front of a mirror, try standing infront of a window for the reflection.

Once all that you need has been added, and remember, try and know when to stop!! its easy to get carried away and keep adding - remember that the size of the bride is imperative to the whole look - a massive bouquet on a very slightly built bride will emphasise her size and vice versa of course. Anyway, once its all together and your hand is aching from the vice like grip because its just perfect and you daren't let anything slip! tie tightly with jute string. Ah maybe i should add that its a good idea to have the piece of jute string cut and ready to hand. I dont use ribbon like a lot of florists to at this stage because it slips, use string and dont let go even after you have knotted it, tie again below the first string and pull very tightly, knot it and then let go and hold your breath. Trim the ends to about 5 inches, make sure the stems are clean and free from stem debris. You might find the first string you tied around the stems is now loose, tie again before removing it, safety is paramount, if anything breaks you have to start all over again.

These pictures show an organza bow being tied around the stems, I've used a sheer lilac wire edged organza. Always fold up ends on wire edged ribbon in case the wire ends snag the dress. also, to avoid a slipping bow, I always advise that you use the ends to tie above the bow, and then below the bow before securing with a double knot underneath the bow. Never tie or knot ribbon a the back it looks unsighlty, the knot shouldnt be visible. By tying the ribbon above and below the bow it helps make sure it stays in place. Here are some shots of the finished country garden look, bride's hand tied bouquet.

There will be another posting shortly with the wrist corsages to match the bouquet. And..hopefully a picture of the bride holding this bq so you can see how well colours like this show up against wedding dresses.

Wire edged Organza ribbon is available in my ebay store in a wide range of colours, from 2m lengths at just £1.30 to whole 20m reels for £10 which is a great price for the quality. Please check my ebay store and do ask if you cant find what you need.
CLICK HERE TO SEE MY STORE or contact me on
sales@e-jaytrading.com

Leafshine Spray is one 'tool' Id never be without.es your foliage a healthy glossy professional look which makes all the difference to presentation. So, if you are making items for a wedding, church, celebration or corporate event and want to give it the best 'look' for pennies, then invest in some Leafshine Spray.
At the moment I have access to extra special large cans for just £8.59 !! Use it to gloss up your foliages but not any which have fine hairy surfaces.

Notice the difference by looking at the greened-up wreath below. Here is a Funeral Wreath I had to make yesterday and this picture shows the difference before and after a light spray of Leafshine. This is now ready to add the flowers.
Its also fantastic to spray onto ivy leaves prior to using in your corsage and buttonhole work, loks so professional and well 'dressed'. Below the pictures is a link to my store where you will find it for sale should you wish to try it for yourself. Stand out from the crowd and use a professional touch in your floristry!

Before and After

FLOWERS ON A BUDGET - HELPFUL IDEAS 1

Dont forget Veronica! This pretty pointed conical flower spear is extremely economical to use amongst your primary flowers. The price can be as little as 30p a stem and they come in white, purple and pale pink. They add a lovely movement to any arrangement or bouquet and the spear shape is perfect for defining direction and form to the design. Next time you're tempted to opt for gypsophelia or other common 'filler' flower, consider the pretty Veronica instead. Here are some pictures of Veronica in white.

Click here to visit my store

If you are making buttonholes or corsages and wish to add loops of wire edged organza - here is a simple method I use.

First of all take a length of wire edged organza in a suitable colour for the design you are adding it to, sometimes going for a striking contrast is more interesting than using a colour similar to the flowers, (see colour wheel workshop) but thats personal taste.

Fold the ribbon over your finger bringing the two cut ends together. Take a green coated wire ie 46/56guage, and bend it into a hairpin, place the edge of the ribbon loop onto the bent part of the wire and use one of the lengths of the wire to tightly bind around the ribbon and the other end of the wire. Very similar to the leg mount wire you use on some flower stems. Now that the ribbon is wired securely, it must be taped either with stemtex, a stretchy crepe type wiring tape or parafilm tape, the stretchy smooth plastic type tape. The wired bow loop can now be incorporated easily into your corsage or buttonhole as if it were one of the flowers.

This method of wiring ribbon loops is also used when you want to add organza or raffia to an arrangement in oasis, ie in wedding table arrangements. There is nothing better than having an element of design that runs through the whole wedding, it helps to 'gel' everything together if the organza loops in corsages, match those in the arrangements, helps make the whole look co-ordinated.

All types of floristry wire, floristry tapes, organza ribbon and other sundries and tools for the floristare available in my ebay store: E-Jay Trading. Here is a link to take you there! Please ask if you cant see what you need, I'll re-list it no problem.

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STEP BY STEP - HOW TO MAKE AN ORCHID CORSAGE WITH TRIMMINGS

With the Wedding season approaching fast I thought some of you might like to see how to make a fancy Orchid corsage. These are the sort of corsages mothers or mother in laws-to-be might wish to wear to a wedding or, it may be worn to a special event or occasion - perhaps to Royal Ascot for a day at the races. Once you have the techniques practised something similar can be made to attach to a hat as well, so warm up your fingers! Remember that it takes practise to wire and tape but to persevere as the practise will eventually become easier and the rewards of seeing something you have made in this way are enormous.

First of all here is a picture of all the 'ingredients'

From left to right what i have to work with are:-
2 heads of orchid.
6 medium ivy leaves, ive used variegated but use what you can find.
1 piece of soft ruscus, (or other small leaved foliage that will give height.)
3 blades of beargrass
1 stem of climbing rose with buds (large roses would overpower the orchid)
1 or 2 sprigs of wax flower - pink
1 or 2 sprigs of hypericum berries

I have actually added some silver wired diamante at the end which is optional, I sell these in my ebay store for £2.80 a bunch for 18 diamante heads if you would like to use them in bridal or corsage work please visit the store to see the colours available, this picture shows what they are like. I have actually used a clear glass drop like crystal not the diamante in this case.
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We begin to construct this corsage by support wiring the orchid heads. You will need floristry wire of about 70g. To ease insertion into the stem first cut the end of the wire to a 45' angle giving it a sharp tip and while holding the stem in one hand gently push the wire into the stem, always hold the wire close to the end for more control and try not to pierce the stem sides, its best to select stems that are not too curved -which makes life easier- but if you are supporting the stem as you insert the wire you can manipulate the stem slightly to straighten it as the wire goes in. Gently and slowly insert the wire but not as far as piercing the head.
Notice the angle of the orchid stem is also at 45', always cut stems like this as it helps contour the final shape when taped. Support wire both orchid heads.
ok so far so good.
The next task is to secure the wire we just used to support the orchid heads so they cant 'pop' off the wire. We do this by what is known as cross-wiring. You need the thin 32g galvanised silver wires for this. You pierce the stem around half way up with the first wire leaving the ends equal each side of the stem and then do the same across the other way.The silver wires are now crossed and the support wire is inside the stem, ok now hold the stem in the left hand and with the right hand gently fold the silver wires down the stem length so the wires are parallel to the stem, nice and tidy.
Next, take one of the silver wires and bind tightly around the other wire and stem. Now tape wires and stem end with stemtex tape to hide wires and also seal in moisture.The ivy leaves need stitching which is detailed in another workshop, but you use a silver galvanised wire to stitch across the main vein, then pull the ends down to the stem, bind one end round as you did with the orchid cross wires and tape.The ruscus stem is wired using the leg mount method, which is to make a look of the silver wire - hold against the stem and use one end of the wire to bind tightly round the stem. Then tape.
Next, take the hypericum berries and make a hole through the middle to the other side using a 70g wire, the bear grass can then be threaded through the berries. Now start to put the pieces of prepared material together, the ruscus and berries to the back and the ivy leaves to frame the group. The ivy leaf that will be at the front need to be placed facing the group and not towards you, this is so it can be gently bent outward towards you when its all complete. The following pictures show various stages of grouping, keep pinching the taped part of the group as you add material and the stemtex will keep them joined as it gets adhesive in warm hands, but dont let go until all the material is in place and bound with binding wire, then all the stems are taped to the end. Trim and make sure no bare wire protrudes the end. Ive added some diamante stems, but its optional, you can also add small loops of ribbon if you wish.
The completed corsage.

The material can gently be moved into final position once all the stems are taped, ivy leaves can be carefully bent to give a nice profile and the orchid can be elevated forward slightly to form an interesting profile.
The corsage pin would be placed in the tape at the back for use. to present this item, line a small lid of a box with tissue and keep in a cool place until ready. Good luck and do ask if you have any problems or need advise.
All wires, tapes and embellishments can be bought from my ebay store, see link above near the first picture. Thanks.