Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Thanksgiving Harvest
- 7 October 2011
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Canadian Thanksgiving falls on Monday, Oct 10, 2011
If you have even a minuscule amount in the bank
Some cash in your wallet,
A home,
Something to eat tonight
And you do not live in a war zone,
You are among the fortunate 5% in the world
Pnina Fenster
So pretty- I couldnt decide whether to let it lie just as it is snuggled in a bed of dried fall leaves or give it a cut and fill it with flowers.
In the end my fresh harvest of Chinese lanterns won- it is a time to give thanks for a good harvest, after all.
The vibrant orange and green make such an abundant and cheerful statement that I didnt need to do much more than stir up some spiral blossoms and just glue and spear all the ingredients in place.
The spiral blossoms are cut and rolled from the papery pod (sepal) of Chinese lanterns (Physalis). The bright and shiny berries are from inside the pods. Fresh green curly willow twigs twine and curl over the pumpkin lid.
Both the Chinese lanterns and the willow twigs will dry really well just as they are in the design.
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Tutorials
Cut the sepal from the fruit
I wanted my pumpkin to lift its head slightly so that it is easy to see the beautiful sepals inside. Making tiny legs also prevent the pumpkin from rolling.
Create an off-centre, slightly away from the pumpkin, lid with the stem section.
Every Autumn we see the beautiful Physalis pods everywhere but they are easy to dry and preserve to use year round.
Favourite Flowers
Chinese lantern, cape gooseberry, Peruvian cherry, Inca berry
Curly Willow, Chinese Willow, Tortured Willow, Globe Willow, Dragon's Claw, Hankow Willow
Related Designs
Give a loosely woven wreath legs to stand on to hover lightly around a pumpkin
For a softer autumn leaf pod turn the leaves so that the bright side faces in when making the pod.
This week we are looking at the contents pages of my book... but more specifically at the sweet little pod design on the content page of my book.
Hanging pumpkins and tiny vases to create a Autumn mobile floral design.
A physalis husk pumpkin to celebrate the last bright rays of Autumn.
Time to cut down vines... and enjoy them a bit longer in a Halloween display.