Country Bag Design - 19/01/12

This was a more rustic hand bag design which was created using copper wire mesh, which is biodegradable.  Sandwich inbetween this was hay.

This was then stitched in to shape using raffia.

A small piece of wet oasis was inserted in to the bag but was covered with cello to stop the bag from being soaked.

The beautiful flowers which were used to finish this effect were White Avalanche roses, Green Hypericum, White Eryngium and Viburnum Opulus.

The handle was made by plaiting raffia and looping it through the copper mesh.

This design could be adapted by adding ribbons through the mesh, bullion wire or wool.

Contemporary Bag Design - 12/01/12

This design was inspired by Moniek Vanden Burghe and is made directly on to wet oasis that has not been soaked.

The Dracenea leaves were pinned in to place creating a corset design.

I did this all round until the design was covered.  I had to use make shift hair pins out of wire as I had no real pins to hand, also with the oasis being dry did not help with the pinning process.

Because the oasis was dry the Orchids were placed in plastic test tubes and place in to the top of the design.

The foliages I used were Eucalypus and asparagus fern.

Additionally I did add Gypsophilia in after.....

I wasn't confident as to which one looks best so I left it as it was.

This was a nice design, if a little delicate.  I feel that this could be adapted to make the leaves a little more secure but I didn't want to glue them at the time as I did not want to mark the leaves.

I really like this design, if a little time consuming to actually construct.

Valentines Design - The Journal 05/01/12

This design was included in the February Edition of The Yorkshire Journal.

I used a naylor base Oasis swing Heart as a base and blocked different sections of the heart with different materials, such as Gerberas....

Roses....

and rolled Aspidistra Leaves.

I also used Gypsophilia and moss to cover other sections of the heart.

Black cones and black calla lillies also give another texture to the design.

For the edging I used feathers and overlayed ribbon secured with Pearl pins to complement the colours of the design.

Competition - BFA Fluerex 30/10/11

I entered in to the bridal design category, which was to create a Christmas bouquet.

The inspiration for this bouquet came from the fir lined collars of traditional Christmas clothing from such films as White Christmas, but with a modern twist with use of the wool.

The colours of the 17 Black Barraca Roses are my interpretation of a warming christmas, but I wanted to add something else that we all associate with that time of year.

So around the edge of the collar I attached red jingle bells, to give that lovely sound as the bride walks down the Aisle.

The traditional addition of variegated holly.......

but with added indulgence with the diamanté pins is the perfect balance of modern meets traditional.

Poinsetta Encased with Spruce - 01/12/11

This was constructed using a chicken wire effect with wires.  The gaps needed to be larger than ordinary chicken wire to allow for the spruce to be weaved in and out of the wholes.

The length and amount to be made is dependant on how large the plant is.

The design was supposed to be placed in a pot or container, but for me personally it i liked it on a big plate/dish with a piece of traditional ribbon, for christmas.

A Cinnamon dusted pine cone pick and Lotus head were added.

I did like this design but found it quite time consuming.  The spruce is always a nice touch at christmas but can sometimes be difficult to work with as it is not that flexible and doesn't always stay in the desired position.

Two Birds Nest Designs - 17/11/11

This first design is more structured using snapped steel grass and coloured medilino sticks to give a more architectural feel.

The crispedia were placed at different levels to give added depth so that the eye might look in to the design rather than at it.

Stralitzia 'Birds of Paradise' are at the centre piece of this design, again one at a lower level than the other to keep the structure within the design.

Overall a modern centrepiece with limited materials that is effective and relatively cheap.

The second of these two designs is more rounded and what you would usually think of when birds nest is mentioned.

Bear grass was used in this design as it is more flexible and less prone to splitting than the steel grass in the previous design.  Medilino sticks were used again as an added texture.

Crispedia was used again to give added colour and depth, allowing the eye to look in to the design.

At the centrepiece is a single Protea, which really gives the whole design a wow factor.

This design is cost effective and can be adapted to suit your needs.

Out of both of these designs, my personal choice is the first.  I like the structure and colours in the first design but cannot fault either of them for the simplicity.

Moniek Vanden Burghe Design - 10/11/11

This is a Moniek Vanden Burghe Creation.

In this design oasis was used as a base, covered with split Aspidistra Leaves.

Mikado sticks were then pushed right through the oasis and the leaves so they were equal on either side of the container.

Cork squares were sandwiched between the Mikado sticks to give added stability.

Bear grass squares were also made by cutting the grass and backing with double sided tape and again sandwich the mikado sticks.

Stems of Veronica were then pushed through on either side of the design in between the two levels.

Chins were also in this way to create the movement in this design.

Seahorse were attached using decorative reel wire, by creating 'hooks' on each side of the sea horse so that they can be placed within the mikado sticks.

In the main body of the design, Orchids, Chins and Veronica were used to carry out the fluidity and movement of the design, bringing elements of the orient through out the design.

Steel grass was then added to give the extra height and texture.