American Style Flower Arranging (part 4)

The American centerpiece in medium high

When viewed thoroughly, from any angles you see, it will form the 3 points in which if you draw an imaginary line among them it will become a triangle. So, this is the three-dimensional centerpiece that is very suitable to be placed on the table as home décor. 

Here’s the step by step tutorial how to make the American centerpiece

1.      Prepare the vase (rectangular shape), fill it with wet foam

Take 5 stems of gerbera, cut one of them with a height of 2x the width of the vase then place it upright in the middle of the foam. This will become the culmination of the centerpiece. Then place the four others surrounding it in group, each with different height. Arrange the gerberas facing all directions so that this centerpiece is beautifully viewed from the front, back and side.

2.      Take some caspea then place them on the right side

Take some red cordyline, place them opposite direction to the caspea by using terracing technique.

3.     Take 4 stems of hemalomena (a kind of anthurium but smaller), place them at the front (2 at the base and 2 rather high). Up to this stage, it has been looked like a three dimensional centerpiece.

Take some stems of snapdragon, place them between the red cordyline and the hemalomena and in the opposite also but shorter than the first ones.

4.     Add some statice. This flower is more purple than caspea but both of them are gorgeous and can be stand for days.

 As focus, use some purple roses, green carnations and red celocia. Place them on the three different sides at the center area by using basing technique and arrange them facing the different directions, too.

Finally, take 2 stems of futoy. Fill the stems with wire, then bend twice so that it become a triangular shape. Put the triangle near the green carnation area.

Finished

The american centerpiece viewed from the front

If in European style, the biggest material (whether flower or leaf) is usually placed at the bottom and the smaller at the upper, then in American style boldly laid big flower/leaf at the top. But overall, at first glance  some small flowers at the base look big because they are laid in grouping. So, actually it's only such a camouflage look! Have a nice try.

Note:

Pictures taken at the workshop by Andy Djati Utomo, S.Sn, AIFD, CFD, on May 16^th, 2012 in Bandung, West Java.

Flower Today: One Hawaian Sunset

As shown on the label below, its name is One Hawaian Sunset

The up-close look

Look at the lip! It's bigger than the three petals above. With red brownish round-shaped and white on the tip, they just look like babies tortoises to reach the sea, right? Fantastic!

Note:

Images taken from The Orchid Asia Africa Expo, Bandung, West Java.

Workshop Ribbon (part 2) : A Basic Ribbon Bow

A basic ribbon bow. 

It’s easy to make this ribbon bow and the material is also simple and can be easily found at any floral accessories store. What you need are just polypropylene ribbon or famous as plastic ribbon and floral wire. And the only tool used is just scissors. You can choose any color as you wish. This time we used electric color.

How to make basic ribbon bow step by step:

Step 1. Prepare a 2 cm width of polypropylene ribbon.

Step 2. Cut the ribbon about 1.5 - 2 m long. then create loops by using your fingers. If you would like to make small bow, use the four fingers except thumb. But if you want to make bigger bow, use your thumb & small finger. This is what it will look when you’ve finished making loops.

Step 3. Fold into 2

Step 4. Hold it tightly so that not easily changed position. Then cut on both edge but be careful do not cut it off. Remain one third in the middle.

Step 5. Secure with floral wire no.26 (a thin & soft wire but strong enough to tie). It should look like this.

Step 6. Pull a loop with your fingers then turn 90° to the left or right. Once you rotate to the left then the next loop should also be turned in the same direction so that you’ll get the perfect result. Do exactly the same on the rest of the loops.

Step 7.  Shape it how you’d like, but make sure the right sides of ribbon (usually the shiny ones) were facing front. Cut the tails into a simple angle cut. Done

Note:

Images taken at the IPBI DPC Bandung's Monthly Gathering on May 24^th, 2012West Java. 

Instructor: Mr. Harry Zulkarnaen

Flower Today: Daisies

Do you know the favorite flower that often used as filler by most florists? The answer is daisies. Yep, besides the price is quite cheap, not seasonal flowers so can be found anytime and as filler it can fulfill its function very quickly and looks beautiful, too. Moreover, this flower can stand longer than any other flowers. So, it's perfect isn't it? No wonder that daisies are used in any kinds of flower arrangements  as home decor or wedding decoration like table centerpieces, bouquets,chairs and pew decor etc.

Daisies have many colour variation such as white, red, yellow, pink etc. 

White daisies

Yellow daisies

Red daisies

American Style Flower Arranging (part 3)

Gingers on the flower arrangements? Oh, ooo no way ... how come? Here is it, a flower arrangement which uses gingers as accessories. And actually, it's a medium-height of flower arrangement.

The image is the view from above.

The material used are carnation, anthurium, bromelia, omprina, celosia or cock-comb while the foliage is silver grass or simelaria, curly futoy stems, anthurium leaves, lily paris leaves or lily grass , foxtail, red & green cordyline and ruscus. Gingers and woven rattan balls as accessories, skewers, wire, a kind of soft copper wire, but this time choose the shiny white colour or silver as supporting tool.

Here is the step by step tutorial if you’d like to make it.

1.       Prepare a long container or a rectangular vase, then filled with wet foam.

Take some curly futoy stems, give floral tape at the bottom, then tied with wire. Do not forget to insert 2 pieces of skewer for easily placing.

2.       Take 3 anthurium leaves, then place them by using terracing technique.

Take 2 woven rattan balls, put sisal inside then placed them as focus at the center of the flower arrangement. One at the front and the other one a little bit at the back.

Take 3 lily grass, woven them by using soft silver wire then tied the edges by using bunching technique and then give floral tape. This technique is to shorten the working time. Attach the other edge with skewer and then placed it on the oasis.

1.       Take 6 gingers, choose the smooth-wide ones and then place them in 3 different places (front, back and right side) by using skewers, each contains 2 gingers

Take 4 bromelia flowers, place them on the right and left side just like cresent form.

Take some foxtail leaves to cover the left side area, the more and more toward the center. If not like this, then the terracing technique is failed.

Take green cordyline leaves, again used the terracing technique.

2.       Take red cordyline leaves, used basing and terracing technique

Take 2 alokasia triangularis leaves or ‘tombak irian’, placed them high and in front of the green cordyline.

Put the simelaria and carnations in different groups, under the alokasia leaves

Place the red celosia between the ginger and curly futoy stems.

Add omprina to add depth so as not to be flat.

Take 2 green anthurium flowers, wired and then placed beside the front gingers.

Finally insert ruscus into the empty place so that the wet foam can be seen. Cut them short.

Done.

Up close look from the front side (image above) and from the back side (image below).

Note:

Pictures taken at the workshop by Andy Djati Utomo S.Sn, AIFD, CFD, on May 16^th, 2012 in Bandung, West Java.

IPBI DPC Bandung's Monthly Gathering: Workshop Ribbon (part 1)

These are kinds of ribbon that we made in the workshop

The atmosphere where the workshop took place. The participants worked diligently as directed by the instructor.

The box which used to be full of colourful plastic ribbons, now  left only a few (image above) and our instructor this time is Mr. Harry Zulkarnaen.(image below)

This is another variation of the ribbon, looks like 'needle or spider' chrysant flower or 'krisan jarum', right? (soft orange - left image) and by deviding the width of the ribbon into 2 or 3 parts (careful, do not cut it off) , you can also get different look of ribbon. (right image)

Note:

Images taken at the IPBI DPC Bandung's Monthly Gathering on May 24th. 2012.

Flower Today: One Snowy Baby

Look, how beautiful this kind of orchid is! The color, the black stripe lines on its lip and the soft hairy stem ...

hm... marvelous.

Note:

Image taken from The Orchid Asia Africa Expo, Bandung, West Java.