Modern Crescent Design

Hi, I'm Sandy Schreck for LBR Educates, and today we're going to explore creating the bohemian crescent style design in a vase. And so we're seeing it a lot times made in foam or chicken wire, but we're going to take the adorn vase and create this crescent style design for you today using the stem grid technique. So let's take a look at that. So to start this design we're actually going to start with the value green of huckleberry and create a stem grid. And so if you just turn huck over to the back side, you're able to see where some of those breaks are so that you can start to create this composition. So we're going to come in using crossing stems, removing the foliage that's below the water, but you can see how we're forming x's on here. So the huckleberry gives a more in and out garden style design so it works really well for this type of composition. And so you can see I'm just crossing over each one of these stems over the other pieces and forming that grid. So I would recommend that you don't waste time on taping vases and utilize the stem grid technique to be able to create a base out of foliage that will be able to hold your designs. If you've done it correctly you should be able to pull it out and see if you squeeze it together it's going to spring out. And so that's a great way to know if you've done that correctly. What we're going to do is start with kind of that outer rim and then thinking about the proportions of the vase to the design. One easy way to judge where that outer rim should be is I'm taking that head of the flower pulling my vase to the edge of the table and then coming up and just doing two times the height of the vase. And so I'm starting with three stems of buttons and these are going to be a great structure to get my base started. And so there you can see those in there and then we're going to come in with some of the side insertions. This is a lavender delphinium that we just started. We switched to a new grower and so it's an amazing product. And so this one is called like lavender and then it has like slash blue because it has like that multi-tone in it. And then I'm going to go to the other side and use some mauve stock coming in. And you can see I'm coming in with these insertions and they go all the way across the vase. So if you're less experienced, if you hold your flower across the base and then use your other hand to pinch where you need to make that cut, you'll be able to easily create those designs and get that spread going back and forth. Now once you have a little bit more experience just kind of start to know what those dimensions are and you're able to cut those flowers without measuring. But don't feel bad if you need to measure now. So come and bring your flower to the edge of the table and your vase to the edge of the table and then you can see. So now the spray roses are going to come up on both sides and they are going to also come out to the rim. So I'm doing a sideways insertion. You come in and go in through your piece and all the way across. And so those are at the next level. So you can see here how we've kind of got our outer rim of flowers that's done. I am going to put in some of the cremins and I'm going to put those in last because they have a tendency to kind of split if you put other flowers in. But I kind of think of them as the size of a fist. And so I want to go in here and I want to save that space in my head. Put those two fists in there and save that space for those last flowers that I'm putting in. Just kind of alternating here. I come in with a couple roses and this is the Art Deco rose and we did a experiment with a lot of roses a couple months ago and Art Deco was one of the longest lasting flowers that we had. And just coming in next up at the other layer. So adding in some foreign flowers and this is a burgundy alstroemeria that we grow here at Lembush. And so you can see now when I'm coming in with some of those middle flowers that they stand in place right as you're going in. Going into that nice stem structure. So again we're thinking about going back and forth and then I'm just going to come in deep with a couple carnations and kind of use it as basing technique to kind of finish off my collar there. So I use this dark color and the deep paint carnations to bring your eye down to the base of the vase and just using all kinds of tints, tones, and shades of that pink color. Got a couple dianthus that I'm going to come in with and just bring those in. So as I'm doing that insertion I come in kind of use my hand to split where I'm going to go and then sometimes you need to spin it as you're going across that stem grid. But you can see how everything really comes together very easily and then come in with a of these cremins deep and that's that new design style where we see that dip down in the middle. And so coming into those cremins or disc buds they add a great focal area. And but I do like a couple unique kind of dancing flowers over the top. So adding a couple veronica here that kind of lead into my stock and then a couple of the scoops and the scoops are in that lavender tone that are repetitive of my lavender buttons. And so using the more expensive flower up on top and then using the less expensive flower as more of a structure down in the base. Then we need to add some more of that line on on the crescent. So I'm going to come in with some of the grevillea foliage and do a little bit of massaging with my hand just running up the stem and that'll help to get that curves. But you see I started with the base greens and then the more expensive greens and novelty greens that are kind of going to form my shape are added at the end so that I don't end up moving them a ton every time I do an insertion. So splitting that up and you can see how that just adds that crescent style into that composition and it's a great accent piece come in adds a great textural element into it. So I did cut off the top of this but I'm going to use the bottom two as I put that in. I'm going to spin it so that that tip disappears that cut off tip but stuff's expensive these days we got to use it all the way down. So those little side shoots that I was ripping off I actually saved those. I love using the grevillea foliage in my body flower work and see what a great texture that that would add to that as well. I'm just going to add a little bit of agonis on the edge to bring that darker color down in and kind of give me the drape here. So I'm not going to add that all the way around I'm just adding it on the two sides to just extend that line of the framing down a little bit more. So just one piece on one side and one coming in on the other side and then lastly I like to come in and finish it off. I like leather leaf provides a great texture but it also has a great ability to be a simple collar and so you can just push your thumb in and you can see how nicely that finishes it off. So don't think about it as the base green think about it as a showy part of your design. So I use the hydrosil leather leaf and that way it doesn't dry out on me and I can have it be marked part of a showpiece rather than a mechanic. So here you can see kind of our bohemian crescent style design a little bit different color range and you can see how these designs would be really appealing to your customers. So I hope you'll take these techniques and create some fabulous florals.