Arranging your beaded flowers • 06.26.09
You’ve made French beaded flowers, learned how to mount them in containers, and now you want to arrange them in the container. Here are some simple guidelines to achieving a composition that’s pleasing to the eye, and that will best display the flowers and foliage you worked so hard to create.
When arranging your beaded flowers in a container, the details of the arrangement are a matter of personal taste and preference, so don’t be afraid to be creative and follow your own unique style. Here are some simple guidelines to achieving an arrangement that’s pleasing to the eye while best displaying the flowers you worked so hard to create.
Inspiration for an arrangement is everywhere. Look in books and magazines, and on the internet. Look at florist shops and flower shows. Look at home decor and decorating books. They all have photos containing floral arrangements to inspire your creativity.
Once you have a design in mind, select an appropriate container. When making your selection, keep in mind that your flowers are the feature of your arrangement, not the vessel. It should be of a harmonizing color, and any design on the container itself must be very simple so as not to overwhelm your arrangement. The size of your container generally should be about 1/3 the height of your finished arrangement and about 1/2 the total width. If your flowers are light in feeling, or just a few stems, the container can be larger, like the one in this photo.
If your arrangement is to be viewed from all directions, such as one being placed in the center of a table, a round vase will work best. If the arrangement will show only the front of the composition, square or rectangular vases would be more appropriate.
Modeling clay, sand or even glass beads can be used to stabilize the vase and hold the beaded flowers in place. Stone, marbles or stone chips are also good materials for this.
Position your largest flowers first, as the focal point of your arrangement. If your design style is symmetrical, the largest, most colorful flower should be placed near the middle and just above the top edge of the container. If asymmetrical, the dominant flower will be off center and near the outer edge. Your foliage and filler flowers are then added to fill the empty spaces and complete the design.
Some additional hints –
- Use lighter colors on the outside of your arrangement.
- Facing flowers and foliage in different directions will give depth to your arrangement.
- If you are using only one kind of main flower, give your arrangement variety by showing the flower in various stages of growth, such as buds and partially opened flowers. When creating these flowers, you can use fewer petals or compress the petals inward, giving the look of a flower still in the stages of opening.
Check your arrangement often as you place your flowers. The end result, after all, must be visually pleasing, and you will be the best judge of how your want your arrangement to appear.
Now it’s finished, place your new beaded flower bouquet in a prominent place and show it with pride!
