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!
Containing your beaded flowers • 06.19.09
You’ve made your french beaded flowers, and now you want to display them well. If you wish to create an arrangement in a container, there are many ways you can accomplish this. Remember, you are working with beaded flowers, which are quite heavy due to all those lovely little beads, and you want to be certain you have plenty of weight in your container so your arrangement won’t tip over!
An often-used material is modeling clay, particularly if your container is made from pottery or opaque glass. This clay comes in blocks, and doesn’t harden. Heat a small chunk of the clay in your microwave for 10-second intervals to soften it to a workable state, then press it into the container. Placing your stems into the clay, it will hold your flowers upright. There is a good bit of weight to the clay, so it will also anchor the container and prevent tipping. Now cover the surface with some pretty dried moss.
A lovely way to anchor your container, especially a clear glass container, is to partially fill it with glass marbles or stones. These can be purchased inexpensively and will also hold your flowers upright while anchoring your vessel. Just be sure not to tip it over and have all those marbles rolling onto the floor!
If you’re feeling particularly brave, try the ‘fake water’ preparations. These seem to be a type of resin, with two formulas that need to be mixed together prior to use. I love the look of this, but 
have to admit I find them difficult to work with. The mixture is thick and very sticky, and somehow I manage to get it all over myself and my work surface. But the end result is wonderful, and to me it’s worth the mess.
Some tips for using these …
- Follow the package directions carefully, mixing slowly to avoid bubbles.
- After mixing, pour into a plastic bag and snip a corner of the bag, creating a hole from which to pour the mixture down the center of the vase opening – try to avoid getting the ‘water’ on the sides of your vessel.
- Before pouring, place some glass marbles inside the vase and pour the mixture over these. This allows you to fill several vases with a single package of the rather pricey mixture.
- Allow to cure the required length of time before moving the vase or components within. (Don’t ask me how I know this!)
You’ll think of other ways to contain your beaded flowers; I’ve given you only a few here. However you decide to mount them, though, you are certain to enjoy your arrangement for years to come!
Announcing the release of “Discovering French Beaded Flowers” • 06.09.09
Exciting news !!
My new e-book, “Discovering French Beaded Flowers”, has just been released, and is being offered free to visitors on my blog.
I’ve long wanted to share the techniques of creating French beaded flowers, and have put together a digital book filled with great information that’s free of charge to everyone! This e-book includes lists of tools and materials required, with recommendations for suppliers, and instruction on stringing beads, making basic petals and assembly. Also included are instructions for making additional shapes and techniques on color variations and finishing options. And … I’ve even given you a new pattern to try!
This is a downloadable copy, and I want to send you one. Just sign up for my newsletter so you can keep up to date with more patterns and additional ideas and tips, and I’ll get you your copy right away!
Your information will not be shared, and the ebook is free to everyone, so I hope you’ll take a moment to subscribe and get your copy now!
Let’s make some beaded flowers today !!
Beaded flowers in the wedding • 06.02.09
I have a treasured friend … her daughter was getting married, and I was honored and excited to be creating French beaded flowers for the event.
If you have seen a large beaded flower, you know it can be quite heavy. Those tiny little beads, when wired together to create a flower, become quite difficult to carry for longer than a few minutes. 
Wedding bouquets of beaded flowers are stunning, without a doubt. But to hold them for hours – not a good idea. We decided to feature just one large beaded flower in the bouquet of fresh blossoms.
Jen chose Gerbera daisies for her bouquet. It’s a wonderful choice, and currently quite popular among brides. The bouquet was amazing; bright and cheerful, yet quite elegant at the same time. I like to think that the big fuchsia beaded Gerbera, placed in the center, was part of the reason her flowers received rave reviews! And the beaded Gerbera became a lasting keepsake of the cherished memory of her wedding.
I used metallic fuchsia 3-cut beads and brown seed beads for the large center, all wired to a flat mesh disc. The layers of petals were created with 11/0 glass seed beads, and the flower was assembled onto three stem wires to support the weight of all those beads.
For some fun and fancy, I used Delica silk finish beads to create some romantic daisies for Jen’s hair. They looked wonderful; their satiny sheen sparkling in the light against the beautiful red of her hair. Being cylindrical in shape, Delicas don’t normally work well in French beaded flowers, but in this case they looked great!
Best wishes to you, Jen and John. May your future together be filled with endless joy and love, and perhaps now and then a sprinkling of beaded flowers.
The beaded flower workspace – part 2 • 05.26.09
I recently posted about workspace, with some tips and tricks for making your beaded flower workspace easier and more efficient to work in. Now I’d like to talk about setting up a workspace that will help us work more safely. These are things I’ve read about for many years, but it wasn’t until the past year or so that I began to take it all seriously, realizing how important some of these things may be in our crafting experience. Well, actually, it was because I started to hurt! I should have been more aware, and began to suffer chronic back and neck pain.
There are ways to avoid or lessen these problems, though, that are pretty easy to do. First, good posture is essential, so be sure to sit straight without hunching over, and sit fully on your chair. Sit with your feet flat on the floor, and keep your arms and wrists relaxed in a neutral position. A great aid to good posture is using an appropriate chair. I found an office chair a few years ago that adjusts up and down and is very comfortable for me.
I’ve also found it helpful to take frequent breaks, every 30 minutes or so, to walk and stretch. I often find my muscles getting tense, and doing a few stretches usually alleviates this tension.
Creating French beaded flowers and Ganutell does not require a lot of tools, but those you do need are available in different versions. Look for a size and shape that fits your hand and is comfortable to work with. Try the new ergonomic versions … they’re really helpful in reducing the stress of working with your hands.
Good lighting is critical to avoiding eye strain, and I often use a magnifier as well. There are some excellent lamps available …. The photo at the right is an Ott light that I love to use. It has a Truecolor bulb so I see the exact colors I’m using, and I can direct the light onto my work. Click on the photo to view detailed information on this lamp.
Lastly, have your workstation set and ready for use. While this may not be an aid to health and safety, it surely keeps the frustration level down when I don’t have to interrupt my work to go find another tool or supplies.
Beaders in general, not just those of us working with French beaded flowers and Ganutell, are prone to repetitive strain injuries as well as other back, neck and vision problems, so it’s important that we’re conscious of the causes. Take a good look at your workspace and see of there’s something there that needs attention. Then sit down and bead something pretty!
French beaded flower … Ganutell. So what’s the difference? • 05.20.09
Let me tell you about the differences between flowers made in these two wonderful crafts by first talking about how they are most similar – that is in the process of creating them. They are both made by wrapping around a central wire stem. They are both made with individual petals assembled into a flower. And there the similarity ends.
If you have seen examples of beaded flowers and Ganutell, I’m sure you noticed quite a difference indeed. The obvious, of course, is that they are made from different materials. In this photo, the French beaded flower, on the left, is made from small glass beads strung on a wire. This flower is more substantial and quite a bit larger in size than a Ganutell flower. The bigger beaded petals can be laced with a fine wire to give them even more strength, and the largest of these flowers can then be five or six inches across without losing it’s shape. 
French beaded flowers are used in wedding bouquets, decorative floral arrangements, jewelry …. they have endless possibilities, except that all those beads make for lots of weight.
French beaded flowers are used in wedding bouquets, decorative floral arrangements, jewelry …. they have endless possibilities, except that all those beads make for lots of weight.The Ganutell flower on the right is made from rayon floss and a fine copper wire spun together to make somewhat stiff thread. This material has enough body to hold a shape well in a petal, but only to less than an inch in width. As you can see in the photo, even after assembling a good number of these petals together, the resulting flower is still quite light and delicate. That’s the charm of flowers made in the craft. Ganutell flowers also provide great opportunity for embellishment with beads and wires that are corrugated and spiralled. These flowers are used for decoration in wreaths, sprays, and framed arrangements.
Both these crafts are centuries old and often ornate in style. Today’s crafters, however, are creating lighter and more whimsical beaded flowers and Ganutell florals, making good use of the huge variety of new materials. Imagine with me — wouldn’t it be interesting to combine the best of both these crafts for a contemporary fusion of styles?
Stay tuned ………
When you lose your muse • 05.18.09
The encyclopedia describes a muse as coming from Greek mythology and meaning a goddess or spirit who inspires creation. In contemporary times, though, a muse can be just about anything from another person to an object; we are all inspired by many things.
For me, inspiration for a new Ganutell blossom or French beaded flower comes from everywhere … I can be inspired by a new color combination, or a flower blooming, or simply shopping for beads. It can be anything, anywhere, that strikes my fancy and sends me to my workspace. Sometimes I have no idea what inspires me to create a beaded flower; suddenly I can see it in my head and am motivated to create. This happens a lot when I wake in the early morning hours — not my favorite inspirational moment, for sure.
Then there are times when nothing comes to mind …. my creativity dries up like the desert …. and I find myself frustrated and disappointed. I’ll start a project, only to decide I don’t like it. Putting it down, I’ll start another and give that up as well. Aaaaarrrrgghhhhhh!!!
I’ve found there is really no way to avoid these times, but to simply wait them out. Often I won’t work on beaded flowers for days, but stay out of my studio and find other things to distract me and fill the time. Creating Ganutell and French beaded flowers is my passion …. perhaps I need to take time to refresh and regroup. It’s always my experience that suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, I envision that new piece and become excited with the prospect of making it. Glorious moment, that.
I don’t think there’s anything unusual in this experience, and that everyone goes through similar frustration. Let me invite you to respond to this post …. leave a comment and tell us what you do when you lose your muse.
A Lovely French Beaded Flower Book • 05.15.09
Anyone who works with beads has a bead stash, and mine rivals the best of them. I probably have enough beads to make beaded flowers and Ganutell well into the next decade without buying another bead. Not that I won’t buy more, of course. I also have a beading book stash. I love beading books, and I have bought most of the books available on French beaded flowers. I’d have a considerable collection of books on Ganutell, too, but there’s only a few of them in existence.
As time permits, I want to tell you about some of these books, and today’s post is about my most recent purchase, 
“Beads in Bloom, the art of making French beaded flowers” by Arlene Baker. At first glance, I wasn’t sure about this book. It seemed it might be only for beginning beaders, but I’m so very glad I ordered it. “Beads in Bloom” is a beautifully illustrated softcover book that has it all. The author tells us about supplies, general information and techniques, then gives us some really unique patterns to try.
The section on Things to Know includes some neat tips on making beaded flowers, such as using old fashioned hair clips as an extra pair of hands. The section on Fundamental Techniques is just that. Well illustrated, this section takes us through the basic techniques in a very clear manner; a beginner should have no problem learning here.
In Flower Assembly we learn how to put it all together, including shading
and coloring techniques, as well as how to shape the petals with wonderful finishing touches. We’re given a beautiful Gallery of finished beadwork, then several Projects that are quite well written with easy-to-follow instructions. My first post to this blog includes a photograph of a rose pin that I did following a pattern from this book. Here’s a close-up photo of that piece.
“Beads in Bloom” indeed has it all. Being long on instruction and short on projects, the main focus seems to be for beginners, but there’s plenty in this book to interest and inspire beaders from beginner to advanced, and it remains one of my favorite beaded flower books.
At the time of writing “Beads In Bloom” is available at Amazon at about 30% off normal price. Click here for details.
Improving a Beaded Flower Workspace • 05.14.09
In my last post, I promised to talk about my workspace for creating French beaded flowers and Ganutell. I still plan a post on avoiding back strain, etc., but this mention generated some emails requesting informaton on some of the items I find to be really helpful, so I thought I’d share that with you now.
The corkboard tile I mentioned in the earlier article was found at a local office supply store. These are quite inexpensive, and at just under 12×12 inches, they’re a good size to fit on any table or work surface. The cork is fairly soft and helps to keep things from rolling around, but sturdy enough to protect your table when you drop tools.
Speaking of things rolling around, I like to use a small bead mat when working with loose beads. It holds them in place, and makes it easier to pick them up as you need them. If you’re not a beader, you won’t know what this mat is … it’s a square of soft, thick fabric made specifically for this purpose, and is available where beads are sold. I understand from other beading enthusiasts that they’ve used old blankets or other fabrics, so if you have something like this around the house, give it a try.
I use two large coffee mugs. One is my waste container … when I cut those little bits of wire as I work, I can snip them right over the mug to keep tiny pieces out of the way. Those of us who have stepped on these sharp wire ends appreciate how important it is to keep them from falling to the floor! I will caution you, though, to keep your coffee cup out of the way … more than once I’ve snipped wire into my coffee as I made flowers early in the morning!
The second coffee mug holds the spool of wire when I’m spinning with floss to prepare thread for Ganutell, or when I’m stringing beads to make beaded flowers. Rather than chasing the spool as it flies off the table, the wire unwinds easily from inside the mug while the spool stays in place.
Last, I have to tell you how lucky I am to have room for two workspaces in my home. I’ve converted a spare bedroom into my studio, with lots of shelving and storage spaces. I love to work there, but sometimes it feels a little confining, and I like to work in my dining room near a front window where I can wave to neighbors walking by and enjoy a change of scene. I learned early on to keep a complete workspace there, with all the tools I need, so I’m not having to constantly walk back and forth because I’m missing a tool or supplies. I also use a small drawer unit to hold those tools and supplies, that I can tuck into the corner out of the way when I’m not working (I just love this thing). Like most people, my workspace is constantly changing and evolving. We all watch for new ideas and tools that make our crafting easier or more fun. Why not? It’s hard to be inspired and creative when you’re not comfortable with your workspace!
