Tuesday, July 30, 2013

A butterfly trio headdress

Recently I have created a number of butterflies in silk and lace; in fact, too many. To justify it I can say that I was just fulfilling a constant stream of orders for these beautiful creatures. And here is the last piece: a butterfly trio headdress in turquoise and mint hues

Turquoise butterfly headband


This butterfly headband will perfectly complement a summer outfit in similar hues. It is ideal for a turquoise-themed wedding too, either to be worn by a bride or bridesmaids.
I used satin, organza, pongee (all pure silk) and floral lace which I painted by hand as well as beads and seed beads in complementing colours. The thin  metallic headband is wrapped with a strip of pure hand painted silk.

This bright piece of headwear is available from my Etsy shop.

But it is not my first triple butterfly headband. Previously I made a similar headdress in shades of purple


and a white lace butterfly wedding headband


If you are willing to try and make a similar butterfly headband yourself you might want to purchase my .pdf tutorial on a lace butterfly made WITHOUT any special tools which is available from my Etsy shop. With more than 50 pictures explaining in detail the whole process of creating your own designer accessory, this 47 page .pdf ebookwill teach you how to create a delicate lace butterfly to be used in accessories, as wedding decorations, in millinery and much more. I have included the pattern too.

Lace butterfly tutorial

If you have any questions please feel free to comment below.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

White butterfly for a girl's first day at school

Please be kindly informed that we have moved! To read new blog posts, purchase our floral pieces and learn more about how to make flowers you are welcome to visit out new website.

Although the summer school holidays in England have only started today the beginning of the new school year is not too far away. The department stores kindly remind parents about it with their "Back to school" display windows.
In Russia the school year starts on 1 September every year designated as a public holiday. Well, unless it falls on the weekend. For first year students  it is an important day. The parents try their best and prepare their children for this new step in their lives by investing a small fortune in the outfits and designer stationary.
In my day girls would wear a school uniform dress as well as a lacy decorative white apron. The hairstyles would vary with plaits prevailing but what most first year girls would have in their hair were enormous foam-like organza bows. Here's roughly how it looked:

Monday, July 15, 2013

Denim themed weddings


Themed weddings are becoming more and more popular every year as couples do their best to create a special and unique day, memorable for themselves, their families and friends.
A denim-themed wedding creates a relaxed atmosphere as the guests are expected to wear either denim skirts or jeans for the celebration. With the bride and groom wearing traditional outfits makes them stand out but at the same time calls for the appropriate  denim accessories to complete the theme. 
One can be very original and inventive when it comes to denim accessories. Thanks to its nature, denim fabric can be used for making flowers employing the same techniques as those used for the silk ones. It is quite dense but once treated it holds the shape well. I find it ideal for simple flowers with clean lines like these camellias

Dark denim camellia brooch

Distressed denim camellia hair clip



Thinner, lighter denim fabrics can be used for flowers with a lot of petals like roses
Dark denim rose brooch
Brooches and pins can be used to decorate a groom's lapel or a bridal dress. For the hairdo floral hair clips and pieces can be created using denim. And with a little bit of effort and lots of imagination some stunning denim fascinators can be crafted for the bridal party ☺

Have you tried making flowers with denim? If not, give it a go and you'll be pleased how great they look. Wear one and get all the compliments!

Monday, July 8, 2013

Dandelion

I am sure you are very familiar with this plant. It produces bright yellow flowers which then turn into fluffy balls full of seeds.
To most people, especially keen gardeners, a dandelion is just one of those nasty weeds calling for a spray of weed killer. It is impossible to imagine somebody would want to create a dandelion by hand. But here we are. This white ball is hand crafted from scratch using pure silk. The ball measures about 4 cm in diameter. I used more than a hundred of fluffy seeds to make the dandelion.


This is the picture of this dandelion halfway through. It looks very realistic. It is as though somebody has just blown on it.


To make this silk flower requires a lot of  manual dexterity, a bit of  knowledge about dandelions but above all a serious amount of patience!
Despite its humble looks the silk dandelion is a sophisticated creation verging on a work of art.
If you want to give it a go I am pleased to let you know that no special tools are needed to create it. The fluffy seed head can be turned into a quirky brooch or an original hat embellishment.
Any ideas how you would use this unusual silk flower?


Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Leather rose

Please be kindly informed that we have moved! To read new blog posts, purchase our floral pieces and learn more about how to make flowers you are welcome to visit out new website here
I am continuing my experiments with genuine leather, this rich and pliable material, great for making floral accessories.
As a part of my new capsule collection I have created 2 leather roses, different in size and shape.
The new collection called NATURALS will comprise of a range of accessories made using natural materials in natural colours and hues.
So the new roses (both corsages) are created using beige leather  and tan suede. They make an essential wardrobe addition for any girl who prefers natural fabrics such as linen, cotton, raw silk, as well as straw and genuine leather and suede in light colours.

The small closed rose is about 5 cm in diameter. It is finished with a brooch pin.

Small leather rose
The large open rose is complemented with tan-coloured leaves made of genuine suede.

Open leather rose corsage


It is finished with a brooch pin as well as the small one.



These unique leather corsages will make a lovely gift for your Mum, sister or a girlfriend. They are available from my Etsy shop.

If you are interested in learning how to make leather flowers or in purchasing a .pdf tutorial on leather flowers, please feel free to contact me via this blog, my Etsy store or e-mail me at svetlana.faulkner@gmail.com.