A velvet rose

 Recently I have added a couple of new stunning roses to my portfolio. One of them is this large beauty.

To read more please click here

New year - new tools!

I am always on the lookout for new ideas in the world of fabric flowers. This include different technology, tools, materials, ways of presenting the work.
At the end of last year I decided to be generous and get a silk floristry related gift for myself. I simply could not resist these gorgeous Japanese brushes!

To read more please click here

Free delivery on Cyber Monday!

Finally Cyber Monday 2013 is upon us. The term itself is very new and was coined only in 2005. But since then this day has become a part of our pre-Christmas shopping offering online deals, discounts and all sorts of promotions.
As announced before this year we are happy to offer a FREE INTERNATIONAL DELIVERY on all ready-to-ship accessories at our ETSY SHOP.

It is a great opportunity to get a fab gift for yourself or your loved ones and save on shipping fees!

Happy browsing at OUR SHOP!

Click here to explore our range of designer butterflies

My newest creation

I do not usually share personal information in my posts but this occasion is a very special one.
Although this may be a surprise on Tuesday this week (20th of August) I gave birth to our first daughter, Eva. And even if I say so myself, she is an absolute princess. As we all know princesses can be very demanding. Therefore, if I miss a newsletter or two I do apologise in advance. You can still order floral accessories and hairpieces from my Etsy shop and get inspired viewing the pictures of my creations here on my blog

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?

My flower making tools

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

If you wish to order a set of flower making tools please click here.

Those of you who admire handmade silk flowers might have thought about making them yourselves and wondered what magical equipment is required to do the job. So today I would like to give you an insight into the tools I am using for making my flowers.

My set consists of tools which belong to both the European and the Japanese flower making schools. They have been acquired over a couple of years through different makers. The best tools are thought to be made of brass as it holds the heat better than stainless steel that is why my tools look yellowish brown in the picture.

A soldering iron is needed to work with these brass heads. There are a number of round heads of different diameter, several knives, a rat-tail tool, a tool for making hollow tubes and another one for making lily-of-the-valley tiny flowers, as well as a number of curved both smooth and grooved Japanese tools.

All of them are used to achieve a certain effect on different sized petals and leaves and the choice usually depends on the particular job to be done. For a more impressive result the tools are used on rubber pads which vary in thickness and density.

Bridal collection: floral head wreath

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.

For the last few weeks I have been working on some bridal pieces getting them ready for the coming Wedding fair which is actually happening this Sunday. I have created several pieces including some boutonnieres, flowers for hair, a fascinator, bridal shoe clips and a couple of wreaths. Now I would like to show one of them which was rather time consuming taking into consideration that it consists of 120 little gypsophila flowers, 8 open daisies and 4 daisy buds.  Traditionally the whole piece is made completely from scratch by me.
I am pleased with the result as the floral wreath looks full of flowers and pretty. It is ideal for a countryside or a woodland wedding and will please any romantic bride who is into head wreaths :-) Besides, it is a great keepsake too!

The daisy and gypsophila wreath can be made to order and purchased here at my Etsy shop.
P.S My Mummy had a similar daisy wreath for her own wedding 34 years ago. If I find a picture, I will share it with you! )))

'Blue Bleuet' Treasury

'Blue Bleuet' - a fresh summer Treasury by idejukrelles on Etsy featuring our blue cornflower corsage :-)

Enjoy the sunshine!

'Blue Bleuet' by idejukrelles

Cornflower - 8x10 Fine Art P... UnaPhoto $19.00	Cornflower earrings ioulia $15.00	ON SALE Cornflower blue brac... WoodlandHoney $39.00	Leaf Pod Polymer Clay Neckla... KateTractonDes... $40.00
FREE SHIPPING, Blueberry ear... suza $22.00	Blue cornflowers on a white ... MyMonography $15.00	1950s Cornflower Blue Lace W... NESTdesignstud... $86.00	Super Sparklers - Swarovski ... MASHUGANA $16.50
Vintage Corning Ware Cassero... HenriettaFetch $10.00	Cornflowers in the Sun, Flow... GoodFloristDes... $50.00	Silk blue cornflower corsage... PresentPerfect... $45.00	Handmade Recycled Paper Corn... mamacateyes $6.00
Bleuet, Hand Dyed Certified ... SpinSpanSpun $16.00	Real Touch Bridal Bouquet - ... alexisgracedes... $431.00	Cornflower Rosette Hairpins EmergingEm $10.00	Fancy Fleece Quilted Foot Hu... greatquiltatio... $30.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Dust off your summer hats

Despite all that rain that has been pouring down on us for the last what? 4 weeks I have not stopped waiting for summer sunshine and warm days. Thinking of which it is time I dug out my summer wardrobe to see what needs some refreshing. As you might have guessed summer is THE season for silk flowers lovers as you can wear them every day and combine literally with anything from a smart dress to a white vest and jeans combination. Believe me, there is a flower for any outfit imaginable ☺

But for now I wanted to share some ideas of how one can decorate a summer hat with silk flowers. In my case it is a simple crushabale natural looking hat but straw hats would look even nicer!

One day I am planning to create a whole bunch of wild flowers to decorate my hat combining chamomiles, clover, wild poppies, blue cornflowers... I just need to find time :-)

Now when the work on previous orders has finished it is time to reveal the results and compare with the original prototype pictures. Although I must say the inspirational photo for violets has been changed to one of pansies during the process of creation. So here are the little pansies:

As for the peony, despite the fact that is was my very first silk flower hair pin the experiment was extremely successful and I am very pleased with the final result. See for yourselves:

With spring at our doorstep is everybody awaiting wonders or is it just me? To make it happen and bring a bit of magic into our tired-after-the-grey-winter souls I am thinking to organise a contest with one of my silk flower accessories as a prize. But the thing is I can't decide what kind of contest it should be. Nor have I chosen the prize (that's the easiest though). Dear ladies does anyone of you have any ideas regarding this notorious exciting contest-competition-raffle thingy? In this case please let me know, I shall be waiting...

The ideas on what the prize should be are also welcome :-)

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Завтра понедельник. На повестке недели: мк по новым розам, поиск идеальной выкройки для узамбарских фиалок и производство бутоньерки с ними же, а также пион-шпилька ivoire avec touches de fuchsia для французской девушки Сесиль. Seems like a lot!

А вот и прототипы

фиалочек

и французского pivoine