FUNERAL WORKSHOP open based heart

IN THIS WORKSHOP I WILL SHOW YOU THE STEPS TO FOLLOW TO MAKE AN OPEN (NOT SOLID) BASED HEART TRIBUTE.THE END RESULT WILL BE LIKE THIS:

YOU WILL NEED:
AN OASIS OPEN HEART FRAME LIKE THIS ONE IN MY STORE
Open Heart Frame Link
WATERPROOF RIBBON FOR THE EDGINGRibbon example link
MOSSING PINS, aka GERMAN PINSMossing Pins Link
SCISSORSFloristry Scissors Link
LE BUMP OASIS FOR THE SPRAYBump for spray Link

Fresh Flowers for the Spray, here i used mainly tulips.
Double Chrysanths for the basing, White is normally used, you need about 25 stems
Foliage for the spray, small leafed eucalyptus parvifolia, or soft ruscus is ideal.

Ok lets start then.
Firstly its important to bevel the edges whenever you use oasis as shown in all the other workshops, this allows a better defined shape, also it cuts down on the bulk of oasis foam you have to cover. So makes it both better on the eye and more economical. This is done in its dry state, and after you've cut off the 90' edges all round the shape smooth it over with your hand and it will look nice and rounded. Details are in most of the previous workshops.
In the following picture i have left the bevelled edge visible so you can see how much ive chopped off the edges, and the first stage of the outer ribbon edging is attached. The 'bump' for the spray is screwed into the top left of the heart ready to hold the spray. As before, there is a workshop showing the ribbon edge making skill. Ribbon edging is pinned to the frame by placing it upwards, not downwards as you may first of all think it should be. This sllows the chrysanths to really fit snuggly to the ribbon edge. Use german pins, also known as mossing pins, to pin the ribbon edging to the hard part of the oasis frame, its much easier to use ribbon edging on these type of oasis shapes rather than the other type known as 'naylor' base. That type has a hard plastic base and its impossible to pin ribbon to it. The hard base of the type i use here is waterproof and very solid so no worry about it not being tough enough. Im often asked if this type is strong enough to use and i assure you it is, and made for this purpose.
Just a quick note about using 'le bump', this is a caged piece of foam with a screw in the bottom that is easy to fit into the oasis, in other workshops ive shown how you can also cut down a piece of foam and tape and pin it to the shape if you are trying to cut costs.

Also take a look at this closeup of the ribbon edging, this shows the upward angle to pin it, ie towards the top of the shape, not down. Here Im putting the ribbon edging to the inside of the open heart. Previous workshops show the way to make the point so i dont want to repeat myself in case you get bored.
Make sure you get a nice point at the base.

So now you have the heart ribboned inside and outside and have screwed in the bump it should look like this.

Its time to soak the heart. Dont overdo it though, it shouldnt be too heavy. I use a garden hose for this but you can also use a jug or bottle. The foam easily absorbs the water and isnt very thick so it should only take a couple of pints evenly poured over it to be sufficient.
Right then, on to the basing. Basing is the term for the design being filled with closely placed double chrysanths. Cut the stems always at a 45' angle. 2 reasons;- the engle gives a larger surface area for the stem to drink water, but also, its easier to insert a sharp edge into the oasis with the least pressure, some times of the year, chrysanth stems are fragile and break easily when inserting them and must be wired which is a real pain, so a nice sharp point is the best way. Start by cutting off the flower heads with short stems, cut them about 2.5cm - the flower head should sit on the surface of the oasis, right flat to the surface. Grade the flowers so that you have the bigger more open ones to use along the central line of the shape, and the smaller ones to be used along the sides. This make the job look so much more professional and neat.
Using the largest most open flower heads, insert them close together so they touch in a central line along the heart shape, see the picture below.

Here you can see the flower heads are close, no oasis can be seen between them, its a good trick to slightly lift the petals of the previous flower before inserting the next so they butt up really close but dont make them look crushed, each flower head should be seen in full. The oasis along each side is visible at this stage, this is wehre you will repeat the procedure with slighlty smaller flower heads until the whole heart is completely filled. Now you will see why the ribbon edging has been pinned on in an upward way, the ribbon fits like a collar close to the flower heads and is slightly bent back and down by the flowers which opens out the ribbon slightly so you cant see the pinned edge. I bet you were wondering about that!

In this picture you cans ee the open heart, ribbon edged inside and out, the bump in place for the spray flowers and the basing all completed.

So, at this stage, you can store the heart for competion nearer the day its needed or continue with the spray, if you are making this in advance, lightly spray with water and keep in a cool place. If making the spray then you can look back in the workshops for in depth details but for now what you do is cut your pieces of foliage so it will make steps. Some long for the edges and shorter pieces towards the middle of the spray and for the sides. If you look you will see that the spray should never be larger than a third of the overall design otherwise its out of proportion to the eye and will look odd. So place the first pieces of foliage into the bump close to the basing and begin to give the design some shape. I use longer pieces to contour the heart shape, make the pieces of foliage always follow the shape of the foam so it enhances the shape. Work in stages of shorter length to the middle and edges, some pieces should be inserted close to the oasis, dont overdo the floliage at this point or you wont have room for the flowers. Foliage or 'greening'up as its called, is basically to give the spray a 'form' or 'shape' either crescent, diamond or line so that the spray has substance.
Then follow with your chosen flowers, follow the shape of the foliage, cut the stems at 45' dont forget that! And...know when to stop. Its easy to have spare flowers and just keep 'bunging' them in but try to make each flower count and use odd numbers of the focal flowers, dont overcram it. Once you are pleased with it, look at it from all angles and fill in any showing oasis with timy pieces of foliage. Spray lighlty and keep in a cool place.
Here is a close look at the spray ive made here. Not the size. Note the fact that it doesnt flood out over the design shape too much, keep it in proportion and enhance the oasis shape, dont complete with it.

Next time I will show you how to use the same frame, but make it look totally different by basing the shape with leaves for a very modern design. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. Hope you can take a look at my ebay store for all kinds of floristry and craft items. No matter where you are or what level of skill you have, im happy to help.
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