Beginners Corner - Make a Victorian Floral Centerpiece

During the late Victorian times, dining tables would often have a tall floral arrangement as a centrepiece. The two tier display may have been completely filled with flowers on both levels, or the lower level may have been used to display fresh fruit as with this model.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

• 1" round flat filigree with centre hole
• 3/4" round cupped filigree with centre hole
• 3/4" tall bead spacer
• 3/8" round bead cap
• 1 cocktail stick
• Glue
• Gold Paint
• Polymer Clay or readymade fruits
• Lichen
• Green craft paper
• Fine florists wire
• Water colour paints (optional)
• Paper flowers and leaves

Step 1 - Making the display stand

• Cut the sharp point from the cocktail stick.
• Glue the bead cap on the end and allow to dry.
• Paint the bead cap gold if it isn't already that colour.
• Glue the larger filigree on top of the bead cap with a small amount of glue.
• Add the spacer bead to the column, fix with glue.
• Paint any differently coloured parts gold and leave to dry.

Step 2

• Carefully cut the top from the cocktail stick.
• Glue the final cupped filigree to the top.
• Paint gold if not already that colour.
• Fix a small amount of lichen to the top filigree.

Step 3 - Making the floral arrangement

• Cut about 24 very fine strips from green craft paper to represent grasses.
• Curl by running over sharp metal ruler, scissors (like you would curl ribbon for a present)
• Stick between 4 & 5 strips onto 1" pieces of fine florists wire.
• Make a total of 5 bunches of grasses.
• Painting the odd blade with watercolour paints will vary the shades of the grasses.
• Fix the 1st bunch to the centre of the lichen.
• Fix the remaining 4 bunches equally around the centre. See first photo below.

      

  Step 4

  • Arrange and fix 5 flowers evenly around the grass bunches.
  • Keep them short and close to the centre. See 2nd photo above.
  • Add 3 leaves and floral sprigs in the same way. See the two photos below.

   

      

  • Add a touch more lichen and some tiny rosebuds to the top.

   

      

  Step 5

  • Arrange and glue a selection of fruit around the base.
  • Fill any gaps with small sprays of lichen.

   

  Carol Clarke supplies the jewellery findings, paper flowers, leaves and green craft paper as a kit for this project, available from her website www.dollshouseinterior.co.uk

  This feature was originally published in Dolls House and Miniature Scene magazine. If you like making miniatures, why not buy yourself a copy of the magazine. Or better still take out a subscription so you never miss an issue. For fans of Facebook and Twitter, or to email, print or comment on the feature, please use the buttons above to share with your friends.

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