Fanncy Japanese Lily

from The Art of Beaded Flowers by Carol Benner Doelp

I love Carol Benner Doelp's new book The Art of French Beaded Flowers and I immediately fell in love with her Fancy Japanese Iris so I set out to make one. View a closeup of Caren's Lily flower and bud. View a closeup of Caren's planted Lily.
When I completed the flower and bud I wasn't sure what to plant it in until I was out shopping at my favorite consignment store and found the perfect pot. I love how the colors in the ceramic planter match the colors of the lily.
I used this opportunity to try out a new product called Looks Like Soil. It's an artifical mixture that hardens to look like real dirt. You can just see it between the leaves. See photo above left. I first inserted a piece of floral foam in the pot leaving room around the sides and top for the artifial soil mixture. I added the soil mixture into the empty spaces and covered the top of the styrofoam with about 1/2 inch of the mixture. After approximately 24 hours the soil hardened the plant was securely in place.

©2014 Caren Cohen. caren@fuse.net