Fast
Flowers by Jane Packer When I first opened this book, I
was not impressed..am I allowed to say that in a book review? The front
pages are full of pictures of the same flower in different colours
or types and I thought, "Is this it?"
However I got to page 38 and changed
my mind! These first pages are a useful introduction to the basic flowers
you can buy at a florist so you can ask for them by name if you have no
plant knowledge, and therefore a great starting reference to an absolute
beginner in the floral world.
The next 60 pages are where
the fun begins as Jane takes you step by easy step through
a range of ways to arrange flowers and plant material in the modern,
colourful style that is Jane's trademark. You will learn how to bind stems,
use bulbs and roots, add effects to the outside of simple vases,
and have the instant effects that take no time at all for busy lifestyles.
The last 30 pages will give you ideas
for table settings, mantlepiece displays, posies, bouquets and gifts.
I feel this book is very good value for the beginner and will give fresh
modern ideas to the person who may only work with traditional design styles,
and wants to break out. The price is excellent with clear, easy to follow
colour photography throughout.
"Wedding
Flowers More than sixty beautiful arrangements"by Fiona Barnett. This is a
very feminine, romantic book full of pictures of brides and flower
girls in romantic settings, with dappled sunlight and cottage gardens or
wild flower meadows. This is the style of the arrangements covered
in the book.
The details
of each design are described in the text, not with step by step instructions
but rather a list of plant material and general construction details.The
designs cover headdresses, bouquets, swags, cake decorations, posies, flower
girl's hoops, buttonholes, table decorations, pew ends, baskets and more
and that is perhaps the reason this is the top selling book at floralartmall.com
It is the book
brides would take to their florist to show their ideas, or experienced
florists and wedding floral designers would use to show what can be done,
or to try out the romantic style.The final 10 pages deal with 'practicalities'
which give instructions on construction techniques for the designs. All
this and excellent colour photography to beautifully complement the text.
Candles
by Paula Pryke I have been
a fan of Paula's for quite some time and this book is one of the
reason's why. When I was a beginner in floral art I found Paula's step
by step instructions easy to follow, and the results were always wonderful.
Her book 'Candles' follows the same formula.
The book is
spiral bound with each page having a flap which doubles its
size. You will have a close up of the design in full colour, a
shot of the full design, and then well executed colour drawings showing
the process for you to duplicate the design. A full list of required
flowers and mechanics is included , and of course, each design features
a candle.
This is a wonderful
book, and you will have 20 arrangements to try, covering celebrations
throughout the year, for rooms, tables and centrepieces. The colours and
styles used are very modern and simple to reproduce, and excellent
for the novice. If you work a lot with flowers and candles, this
will give you new ideas for gifts or for resale.
WITH
TRICIA LEGG
