Tiny lilac blossoms are a great filler flower! They come in a wonderful range of colors including soft pinks, blues and lavender shades, but I find them most beautiful and versatile in white and saturated purples. Make them in all stages of bloom, from buds to open flowers, and then mix them all together to create beautiful depth and texture.
1. Using pliers, create tiny closed hooks in 30g green wires cut to 3in (7.5cm) in length (see Getting Started). Using a brush, dab a tiny amount of sugar glue on the tips of the hooks.
2. Dip the tips of the hooks in yellow pollen mixture (see Getting Started) and let them dry completely before using them.
3. Roll a tiny 1⁄4in (5mm) ball of lilac paste into a narrow cone. Open the top with the cone tool.
4. Cut into the opening with scissors to create four petals.
5. Pinch the tips of the petals with your fingertips to create a point.
6. Flatten the petals firmly between your thumb and finger. Continue to step 7.
7. Holding the flower between your thumb and finger, press each petal with the wide end of the leaf shaping tool creating a ridge on the edge of the petal, and then slide the tool off your fingertip to lengthen the petal.
8. Press into the center of the flower with the cone tool, creating a small opening.
9. Slide a pre-made lilac center down through the middle of the flower until the pollen is tucked down in the opening. Smooth the base of the flower onto the wire to secure it neatly. Let it dry completely.
10. Start the partially opened lilac in the same way as the open flower including the step to flatten the petals between your thumb and finger. Then, on a foam pad, press the inside of each petal with a small ball tool to give them a cupped shape. Press the center of the flower with the tip of the cone tool, creating a small opening.
11. In the same way as the open flowers, slide a pre-made lilac center down through the middle of the flower until the pollen is tucked down in the opening. Smooth the base of the flower onto the wire to secure it neatly and let it dry completely.
12. Roll a tiny 3⁄16–1⁄4in (4–5mm) ball of lilac paste into narrow cone shape with a bulbous tip.
13. Insert a hooked 30g green wire into the base (see Getting Started) until the hook is in the middle of the widest part of the bud. Smooth paste onto the wire to secure the bud.
14. Use the knife tool to make four indentations evenly around the top of the bud. Let it dry completely.
15. Dust the lilac buds all over with a mix of lilac and amethyst dust.
16. Dust all the lilac flowers from the outer petal edges towards the centers, avoiding the yellow centers if possible. Use several different colors of purple dust across all of the flowers. The soft mix of color will add a bit of dimension when the flowers are all taped together. Steam for a few seconds to set the colors (see Getting Started) and let the flowers dry before using.
17. Using a single wrap of half-width floral tape (see Getting Started), simply tape together the buds and flowers in bunches of three. This can be three of the same (all buds or all open flowers) or three different stages of bloom (a bud, an open flower, and a closed flower). The more variety in the small bunches, the more natural the lilacs will look when grouped together in a larger bouquet.
18. Tape between three and five small bunches together into a larger bunch, and keep adding more flowers until the desired size is achieved.
