make your own: flower frog.

In case of late-August floral arranging, a tiny craft that serves a helpful purpose. I won’t pretend a floral frog is first on everyone’s list of must-haves, but I’d hazard the guess that there’s a stand of Queen Anne’s lace growing under the overpass that’s been calling your name. Maybe the black-eyed Susan’s and rudbeckia around the mailbox need a trim and your kitchen counter needs some cheering. I’ve had one slender apple branch stuck in a jar for weeks now and the leaves have turned the same yellow color of the wardrobe it’s perched on and what a delight that’s been.

These little wire flower frogs are perfect for arranging summer stems you might be hoping to bring inside, no need for foam or florist tape or heavy vintage flower frogs. The woven jar topper is made from the same paper-wrapped wire Rose and I used to make our string dispensers last fall. I’ve used one on the top of a cup of water to keep scallions upright in the counter. Rose uses one to keep her parsley tidy in the fridge. They help make wide-mouthed mason jars and water glasses into the site of your next flower arranging masterpiece and they can be used over and over again. The instructions are simple and the project takes less than ten-minutes start to finish. Why not make something?

Materials:

+ One 3-inch cardboard tape core (next time you run out of packing tape, save the cardboard frame!)

+ Five round wooden clothespins 

+ Paper coated floral twine wire (you’ll only need a few feet)

+ Scissors

Instructions:

As far as instructions go, the step-by-step process is the same as for the start of the floral twine string dispenser (and string bags) that we’ve made in the past, so you can refer to that tutorial for the details of casting on (shown above!).

The only real difference between the two projects is that this time, you’ll only go about six times around the loom before casting off. Once you’ve got six rows on your pegs, cast off in the same way as with the string dispenser, weaving the working end of the wire through each loop as you remove them from the pegs.

Pull the working wire tight, cinching it to form a tight circle at the center of your floral frog. Wrap the wire end a few times around the the center circle and trim any excess wire. Next, place the frog over the glass jar or vessel you plan to use and weave the tail end through the loops of the outer edge, twisting the end of the wire to tie off the end.

That’s it!

Thanks to Rose Pearlman for developing this project. Rose is an artist, teacher, and textile designer. With a background in fine arts and a love of well designed functional objects, her creations blur the lines between art and craft and pushes the boundaries with non-traditional techniques and materials. Rose teaches monthly rug hooking workshops in and around her home in NYC, and also welcomes commissions for one of a kind constructions in decor and home furnishings. Her work has been featured in fiber magazines, galleries, and numerous online design sites. Her book Modern Rug Hooking is available wherever books are sold. Follow along with her functional craft projects at @art_objects_ She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her family.