Anatomy of Sola Wood Flowers
The famous sola wood flower is actually a plant with a botanical name called Aeschynomene aspera. In more common words, the plant is referred as sola or shola. It is a wild plant grown in marshy areas. One interesting fact about the sola wood plant is that it has the lightest color amongst all woods out there. The bark of the wood is taken off from the plant to expose a creamy and cork like center. The middle part of this unique plant is sliced into thin sheets. These wooden pieces are used to create sola wood flowers. Since, these sheets are thin; they can easily be molded into flowers. Now, you must be wondering that how is the flower actually made? Let us tell you that each sola wood tree is crafted with hand! Yes, there are no machines involved. Each piece is delicately shaped to form gorgeous decorative flowers. Most of the sola wood flowers have one color, but this wood has an interesting quality to give two tone effects as well. For some depth in the wood flowers, a lot of times the bark is not removed while making the sheets. It adds a layer like skin on the flower which is used to give a contrasting tone to the flowers. Shaping the Beauty These amazing beauties make an excellent alternative to fresh flowers. The best thing about them is that they can easily be shaped into petals, forming gorgeous flowers. Sola wood is shaped into delicate petals of varying combination of shapes and patterns for garlands, vases centerpieces and even wedding bouquets. The beauty of these flowers is that each flower is one of a kind. They are hand crafted into perfection with numerous variations and imperfections, because of the handwork. The end result of each flower is quite raw but looks real! Shaping the sola wood flowers is really easy! All you need is water at room temperature and a steamer. It’s okay if you don’t want to invest in a steamer. This particular method is super fun, but you can do without it too. Flowers, Squished? Sometimes, just sometimes the flowers can get squished! It can happen during the crafting phase, delivery or overtime. But, don’t worry. We have got you covered! In case your lovely sola wooden flowers get deformed all you have to do is have some time on your hand. Each flower has multiple layers of petals and that makes it easy for you to reshape them again. This process is called fluffing. Now Let’s Get Fluffing! If the flowers have lost their shape over time or you don’t find them perfect then here is what you have to do: Reshape the flowers back to perfection. To start, you need a small bowl and some warm water.
All the sola wood flowers don’t come with stems. So, if you are creating a floral arrangement for a centerpiece or bouquet, you will most likely want to add a stem. It is super easy and simple! All you need is a wire (18 or 20 gauge) and a hot glue gun. Once you have the stuff on hand, move on to adding stems! Here’s how you do it:
Uncurling Sola Wood Flowers Sometimes the flowers un-curl as soon as you dip them in the dye. There are simple tips and tricks that you can try to curl the petals back. It is a bit of extra work and time as there are a couple of steps involved. If you have worked with sola wood flowers, then you must know that the flowers un-curl right after they are dipped in wet paint. So, what you have to do next is quite simple.
Pro Tip: If you think that the petals are drying, then dip your finger in wet paint and rub it gently on the corners so they fold easily around the toothpick. Now, place the flower in the collected vessels. You need something that is neither too small nor too big. The vessel needs to be tight enough to keep the curls intact. Before placing the flowers in, make sure that you curl them. The delicate curls should be pointing upwards so they dry up in that position. Pro Tip: For small flowers, disposable egg tray works best. It can hold multiple flowers at the same time. For large flowers you can use mugs or paper cups. Fun Projects with Sola Wood Flowers There are so many exciting and crafty project that you can do with sola wood. We are not just talking stemming or dying them. You can create arrangements for something like:
The Famous Wedding Bouquet Fresh flowers are really expensive so the best way to save up on the cost on weddings is to replace them with sola wood flowers. The most common demand for flowers on weddings is for the bouquets and we all know that they are not cheap at all. But, with sola wood flowers you can save a fortune! Before starting, you need to have a rough idea on the size of flowers and the style that you want. Here are some of our suggestions:
Art Supplies for Making Sola Wood Flowers You must be really excited to take on this project. We are as excited as you are! So, here is all the stuff required for making sola wood flowers:
Another affordable option is to use crack filler foam. If you use this type of foam, then don’t fill the vase completely as the foam usually expands.
Hot glue tends to drip here and there while working and it’s difficult to scratch it off after drying. But you can easily peel off the glue from a silicone mat. You don’t have to clean the mess from your surfaces and the mat can be used again and again for years. So, it’s better to buy one for projects like these. Bonus Supplies for Sola Wood Flowers If you want to flex your creative muscles, then you probably want to invest some more into the supplies. Here are a couple of more options:
You will make a few errors in the beginning, but will get the hang of it eventually. However; make sure that you clean the airbrush nicely after creating your mess. It is super important!
That is all you have to know about sola wood flowers. We have discussed all the ins and outs! Let us know if you have any more questions! We are really excited for you to try this project. Let us know how it worked out for you.
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