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Welcome to Keen's Tips and Tricks Page.
How To Shape a Pine Wreath Buying Quality Silks and Drieds Silk trees with concrete bases last longer than trees in foam filled baskets. The base can easily be covered with sheet moss or Spanish moss to hide the concrete and keep a natural look. Preserved eucalyptus should be supple, not brittle. Bushes of silk greens, flowers, and foliage should all have wired stems to enable you to shape them when arranging. Flower or leaf stems that are not wired will "flop" because they lack the necessary support. Eucalyptus, babies breath, and statice wreaths will be stronger and fuller if made on a straw base rather than a wire frame. Swags 36" or larger are more durable when built on a styrofoam base, rather than just wired together. When buying drieds, be aware of the area you are trying to decorate. The delicate nature of dried flowers require them to be in safe spots in your home (avoid high-traffic areas full of little hands and curious paws!) When hanging an arrangement on a door, metal hangers are much more durable than their plastic counterparts. If you are worried about a metal hanger scratching your door, add a piece of velvet ribbon to the back for padding. It is always helpful to bring a swatch of wallpaper or upholstry when buying silks for arrangements, to help you make the best possible color match to your room decor. Painting Silk Flowers Buying silks does not always guarantee you a perfect match of color to your decor. However, the "Design Master: Color Tool" line of floral spray products presents you with a wider variety of colors to choose from. The following is a list of products used by Keen's designers, which are also available for everyone to purchase and use at home: Paints: Design Master spray paint is a permanent paint for silk flowers, fabrics, baskets, clay pots, wicker wreaths, and other craft projects. Tints: Design Master tints are essentially the same as paints, except that they apply color only to white silks. Tints are used to spray white flowers a new color while keeping the surrounding foliage its original color. For example, pink tint can change a white dogwood tree to a pink dogwood tree while keeping the leaves their original green color. Wood Tones: Wood Tones function as a spray wood stain, which can be used on unfinished baskets or light-colored wicker wreaths. They come in a Cherry, Walnut, or Glossy (Oak) finish. Sealers: Sealers are used to protect and beautify dried flower arrangements. They come in a glossy or satin finish. Decorative Accents: To add some pizazz to an arrangement, you might want to add a glitter or opal decorative accent to your piece. Glitter sprays come in gold, silver, and iridescent colors. Opal Essence adds a "mother-of-pearl" finish to your piece. Mess Master: Mess Master is an all-purpose clean-up tool for paint drips, spills, and other messes. Please consult the can label for precise use of this product. Other spraying tips... Always spray on a dropcloth or newspaper in a WELL-VENTILATED area. Always spray in layers to prevent dripping. The more layers, the darker the color. Always start with a white or light-colored flower. If spraying clay pots a light color, a base coat or primer coat is needed to prevent the clay color from showing through. When spraying bridal pieces, use cut pieces of a straw to cover the pearls (to keep them white). Lastly, please ALWAYS follow the directions provided by the manufacturer in order to insure your safety and the success of your project. How To Secure your Silks All of Keen's finished wall pieces come ready to hang. Here are some suggestions for how to secure your products once you get them home. Most wreaths and swags can be hung with a tiny finishing nail. When hanging larger items, a picture hook may be used. Select the appropriate size according to the weight of your piece. To hang a wreath, hat, or broom on a door, use an over-the-door hanger for maximum support. When hanging smaller decorations on glass, a suction cup will do the trick. Choose from a variety of sizes of suction cups to suit your specific need. When hanging a decorations on a metal door, a magnetic hook may be used. Check your local hardware store for sizes and strengths. To avoid unnecessary nail holes, use paperweights (or cover bricks with wrapping paper to match your decor) to hold garlands or swags onto mantels and hutches. Secure pine swags to outside windows by closing the window on two pieces of pine on opposite ends of the swag. This will also keep it from "spinning" in the wind. Use ground spikes to keep cemetery logs from blowing over, or from blowing out of their container. Glue and wire foam blocks to cemetery saddles to keep them safe from high winds. Use double sided tape ("stickum") to anchor styrofoam into delicate containers, thus avoiding the need for hot glue. Glass marbles or beads can be used to anchor silks into clear vases without using styrofoam. To secure car bows onto your vehicle, use cloth-covered wire to avoid scratches. Most bows are commonly placed either on the hood ornament or the grill of the car. You are always welcome to share with us your own ideas for hanging or securing your decorations! How To Care for Silks and Drieds Silk Cleaners A mild detergent in a spray bottle, commonly called "silk cleaner", will eliminate dust build up. Bring the silk (flowers, trees, greens and arrangements) to a sink, depending on size, and spray until dust & detergent begins to drip off. Let dry completely before returning to your table or floor. Colors Vibrant colored silks should be kept out of direct continual sunlight. Certain colors may fade over long periods of time (years). Faded flowers can be sprayed with a Floral Spray Paint to renew color. Drieds Drieds should be misted with a clear surface sealer initially and then resprayed every 4 to 6 months to refresh color and resist dust. A blow dryer on low will eliminate most dust deposits. Certain drieds can also be sprayed with silk cleaner, but you should test a small section first to see if your colors will "bleed" and fade. If sealed properly this shouldn't happen. Any drieds that are sprayed must be dried completely. We recommend an afternoon in the sun, because moisture increases the risk of mildew in drieds. That is why eucalyptus and drieds are not recommended for outdoors or bathrooms. For more information about how to use silk and dried flowers come to the people who know... Keen's Floral Outlet |
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