Fee Fi Faux Ferns

Hello! Today I thought I would try a tutorial.
I love ferns but sadly I cannot grow them in my house.I have to use silk ferns. Yes I said silk.I refuse to apologize for using faux ferns! There is nothing wrong with silk ferns but I have discovered a trick to make them even more realistic.
I like my silk ferns to look like they have been growing for a while. I like them long and lush.To make them look that way here is what I do.

Supplies you will need:
Two fern bushes
wire cutters
glue gun
glue sticks
floral wire(I got a package of individual stems)

The first thing you want to do is cut all the stems off of the bush.

                                                                               
Now take two of the longest stems and find the spot where the leaves start to get shorter.The leaves will start small at the tip, then increase to full size,then start to get smaller again as they reach the top.Using your wire cutters cut one stem at the top.Cut the other stem at the bottom.

Here is a picture of what you end up with once you have cut two fern fronds.

We are now ready to glue. Take the two long frond pieces that are left after cutting.Turn them over and lay them together to form one frond..

Now glue them together on the back side

 The last step is to add the floral wire.I place floral foam in the bottom of my container.Then I take the fern bush I didn't cut up and place it into the floral foam. Now take all the new and improved fronds you made and arrange them in the container. You should end up with something like this.

 You can make many different lengths.Looking at the picture now I realize I might need a few more to make it fuller. And that is the great thing about it,you can always add more.
  I hope you enjoyed my first tutorial!                                                                    

                                                                          Kathleen