My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

A good measure of Autumn

6 October 2021
click to send Christine a smile
and more

Maybe it’s...

How heavy a “tiny” pumpkin can become on your rainy walk home

How surprisingly high the new spicy fragranced candle flame can burn

How full of deliciousness an apple pie can be

How time flies by when you are out gathering “just a few” twigs

How fast the fall leaves turn from green to bright to crunchy

… for me? A measure of a good Autumn is how long I get to spend daydreaming of crafting my autumn basket.

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Tutorials

6 October 2021

A quick and easy way to Craft a Twig Basket Using Wire Tendrils

The hardest part of this is actually making the tendrils. From there it's a few twists... and we are done!

4 January 2011

Drinking straw "test tubes"

When you need to keep a tiny stem hydrated this is just what you need.

1 November 2011

Weaving a twig wreath

For my design I wanted the wreath to look wind blown so I added a few loosely woven twigs into the weave. I also wanted to emphasize the autumn colours so I added a twirling copper wire into the weave

3 January 2011

Syringe with tube

Easy way to fill test tubes and easiest way to remove water from a vase

16 November 2016

Cut a vine wreath into sections to create a cup shaped armature

Cut a coiled vine wreath into sections to create an delicate armature to frame a few perfect chocolate cosmos flowers

26 July 2011

Wire Tendrils

Curl the wire at irregular intervals to create a natural wire tendril similar to that of a passion fruit plant

15 September 2021

Wire wrap for a shallow container to keep a twig arch armature neatly in place

Wrap a wire around both ends of a shallow container to keep the twigs in place.

4 May 2016

Loosened Wreath Armature

Snip a dried twig wreath to undo the spirals to hang around a glass container

28 October 2020

Vase topped with a Hollow Wreath for Halloween

Create a dimensional wreath by assembling wreath vine to hug around an oblong container.

27 September 2017

Tendril vine Wreath Pumpkin

Reshape a vine wreath into smaller wreaths to combine as a pumpkin

21 March 2018

Craft a Spring basket from a wreath

A wide gap nearly basket for nearly spring

9 January 2019

Winter white Tulle bridal basket

Craft a delicate bridal basket from twigs and tulle.

25 November 2020

Contactless gift exchange wreath perfect to double as Santa’s Gift Bag for your front door

Craft a small pouch into a half-and-half wreath so that you can leave... and receive tiny gifts and cards in true Christmas 2020 style .

7 April 2021

Spring breeze tangled ribbon wreath

Using branches pruned from a fruit tree... with a few dried flowers and just a few orchids to make a fresh Spring design.

14 May 2025

Use dried roots from a re-potted Monstera to create a root lace-wreath

Every repotting season I struggle with what to do with my overgrown Monstera plant. It absolutely loves hanging out in my design room... so... let's design, Monstera!

16 April 2025

Just hatched willow twig egg armature

Craft a cracked egg shape armature for an Easter display.

23 October 2024

Four wreath harvest basket that looks like it grew that way… because now some of it still is!

Harvest some cuttings to root in a wild and overgrown floral design.

3 November 2021

Copper Pepper Berry Wreath

Wire pepper berries to a wreath

Related Designs

8 March 2017

Piece of the forest

Standing roses upright in a shallow container

8 April 2011

Large Open Weave Twig Basket

Easter Basket used in the Durbanville Flower Club Easter Parade Demonstration

15 September 2021

Blowing this way and that

Craft an arch armature to display those early autumn treasures.

4 May 2016

Ring-a-round

Open a vine wreath to create a spiral twig armature around a glass container

28 October 2020

Magic Spell Number 614: How to make absolutely any task you need to do fun

A hint of a wreath table top design for pre-Halloween decorating.

10 April 2013

Unthinkably good things

Oncidium orchids hiding in a woven grass cup. This Design Tutorial is featured on The Conna Flower and Garden Club (Ireland) website. It is part of their Floral Art Lessons program that demonstrates new techniques, ideas and principles of Flower Arranging by International Designers.

27 September 2017

As tendrils tend to do

Curl a wreath with tendrils to create a twig-pumpkin

21 March 2018

Bring some Spring

Just like the weather is only hinting at spring, so is this design only hinting at being a basket

9 January 2019

Magical Craftsmanship

My article and winter white Tulle bridal basket design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine.

25 November 2020

Have yourself a Merry Cellulose Fibre Christmas: Santa’s gift bag wreath

...ok not really that fancy- it’s made from paper pulp. A cardboard box gift bag wreath… really. In the spirit of 2020- I am inspired by the endless stream of cardboard boxes being delivered.