My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

A little bit of Art and Soul

I was interviewed by Alicia Schwede and featured on the floral art blog Flirty Fleurs as Fabulous Florist. Flirty Fleurs is a beautiful blog about flowers and floral designers who make them into art.

It’s not just the little bit of sticks, twigs, leaves and flowers that make up a design.

There is also a touch of something…

Something much less tangible,

something added that is so part of the designer

that it changes a little bit into a whole lot!

Thanks Alicia for the interview and featuring my design work on Flirty Fleurs!

Alicia Schwede is a well-known florist designing beautiful floral details in Denver, Colorado, USA. You can visit her blog Bella Fiori

Note: "Give a little bit of Heart and Soul" is an 80’s song by British pop band T'Pau

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Tutorials
Stacked Twig Roundabout
24 July 2012
Stacked Twig Roundabout

This is a great way to use all those bits of twigs and sticks in your design room to make a floral armature
Bite and snap a sturdy twig
22 May 2012
Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.
Blow away hot glue strands
24 July 2012
Blow away hot glue strands

When you glue a structure with hot glue there are always a few stray strands of glue stuck all over the design. Blow it away with a hairdryer.
Drinking straw "test tubes"
4 January 2011
Drinking straw "test tubes"

When you need to keep a tiny stem hydrated this is just what you need.
Making light of a heavy, heavy pumpkin in double low containers for a zero waste kitchen pumpkin display… a few days before Thanksgiving
9 October 2024
Making light of a heavy, heavy pumpkin in double low containers for a zero waste kitchen pumpkin display… a few days before Thanksgiving

A great way to show off your Thanksgiving pumpkin before cooking it… keeping the pumpkin well above and out of the water so that it will not rot and you can easily remove it from the design when you are ready.
Snowy twig band armature for a ever changing winter display
18 January 2023
Snowy twig band armature for a ever changing winter display

A well made snow covered twig band armature will last all winter so that you can display even the most delicate winter treasures.
Take your time to craft a Bulrush Dial Armature
29 June 2022
Take your time to craft a Bulrush Dial Armature

Slowly build up a dial armature from dried bulrush
Tilt container with a spilling twigs armature
9 February 2022
Tilt container with a spilling twigs armature

Perfect design for a warmer than usual winter design that hints at thawing.
Hovering golden wheat Ghost Ship armature
27 October 2021
Hovering golden wheat Ghost Ship armature

Using dry and fresh floral material in one design without the dry becoming soggy and the fresh drying out.
Dried twig collar in a double vase display for gravity sensitive flowers
11 August 2021
Dried twig collar in a double vase display for gravity sensitive flowers

Putting the focus on the flowers with an ever changing design.
Scattered dried grass with raindrop crystals
4 August 2021
Scattered dried grass with raindrop crystals

Craft a light and airy grass halo to suspend tiny drop crystals around gorgeous roses.
On the edge grid for a decorative twig and reed armature
14 October 2020
On the edge grid for a decorative twig and reed armature

Place the floral details strategically on the edge of sturdier parts of the armature to keep the reed grid from collapsing under the weight of the floral details.
All dried Autumn hemisphere design that will outlast even the falling leaves outside
23 September 2020
All dried Autumn hemisphere design that will outlast even the falling leaves outside

Preserve some floral material to design with when it is but not quite Autumn outside.
Cross hatch Twig Armature
2 October 2019
Cross hatch Twig Armature

Add a bit of shadow and dimension to a flat armature by using the sketch technique of cross hatching.
Twig Dome Armature
17 July 2019
Twig Dome Armature

Crafted from a hand full of twigs to give you a large design... even though you add only two stems of sweet peas.
Contained rose twig stack
6 September 2017
Contained rose twig stack

Glue the twigs in a container to easily follow the round shape
Twig sparkler
12 July 2017
Twig sparkler

Glue twigs to radiate out from a central point
Rolled up Autumn leaf wreath
21 October 2015
Rolled up Autumn leaf wreath

Create a textured wreath with Chrysanthemums and rolled up Autumn leaves
Related Designs
When Autumn Fall
6 September 2011
When Autumn Fall

Autumn leaf composite flower
Design-time saving tip sheet for a demanding Mother’s Day
28 February 2012
Design-time saving tip sheet for a demanding Mother’s Day

Time Saving Tips and Article in the Canadian Florist Magazine
Jack Frost’s Christmas stocking
29 November 2011
Jack Frost’s Christmas stocking

I used wire, fishing line (mono-filament) and Phalaenopsis orchid roots to make a messy lace Christmas stocking and dressed the stocking with frost green Cymbidium orchids
Our finest gifts we bring,
20 December 2011
Our finest gifts we bring,

A small, all natural gift box woven from palm
Veiled Sunshine:50th Anniversary of the South African Orchid Society at the Cape Town Convention Centre.
11 April 2011
Veiled Sunshine:50th Anniversary of the South African Orchid Society at the Cape Town Convention Centre.

Bright and sunny cymbidium orchids and roses, lilies, lisianthus and pincushions
Designing Your Way to Profits
5 January 2012
Designing Your Way to Profits

Floral Craftsmanship Article in the Canadian Florist Magazine
Blue Harlequin
15 February 2012
Blue Harlequin

A small hand held design as an alternative to a corsage.
As light as a super thankful pumpkin
9 October 2024
As light as a super thankful pumpkin

Create a almost wreath floral display that is light and airy... looking like it was just harvested.
Getting the Band Back Together Again
18 January 2023
Getting the Band Back Together Again

Glue a band of snow dusted twigs to create a delicate armature for winter treasures.
But for this… let’s not rush
29 June 2022
But for this… let’s not rush

A take your time and mindfully craft a pretty design to celebrate the summer solstice- it is officially summer here in Canada.
Pouring
9 February 2022
Pouring

Place a small fishbowl vase at an angle to look like it is pouring out flowers and twigs.
Ship Shape
27 October 2021
Ship Shape

The dry wheat stems are suspended from the outside of the container so that they remain dry and the flower stems can gently rest inside to remain hydrated.
A bit Special... four dimensional designing
11 August 2021
A bit Special... four dimensional designing

Using that little something that is unusual about your flower to make the design stand out.
Counting Raindrops
4 August 2021
Counting Raindrops

Grass crisscross that makes you want to lean in closer to count the late summer raindrops around these gorgeous roses.
Stick it out… the creative spirit version
14 October 2020
Stick it out… the creative spirit version

Soft minimal Fall armature making it easy to replace the flowers as the season progress.
Getting a head start on all that Fall-ing
23 September 2020
Getting a head start on all that Fall-ing

Floral styling using mostly dried material that will last the entire Autumn.
Cross-hatch a Shadow Bright Autumn
2 October 2019
Cross-hatch a Shadow Bright Autumn

A clever trick borrowed from art techniques to add dimension to a bright and colourful Autumn floral design.
… and... a bit more... effort… to make it special
17 July 2019
… and... a bit more... effort… to make it special

Instead of just placing a handful of twigs and two stems of sweet peas in a vase... why not...?
One of those difficult questions
6 September 2017
One of those difficult questions

Glue a bunch of twigs inside a container to create a round stack
Sparkler
12 July 2017
Sparkler

A radiating twig design
On Pumpkin Coloured Days
28 October 2015
On Pumpkin Coloured Days

Create a besom broom to sweep up those Autumn leaves
Watch the leaves turn
21 October 2015
Watch the leaves turn

Roll autumn leaves to create a wreath