My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

A Point of Support

This is a closer look at my demonstration design at the recent Canada Blooms show. I was invited to share the stage with designers from Bermuda, United Kingdom, France, South Africa, Barbados, United States, Australia, Ireland and Canada by the Garden Clubs of Toronto. We competed in the International Invitational Class entitled Celebrate! and used this demonstration to share some of our home-grown inspiration:

Floral Designs From Around The World

Just hang around for a bit

Dangle freely

Swing back and forth

As it is suspended from

a point of support

picture credit: This picture is from the Canada Blooms: It's A Party 2016 DVD, Garden Clubs of Toronto

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Tutorials
Construction Lumber and Dowel Spike Armature
30 March 2016
Construction Lumber and Dowel Spike Armature

Drill holes in a piece of lumber and insert dowel sticks to create an armature
Forest Floor Disk
30 March 2016
Forest Floor Disk

Small design details to suspend in your design
Weave a willow twig blind
26 April 2011
Weave a willow twig blind

Weave twigs in parallel to create a twig blind with strong but natural horizontal lines.
Stain wooden skewers with natural dye
24 August 2011
Stain wooden skewers with natural dye

Using fruit, berries, flowers, leaves and grasses to naturally stain design details for floral art relies on the same techniques as using paint or any other dye.
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.
Wired Monkey Vine
30 March 2011
Wired Monkey Vine

This wired rope is inspired by Monkey vine that you see hanging from trees. It is strong, rough and very tough. Covering the rope with mud will add texture and it also insulate the wire from rust by creating a protective layer
Paper covered Wire
1 March 2011
Paper covered Wire

Cover the wire with the raffia
Twig Zipper
29 June 2011
Twig Zipper

I wanted my Zipper to be "edgy" rather than "peaceful", so using bamboo or reeds or willow would not be appropriate.
Cut spiked flower stems and foliage into short sections
16 August 2011
Cut spiked flower stems and foliage into short sections

Orchids grow in long flower spikes. It is great to use the entire stem but sometimes you need shorter section. There is a trick to cutting the stems without leaving a visible blunt stem.
Twig mushroom
3 July 2012
Twig mushroom

Stack and wire a twig mushroom armature
Driftwood on Stilts
5 September 2012
Driftwood on Stilts

Give a piece of driftwood legs to stand on
Hanging flowers rightside-upside-downside
7 September 2012
Hanging flowers rightside-upside-downside

I love hanging flowers to loosely dangle and move in a design
Taco-shaped twig armature
16 October 2012
Taco-shaped twig armature

Make a half-moon shaped armature to fill with flowers
Twig Lanterns
4 December 2012
Twig Lanterns

Wire short twigs around wire rings to create rustic flameless tea-light lanterns
Funnel shaped pick-up-sticks armature
30 January 2013
Funnel shaped pick-up-sticks armature

By making a very secure armature, it is possible to stack and suspend loose twigs on top of it building on the stable foundation
Magnetic Twig Foundation for a handbag corsage
20 March 2013
Magnetic Twig Foundation for a handbag corsage

A twig platform for a handbag corsage that wont damage the bag
Using a fork in a twig to “peg” a stem in place
3 January 2018
Using a fork in a twig to “peg” a stem in place

A easy to use Hana Kubari technique
Skewered Eucalyptus leaf line-up armature
10 May 2017
Skewered Eucalyptus leaf line-up armature

Thread leaves through wire
Chain-link string and twig armature
18 January 2017
Chain-link string and twig armature

By removing every other twig you open up space for larger flowers to nestle in
Related Designs
Designing Your Way to Profits
5 January 2012
Designing Your Way to Profits

Floral Craftsmanship Article in the Canadian Florist Magazine
Glued to stay just so
29 January 2014
Glued to stay just so

Wire and glue a twig armature
Be Silent And Listen
28 May 2014
Be Silent And Listen

Lash a few bamboo pieces together to create a scaffold armature
To
11 June 2014
To

Make a quick and easy twig disk armature
Stuck stick
18 June 2014
Stuck stick

Glue a few sticks to create a hollowed out crescent armature
Creativity will come
10 September 2014
Creativity will come

My Twig Bridal Basket design and Tutorial featured in the Extraordinary Wedding Flowers issue of the New Zealand Floral Design Magazine
Layer
30 April 2015
Layer

Design One from my Inspiration Video: Use the same floral ingredients, willow twigs, Lichen, Spanish Moss, Kalanchoe and Gypsophila to make three distinctly different contemporary corsages
On a Grand Scale
9 December 2015
On a Grand Scale

My article and a floral panel design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine
Where would you put it!?!
17 February 2016
Where would you put it!?!

Tie a twig armature enclosure for fresh flowers
Happy Coincidence!
3 January 2018
Happy Coincidence!

Some designs really do just make themselves. I received this tiny vase for Christmas from Marius (thank you, Marius!) and while cleaning out my design room I found this little twig with a fork in it. Add a ranunculus with a ridiculously gorgeous curve in it's stem... done.
Marcescent
29 November 2017
Marcescent

Glue a delicate autumn room devider
About a line
10 May 2017
About a line

Skewer and line up leaves to create an armature
Step Along
15 February 2017
Step Along

Create twig steps to display the orchids
Look at you!
18 January 2017
Look at you!

Tie twigs to shape a hanging armature