My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

A Very Merry… All Elf gliding along pass all the way from Santa’s workshop!

Low on elf-motivation? In celebration of this Christmas Season I invite you to join me in Santa’s workshop as I design my way to an even more inspired 2025. I am focussing on embracing what brings joy, kindness and uplifts our creative spirits.

It's almost here, flower buddies!

And so we're slipping and sliding and glistening and gliding along savouring the days before Christmas and putting on those final touches on our own unique kind of Christmas wonderland.

Gliding along ice skating floral design by Christine de Beer

It’s about confidently kicking off and bravely skating along

Birch bark ice skates for a winter wonderland floral display

creating designs filled with (that ever so slippery) hope

Reduce waste in your floral studio with no floral foam displays

and carving out excitement

How to make ice skates from bark for a Christmas display

And of course drifting wonder.

Soft minimal floral display for a winter theme

But most of all it is about the exhilaration of bringing to life all that inspires us

Easy to make winter wonderland ice skates from bark

… and all that resides in our heart…

Floral design with tiny bark ice skates for a winter wonderland arrangement

That's how magical design stuff happens...and not just delivered for Christmas!

Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.

Tutorials

18 December 2024 Birch bark ice skates on a glistening kalanchoe and cypress snow pond ice skating rink

A winter wonderland ice pond table top design... with sparkling bark ice skates

18 December 2024 Glistening kalanchoe and cypress snow pond ice skating rink

Fill an upturned container with a string of fairy lights to look like a glistening snow rink for ice skating.

22 May 2012 Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.

8 July 2015 Using a pin to place tiny dew drop crystals

It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.

28 December 2016 Adding snow to twigs

Glue artificial snow to twigs

20 November 2024 Long lasting floral finial decoration for Christmas

Make ahead (oversized) bark and kalanchoe Christmas decoration... and best of all it last for weeks!

7 April 2012 Foam pin holder drying rack

This is a convenient way to keep flowers perfectly upright while you wait for glue to dry.

10 December 2024 A not yet all done… bark floral frog to catch that feeling of setting out together to collect the Christmas Tree to decorate

Create a design with a hint of incompleteness… something to still look forward to.

2 December 2020 Lost and found snow mittens

Artificial snow covered cardboard mittens to add to a winter themed design.

4 December 2024 A slow reveal Birch Bark Scroll Nice List

Soak and roll a sheet of birch bark into a scroll for a woodland inspired Santa's Nice list

6 March 2019 Snow puddle armature

Connect twigs with puddles of artificial snow to craft a winter armature for your flowers.

24 December 2012 Tiny Twig Christmas Treasure Trunk

Wire a small twig gift-box for Christmas presents

27 November 2024 Edge of a platter Christmas quarter wreath garland

How to make a floral display design that will leave space for even more decorations.

13 December 2017 Long lasting bark and Kalanchoe sleigh

Kalanchoe flowers last weeks without a water source and is the perfect way to dress up a bark and silver bell sleigh

27 December 2017 Pine NeedleTube

Glue pine needles to a up-cycled disk to create a winter scene

19 December 2018 Sparkling Eucalyptus Tabletop Christmas tree

Craft an ethereal Christmas tree from Eucalyptus leaves, twigs and sparkling snow flake crystals.

25 December 2013 Leaf snippet gift cube

Cover Styrofoam with leaf snippets to create a gift box design

21 December 2016 Bark Christmas Stocking

Cover a wire frame to create a Christmas stocking armature

23 December 2015 Barely There Skeleton Leaf Gift Box

Skeleton leaves create a light and ethereal gift box

20 December 2011 Weaving a gift box with a lid from palm leaves

A great all natural gift decorating alternative

14 December 2016 Bark and Cotton Candy Cane

Cover a cardboard shape in cotton and bark to create a floral armature

28 December 2016 A bark strip and fluffed cotton disk wreath

Cover a wreath frame with bark strips and fluffed out cotton

4 January 2011 Drinking straw "test tubes"

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

Favourite Flowers

Kalanchoe

Christmas Kalanchoe, Kalanchöe or Kalanchoë

Related Designs

20 November 2024 A Very Merry… all elf pass into Santa’s workshop!

A light... and slight start to designing for Christmas... an oversized Finial

11 December 2024 A Very Merry… all elf pass into Santa’s Workshop for a dash of Having Something To Look Forward To

An on-purpose-not-yet-quite-done design to remind us to enjoy the Christmas moments as they unfold.

2 December 2020 Have yourself a Merry Cellulose Fibre Christmas: Lost and Found Snow Mittens

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

4 December 2024 A Very Merry… all elf pass into Santa’s workshop, department for checking it twice

A frozen in a moment bark scroll with silver leaf letters that was about to reveal Santa's Nice list!

24 December 2012 Please have snow… and presents under the tree

Wire a Tiny Twig Treasure Trunk for small Christmas gifts

27 November 2024 A Very Merry… all elf pass into Santa’s workshop, special department of tinkering together those Soooo Good, for Goodness Sake moments

Long lasting and easy to pick up and place garland to decorate a Festive Platter of… anything, really!

13 December 2017 Just hear those sleigh bells jingling

Craft a bark sleigh that will last for weeks.

27 December 2017 Can it be?

Craft a pine tube to display a soft and snow filled winter scene

19 December 2018 Oh Florist-tree

Craft an Eucalyptus Christmas tree

25 December 2013 A gift for gifting

Christmas gift design

21 December 2016 A Gleaming Cotton Christmas

Glue bark to a wire frame to create a Christmas stocking armature

23 December 2015 Dear Santa,

Gift boxes from skeleton leaves

20 December 2011 Our finest gifts we bring,

A small, all natural gift box woven from palm

14 December 2016 A Candy(cane) Cotton Christmas

A floral cotton candy cane

28 December 2016 A Jingle Cotton Christmas

Cover a wreath frame with bark and cotton for a textured Christmas wreath design