My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

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

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.

You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why:

Santa's nice list floral art design by Christine de Beer

Gratitude never goes out of style!

Bark scroll nice list for Santa

Making a list… checking it twice;
Gonna find out why gratitude feels so nice.

Birch bark and kalanchoe scroll floral display

Gratitude never goes out of style.

How to roll birch bark into a scroll shape

It improves your sleeping
reduces stress when your awake
It strengthens your immune system from bad to good
So be good... to your vagus nerve (the nerve that connects your brain and gut, gratitude activates it) to give your system… a break. Oh!

Birch scroll nice list for Santa's workshop display

You better watch out!
You better not cry.
Better not pout, I'm telling you why:

A birch bark scroll floral display for a winter wonderland Christmas theme

Gratitude never goes out of style.

Winter flowers for a natural and sustainable display

Gratitude never goes out of style.

A woodland inspired Christmas

This week I am sending out our 700th email. I would not have come this far without your support, which really is a testament of our shared creative journey, and I can't help but be inspired by this glowing feeling of gratitude. Thank you, flower buddies.

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

Tutorials

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

19 February 2013 Manipulating stems: Snapping at an angle, Bending, Spiraling, Curling and Straightening

Most stems, twigs and even sturdier branches can be bend into shapes. It takes practice and more than a bit of patience. The main idea is to slowly manipulate the branch without...

28 December 2016 Adding snow to twigs

Glue artificial snow to twigs

3 January 2024 Silver leaf Paper Snowflakes to display your winter flowers on

Fold some snowflakes to display your beautiful winter flowers on.

3 January 2024 Succulent and gilded flameless candle yule log display stand

A robust stand with tall dowel sticks to slip your display over.

15 March 2017 Wedding welcome and direction sign

Hang a twig and wood mobile at your weeding as a direction board

13 March 2024 Spaced birch bark strip basket

Sturdy and easy to make... a small harvest basket ready for all the Spring flowers still to come.

24 December 2012 Tiny Twig Christmas Treasure Trunk

Wire a small twig gift-box for Christmas presents

14 December 2016 Bark and Cotton Candy Cane

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

5 February 2014 Bark Gift Bag

Cut and glue bark into a gift bag

17 January 2024 A birch bark spiral wrap to cradle floral details in a wine glass

Spiral birch bark strips into two mirror images to create a wintery wrap for a bud vase.

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 .

18 November 2020 Foam free and flameless cardboard and bark yule log

Using all those cardboard boxes to craft a bark covered "log" design for getting a head start on Christmas decorating.

6 March 2019 Snow puddle armature

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

28 December 2016 A bark strip and fluffed cotton disk wreath

Cover a wreath frame with bark strips and fluffed out cotton

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.

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.

Favourite Flowers

Ceropegia woodii

Rosary vine, Chain of Hearts, Collar of hearts and String of hearts

Kalanchoe

Christmas Kalanchoe, Kalanchöe or Kalanchoë

Related Designs

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.

26 September 2018 Cover Story

The design for the cover of my book, the effortless floral craftsman, crafted from Fiddlehead Fern and Red Lipstick Hanging Heliconia.

3 January 2024 A Very Merry Gilded Paper Ornament and Yule Log Trendy Christmas/New Year’s Cheer

Paper snowflakes to display small snippets of Festive flowers on.

15 March 2017 Wedding Welcome

My article and wedding direction board design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine

13 March 2024 In All Ways

A birch bark basket... perfect for some new Spring floral details.

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

Wire a Tiny Twig Treasure Trunk for small Christmas gifts

14 December 2016 A Candy(cane) Cotton Christmas

A floral cotton candy cane

5 February 2014 Treasured Time

This is my article that I wrote for the Mother's Day Design Issue of Canadian Florist Magazine

17 January 2024 Wave Wrap

Roll birch bark into a double spiral to cradle some perfect flowers to admire all winter.

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...

18 November 2020 Have yourself a Merry Cellulose Fibre Christmas: Yule log

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

6 March 2019 It almost happened today!

Craft snow puddles to keep your flowers upright

28 December 2016 A Jingle Cotton Christmas

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

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

18 December 2012 So this is Christmas, I hope you had fun…

Capilano Flower Arranging Club Designing for Christmas Workshop: Yule log

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!