My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

a Yay! You

There’s so much going on (and recently a flower shortage sprinkled on top of it all) it can easily feel like making something pretty is swimming against the stream.

How to remain inspired and keep improving your craft?

Be kind.

My strategy is to give myself a break.

When things get tough I take a step back and see it as my time to revisit my absolute favourite ideas to find how I can make it just a little bit better.

This way I am halfway there even before I begin to design!

It is absolutely possible to keep your creative enthusiasm alive because you are inspired by the things you naturally gravitate to and already love to create.

And there it is… before you know it you’ve made something pretty with what you’ve got left… yay YOU!

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Tutorials
Fuzzy Willow Caterpillar in a buttercup and jasmine vine swirl
14 April 2021
Fuzzy Willow Caterpillar in a buttercup and jasmine vine swirl

As in… Pussy willow catkins caterpillar… that is super fuzzy.
Securing a kenzan
7 January 2015
Securing a kenzan

Temporarily adhere a traditional Ikebana Kenzan or pincushion to a shallow container.
Bite and snap a sturdy twig
22 May 2012
Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.
Using a pin to place tiny dew drop crystals
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.
Wire Tendrils
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
Palm leaf Hopper-flies (grasshoppers and butterflies)
5 January 2011
Palm leaf Hopper-flies (grasshoppers and butterflies)

Weave grasshoppers or butterflies (or fireflies) from palm leaves
Dried Blossom Caterpillar
3 April 2019
Dried Blossom Caterpillar

Craft a pretty little critter by threading dried blossoms onto a wire.
Twig and skeleton leaf Stick Insect
29 September 2011
Twig and skeleton leaf Stick Insect

Made from dried cherry twigs and a skeleton leaf.
Grass Spiral Snail
18 February 2015
Grass Spiral Snail

Fold a foliage snail
Guacamole Green Coiled Grass Chameleon
17 July 2012
Guacamole Green Coiled Grass Chameleon

My Chameleon is mono-botanical. Made from coiled grass
Fold a Foliage Fish
6 February 2013
Fold a Foliage Fish

Fold and weave a fish from two blades of grass
Zig zag Palm Dragonfly
17 June 2015
Zig zag Palm Dragonfly

Fold a dragonfly from a long strand of grass or palm leaf
Folding a Frog
24 September 2014
Folding a Frog

Fold and weave a frog from grass
Kenzan leaf rack
15 November 2017
Kenzan leaf rack

Line and position pretty autumn leaves.
Vein Veil For Freesias
22 August 2018
Vein Veil For Freesias

Cut a slight veil to frame your flowers with
A Three level Kenzan skewer stack to Radiate Gladiolus spikes flat in a shallow container
7 August 2019
A Three level Kenzan skewer stack to Radiate Gladiolus spikes flat in a shallow container

Build up a design in a shallow container by stacking it by threading the plant material into the teeth of a pin cushion in three levels.
Frosted Glass Chip Edge for a glass container
31 January 2024
Frosted Glass Chip Edge for a glass container

Glue glass chips into a half moon to help keep the floral details in place.
Quick and Easy… Add just enough design to a tuft of bunny tail grass to hint at the autumn fun to come
20 September 2023
Quick and Easy… Add just enough design to a tuft of bunny tail grass to hint at the autumn fun to come

Stand a tuft of bunny tail grass in a small amount of water to dry... and then add a little something that turns it into a little something more.
Fold a crab from grass
14 June 2023
Fold a crab from grass

A fun coastal touch for your design... a woven crab.
Grasshopper Blossom branches
15 March 2023
Grasshopper Blossom branches

Just for fun add a few pollinators to your Spring blossom design
The horror of flower dye and a spider that sits beside her
26 October 2022
The horror of flower dye and a spider that sits beside her

Weave a spider from lily grass... and reposition it every so often for a creative Halloween twist.
Related Designs
Any Which Way
7 January 2015
Any Which Way

Using a traditional Ikabana Kenzan to place flowers in a shallow container
Blossoming like a Caterpillar
3 April 2019
Blossoming like a Caterpillar

Crafting caterpillars from blossoms
Pick-Up Sticks
29 September 2011
Pick-Up Sticks

A twig and stick design with sweet dumpling pumpkins and rosary vine (Ceropegia woodii). I also made a cherry twig and skeleton leaf Stick Insect
Snail Away
18 February 2015
Snail Away

Spiral roll a snail to add to this sunny design
So far so green
17 July 2012
So far so green

The only thing I needed to make these avocado green arums perfect was a small admirer...
Swimmingly
6 February 2013
Swimmingly

Fold a grass fish for an easy going underwater design detail
This Summer
17 June 2015
This Summer

Weave slip on summer sandals
Leapfrog
24 September 2014
Leapfrog

Fold and weave a frog from grass
Alchemy
15 November 2017
Alchemy

Gently stand leaves upright in a Kenzan
Almost... all over!
12 June 2019
Almost... all over!

Loop a grass veil over a lily stem to create a minimalist summer design.
FreestyleFreesia
22 August 2018
FreestyleFreesia

Dutch floral designer Pim van den Akker, from Flower Factor invited me to participate in a FloraHolland initiative promoting the versatility of Freesias entitled #FreestyleFreesia Here is the extended version of my video.
Point Out: this is a single bunch of gladiolus!
7 August 2019
Point Out: this is a single bunch of gladiolus!

Cut stems of Gladiolus to place in a radiating summer design.
Surround and Sound
31 January 2024
Surround and Sound

Half moon frosted glass chip edge for a winter themed design.
Did you see that!?!
20 September 2023
Did you see that!?!

Take a handful of grass... but then add just enough design to make it interesting.
Because I am beautiful!
14 June 2023
Because I am beautiful!

It deserves a bowl all of it's own... right? I am (of course!) talking about these spectacular little sweet peas called King Tut. Not much else is needed. But add a cute little crab and you have a bowl filled with summer.
Hop… Lots!
15 March 2023
Hop… Lots!

Beautiful blossoms don’t NEED much to make it into a lovely design. But the start of Spring might just inspire you to add a bit much… just because it makes you happy.
Arachnis Phobicus
26 October 2022
Arachnis Phobicus

A fun woven spider for Halloween decorating