My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

All Aboard!

Let’s kick off the first birthday celebrations of my book with a design that made it super-duper-extra-super-size difficult not to share my book designs with you as I went along. Oh yes! There are quite a few designs in my book that you have never seen before. And… OH! YES!… of all the designs that are included in the book this one really was the hardest to keep secret! But my book is turning 1 and… well… we are all friends here… so here it is:

Here... we... go

All aboard!

Are you ready?

Hold on tight!

Wheeeeeee!

… and we have liftoff…

To enter the draw to win a copy of the craftsmanship edition of my book please tell me:

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I will pick a winner on Tuesday 17 March 2020

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Tutorials
Balancing a fishbowl vase on its side for a floating design
4 March 2020
Balancing a fishbowl vase on its side for a floating design

Give new life to an old vase by turning and balancing it on it's side. It's actually easier than it looks... and it looks super impressive!
Syringe with tube
3 January 2011
Syringe with tube

Easy way to fill test tubes and easiest way to remove water from a vase
Bubble raft to float flowers
3 January 2012
Bubble raft to float flowers

Flowers naturally float in water. They just don’t always naturally float on water. For that they sometimes need a bit of help.
Balance a cake stand lid on it’s side to create a leaning design
24 April 2019
Balance a cake stand lid on it’s side to create a leaning design

Suspend a flower for an unusual but minimalist design over a leaning container lid.
Leaf-puddle for a short stem in a big vase
8 January 2020
Leaf-puddle for a short stem in a big vase

Add a leaf to a large-ish vase to create a small puddle of water for your short flower stem to rest in.
Wisteria Vine Wreath Armature
5 September 2018
Wisteria Vine Wreath Armature

Create a barely there armature with sturdy end of season vines.
Suspending and positioning a Phalaenopsis orchid under water
30 August 2011
Suspending and positioning a Phalaenopsis orchid under water

Flowers naturally float and you will need some kind of sinker to keep them suspended under water.
Placing orchids in test tubes
25 August 2011
Placing orchids in test tubes

Cut the Phalaenopsis orchid with a bit of green stem attached. This will make them last longer.
A growing Paperwhite paperweight to secure twirling passion fruit vines under water
8 January 2025
A growing Paperwhite paperweight to secure twirling passion fruit vines under water

This design takes a few weeks to make... but lasts a few weeks longer growing and evolving all on its own.
A design solution for showcasing the tiniest flowers... in a big way
22 May 2024
A design solution for showcasing the tiniest flowers... in a big way

Floating the tiniest Bits of Floral Treasures from your cut flower garden
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.
Peg the heavy details in place with a wedged stem support
7 June 2023
Peg the heavy details in place with a wedged stem support

Create a support for your floral details by wedging the cut flower stem across the opening of the vase.
Loop a Monstera leaf stem to craft an underwater hold for a knotted orchid stem
27 January 2021
Loop a Monstera leaf stem to craft an underwater hold for a knotted orchid stem

Use the unique qualities of each stem to create a submerged design in a water filled glass vase.
Upside down and on it’s side glass display that plays with natural balance
12 August 2020
Upside down and on it’s side glass display that plays with natural balance

Utilizing those not so obvious characteristics of your design details to make a minimal clear glass summer floral design.
A floral float… that floats
20 May 2020
A floral float… that floats

If you know my work you have probably seen me do this: I float flowers using a tiny bubble wrap skirt... this time I am floating an entire design on it's own bubble wrap raft.
Bubble raft to float flowers
3 January 2012
Bubble raft to float flowers

Flowers naturally float in water. They just don’t always naturally float on water. For that they sometimes need a bit of help.
Related Designs
Put aside
24 April 2019
Put aside

Urgh… my glass cake stand broke leaving me with a still beautiful, but now mismatched and extremely inspirational lid...
Rest a bit here
8 January 2020
Rest a bit here

Gently curve a shallow area with a leaf to showcase a gorgeous flower with a short stem in a water filled vase
Wreath Vine Season!
5 September 2018
Wreath Vine Season!

Weave tiny wreaths on the stems of Wisteria vines
Ichi-go, ichi-e
30 August 2011
Ichi-go, ichi-e

Freely translated it means Each Moment, Only Once. It is a saying associated with Japanese tea ceremonies.
this IS new
8 January 2025
this IS new

Growing a design... all new... and fresh and blooming well into New Year.
Let me float my Wednesday idea by you for a bit
22 May 2024
Let me float my Wednesday idea by you for a bit

Floating the most delicate cut flowers
Surround and Sound
31 January 2024
Surround and Sound

Half moon frosted glass chip edge for a winter themed design.
Be excited
7 June 2023
Be excited

Oh my! Picked from my balcony garden... after I thought I completely missed it blooming.
Knot how it was supposed to go
27 January 2021
Knot how it was supposed to go

When you figure out the "how to" tricks of manipulating plant material it is possible to respectfully set them into seemingly impossible new directions.
A lesson in letting be
12 August 2020
A lesson in letting be

Deceptively simple. A design that relies on you working with not against what is already there.
Whatever floats your boat
20 May 2020
Whatever floats your boat

This is one of my best known and still my go-to core techniques for floating flowers.
Favourite Flowers
Ceropegia woodii
Ceropegia woodii

Pompon Chrysanthemum pom-poms and strands of Rosary vine for my floral lariat necklace in the Canadian Florist Magazine
Cymbidium
Cymbidium

Cymbidium orchids for my Designing your way to profits article that was featured in the Canadian Florist Magazine