My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

All round pretty sweet and short

19 August 2020
and more

Sitting there all...

Pretty pithy

Gorgeously compressed

Beautifully itty bitty

Neat and stout

Divinely nested

… so basically just perfectly all round

if you put it that way.

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Gather what you'll need

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Dew-Drop Crystals

I created the Tutorial for how I add these crystals to my floral designs 11 years ago! Since then I have tried, tested and searched for the perfect crystals that would go from studio‑table picture perfect to show‑day‑dependable and I always come back to these. They remain the absolute best. They’re inexpensive yet have a refined, high‑quality crystal brilliance; they don’t tarnish and their adhesive backing stays reliably tacky even after they were exposed to water.

Tutorials

19 August 2020

Tangle a perfect vine around two wreaths for a split armature

Passion fruit flowers never lasts long. Not even growing outside on a vine. But the buds continue to open once cut making a wreath display ideal for an even changing passion fruit flower display.

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 breaking it.

1 November 2011

Weaving a twig wreath

For my design I wanted the wreath to look wind blown so I added a few loosely woven twigs into the weave. I also wanted to emphasize the autumn colours so I added a twirling copper wire into the weave

25 March 2020

Finally! I found a perfect way to perfectly preserve a perfect passion fruit flower.

Yay everyone! I found the absolute best way to preserve passion fruit flowers. Here it is: how to dry flowers using Silica Gel.

10 June 2020

Overgrown vine tangle to suspend flowers in a clear vase

A zero waste and sustainable floral design solution to keep your flowers exactly where you want them without using floral foam.

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.

4 May 2016

Loosened Wreath Armature

Snip a dried twig wreath to undo the spirals to hang around a glass container

24 May 2017

Chain link wreath weaving

Weave a few small wreaths to connect

18 April 2018

Clematis Vine Swing

Weave a delicate nest for a small spring design.

5 September 2018

Wisteria Wreath Vine

Weave tiny vine wreaths on the leave stems of a stripped Wisteria vine

11 September 2019

Weave a small wreath in the side twig of a willow branch to keep a flower in place in your design

This is both a decorative and functional design solution. But most importantly, I think, there is absolutely zero waste.

25 February 2015

Balancing a Twirled Willow Armature

Twirl twigs to create a balanced nest to display the beautiful orchids on

18 March 2026

Sprouting sphere armature to show off curvy burgundy arum lilies

Weaving wreaths to wedge into a container to create a ball shaped armature.

25 February 2026

The prettiest stick to stick up, out and over to support clematis vines up, under and in to its fullest and drapy-est potential.

A sturdy stick armature to help you drape the first few opening clematis Armandii vines into a winter display.

18 September 2024

Controlled chaos straw and dried foliage armature

Craft a straw covered wire grid to slip over display containers for a foam free floral display that is light and airy... just like it grown in the field.

2 August 2023

Tangle a wild wide web of Jasmine vine to suspend your flowers

My summer design strategy: the warmer the weather the deeper the water. A vine frog is just the thing!

23 June 2021

Submerged vine wreath armature to beat the summer heat

Water... lots of water- that is the answer to designing flower arrangements that survive the summer heat.

7 April 2021

Spring breeze tangled ribbon wreath

Using branches pruned from a fruit tree... with a few dried flowers and just a few orchids to make a fresh Spring design.

16 September 2020

Peg a wreath to the edge of a container

Another version of a design idea I showed you last month... A vine wreath armature to balance a dramatic single stem anthurium. Only this time I take it a bit further.

Related Designs