My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

And that’s when inspiration toad us to hop to it

20 August 2025
and more

It’s like the toad said:

Qwark…

... qwark…?

… uhrrrr...

Qwark!

***Plop!***

Because sometimes you just need to qwark around with your plant material for a bit… and then… all of a sudden… ***plop!*** you notice a little something about your flowers that is worth hopping to it for.

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

Tutorials

20 August 2025

Roll gladiolus leaves into tubes to craft a raft for a toad lily stem

Pin leaf rolls with sharp thorns to craft a natural raft to display tiny stems of unusual flowers cut from your garden.

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.

22 March 2017

Skewered Foliage Garland

Create a garland that dries well with rolled up leaves

28 June 2017

Skewer leaf rolls to support a tiny water source for fresh flowers

Hide the water source in a rolled leaf

14 August 2024

Firethorns join two leaves for an edgy support for a tall flower stem

Thorns are a great way to spear (and keep) design details into position.

22 March 2017

Pin Protea foliage into a curl

The sturdy Protea leaves holds it shape even when dried when pinned into place

23 March 2013

Rolling leaf tubes

Roll foliage to create tubes

5 October 2016

Folded leaf nest

Leaf armature made of rolled mini Monstera leaves

14 October 2015

Roll hundreds (yes! hundreds) of autumn leaves so create a natural, upright flower frog

Rolled leaves offer support for floral stems

11 November 2015

Balancing the curved stems of dried Autumn leaf tubes

Long stemmed autumn leave tubes as a floral armature

20 July 2016

Twisted Lily Grass sun hat

Twist and weave a sun hat from blades of lily grass

1 November 2017

Pierce and stack fall leaves to rest on the edge of a container

Use one leaf to keep the next in place

27 June 2018

Foliage tube armature for long stemmed freesia buds

Curl and pin a few leaves into a tube to create an armature for those "left over" freesiabuds.

4 September 2019

Stack banana leaf rice pockets to float as rosettes

Fold and peg banana leaves into pockets so that they float freely on water. This is inspired by a traditional banana leaf craft used to cook rice in.

6 January 2021

Rolled leaf shelter for a lean-in-closer tiny bud vase design

Create a tiny visual tunnel to focus attention.

2 June 2021

Two leaf lining your container to shelter your orchids

Create a shallow puddle in a larger container to keep your flowers in place.

30 March 2022

Double water source to keep Carnations hydrated in foliage cones

Quick and easy design... perfect for something tiny to celebrate spring.... everywhere!

24 August 2022

Balloon out grass to craft a framed armature

Carefully bubble out a tied bunch of grass to make a cavity to display gorgeous flowers.

11 January 2023

Unfurl winter’s potential in a snow filled monstera leaf shelter

Capture a bit of winter magic by placing delicate flower buds in the middle of two large leaves.

15 January 2025

Palm and hazel fan together to support perfect to pick Helleborus stems

Winter treasures in a small vase for an uplifting fresh flower display.

2 July 2019

Grass Spiral Wind Spinner

Thread grass into flexi grass to create a spinner that gently turns in the wind.

8 May 2012

Nestled grass pebble

Weave a grass pebble for flowers to nestle in

30 October 2013

Spiked Autumn leaf cauldron

Pike a few (hundred!) autumn leaves to build up a hollow leaf armature

11 April 2018

Pick up any bits of plant material floating in the water

Use a wet brush to lift any tiny bits of plant material floating on and in the water to keep your container clear.

Related Designs

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.