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Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Arachnis Phobicus

  • 26 October 2022
  • and more

ah... yes...

… it’s the fear

of

that thing***

that makes a

made up

thing

more of

a real thing

than the actual

real thing

*** yup, I made that up. But it could be, don’t you think?

Have a fun and flower filled Halloween, flower buddies

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Dew-Drop Crystals
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
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.
Weave a grass sphere to keep the long flower stems neatly in place on a bud vase
6 July 2022
Weave a grass sphere to keep the long flower stems neatly in place on a bud vase

Both pretty and pretty effective. Keep the flowers exactly where you want them by weaving a stopper for your bud vase.
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.
Guacamole Green Coiled Grass Chameleon
17 July 2012
Guacamole Green Coiled Grass Chameleon

My Chameleon is mono-botanical. Made from coiled grass
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
Weaving a ball shaped Dew-drop Catcher from grass
1 October 2012
Weaving a ball shaped Dew-drop Catcher from grass

Weave a sphere from grass
Nestled grass pebble
8 May 2012
Nestled grass pebble

Weave a grass pebble for flowers to nestle in
Spider-mum
31 October 2018
Spider-mum

Craft a spider from twigs and a chrysanthemum
Arachnis Gerbera-petal-legicus
28 October 2020
Arachnis Gerbera-petal-legicus

The easiest Gerbara disk floret spider... ever!
Twig and skeleton leaf Stick Insect
29 September 2011
Twig and skeleton leaf Stick Insect

Made from dried cherry twigs and a skeleton leaf.
Magnetic grass bubbles to reposition under water
7 October 2015
Magnetic grass bubbles to reposition under water

When suspending items under water it is convenient to add a tiny magnet so that you can reposition it if the water distorts the lines of your design
Besom Broom
28 October 2015
Besom Broom

The word ‘Besom’ derives from the old English ‘besma’ meaning ‘bundle of twigs’.
Bat Skeleton crafted from twigs
30 October 2019
Bat Skeleton crafted from twigs

Eerie! Because you use what is there already in the twigs this skeleton looks rather... realistic!
Physalis Pod Stick-man
31 October 2017
Physalis Pod Stick-man

Glue twigs into a stick man for a Halloween design
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.
Spin a spiderweb around skeletons scaling up still sprawling severed nasturtium stems
29 October 2025
Spin a spiderweb around skeletons scaling up still sprawling severed nasturtium stems

Create a glass stack for growing nasturtium foliage for a long lasting Halloween display.
Booo-tunias
30 October 2024
Booo-tunias

A fun design trick for a Halloween display treat.
Booo-tunias levitating in a scary twig armature
30 October 2024
Booo-tunias levitating in a scary twig armature

Craft a stable dried autumn armature to keep petunia stems suspended in water at the top of a container.
Canary vine tangle in a double vase
1 November 2023
Canary vine tangle in a double vase

Great craft for when you are tidying up the garden before the first frost but would still like to enjoy the vines for a bit longer.
Bored looking Sisal ghost with dangling bell feet
1 November 2023
Bored looking Sisal ghost with dangling bell feet

Quick and so easy... I added the bells so that the ghost looks kinda bored now that Halloween is all over.
Interweave a fairy light and grass glow vase
25 October 2023
Interweave a fairy light and grass glow vase

Wrap a fairy light grid around a fishbowl vase to interweave dried grass for an almost basket display.
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
Related Designs
Magic Spell Number 614: How to make absolutely any task you need to do fun
28 October 2020
Magic Spell Number 614: How to make absolutely any task you need to do fun

A hint of a wreath table top design for pre-Halloween decorating.
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
On Pumpkin Coloured Days
28 October 2015
On Pumpkin Coloured Days

Create a besom broom to sweep up those Autumn leaves
There once was a bat called Tequila, a Halloween story
30 October 2019
There once was a bat called Tequila, a Halloween story

An all plant zero waste, levitating, twig (with just a splatter of autumn leaves, a breath of spiderweb and float of roots) Halloween decoration with an eerie bat skeleton made from twigs lurking just over there.
a Yay! You
14 April 2021
a Yay! You

A tiny Spring detail to add to a cute little floral design.
Flying Lessons
20 October 2021
Flying Lessons

An easy get ahead with Halloween decoration that will last.
How to catch a dew drop:
1 October 2012
How to catch a dew drop:

Weave a sphere from grass to catch a precious and exquisite and perfect glistening early autumn dew drop
A watcha call it
3 June 2015
A watcha call it

Weave a sphere armature
Bowled Over
15 April 2015
Bowled Over

Weave a sphere armature to complement delicate oncidium orchiods
For a longer lasting Summer
14 August 2019
For a longer lasting Summer

A creative way to keep foliage hydrated for a cool, water filled summer design.
“Ok wow”
26 June 2019
“Ok wow”

A design so fine you can easily miss it... if it were not for the interwoven pebbles catching your eye.
DIY a Could Be
20 May 2026
DIY a Could Be

It's once again critter season... and a tiny detail is all you need to add to a flower this pretty.
Scale up some Halloween chuckles
29 October 2025
Scale up some Halloween chuckles

Playing around with a few growing nasturtium stems for a dramatic Halloween display.
Those B00OOOoootunias though!
30 October 2024
Those B00OOOoootunias though!

Add something dark and suspicious to your petunias for a fun Halloween display
That day after Halloween feeling
1 November 2023
That day after Halloween feeling

Time to cut down vines... and enjoy them a bit longer in a Halloween display.
Go on Autumn… glow!
25 October 2023
Go on Autumn… glow!

Mixing permanent and fresh design ingredients to celebrate just how clever the glow of Autumn is.
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.