My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

As light as a super thankful pumpkin

9 October 2024
and more

…well… it is Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend. And here it is: my absolute favourite meal (too good not to share!) with all the flavours of Thanksgiving for a rainy autumn night pizza:

leftover Turkey

Cranberry and port sauce (a dollop here and there)

Pear

Walnuts

Red onion (chopped)

Brie cheese

Mozzarella cheese

cut all the toppings into small chunks for a taste of each flavour in each bite to arrange on your pizza base. Have a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend, flower buddies and thank you for all the beauty you create.

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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

9 October 2024

Making light of a heavy, heavy pumpkin in double low containers for a zero waste kitchen pumpkin display… a few days before Thanksgiving

A great way to show off your Thanksgiving pumpkin before cooking it… keeping the pumpkin well above and out of the water so that it will not rot and you can easily remove it from the design when you are ready.

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.

11 February 2015

Stripping foliage from weaving stems

Remove foliage from stems to weave with

15 April 2015

Stretching leaves and foliage into a ringlet curl

Most leaves and foliage can be slightly manipulated to curve or curl.

7 October 2020

Floral wreath ring stem armature for a cute pumpkin patch in a stem vase design

Use a wreath to keep flower and a heavy little ghost pumpkin in place in a small vase.

30 October 2012

Midelino Harvest Moon Basket

This is a great flat and open basket to take outside when “harvesting” your fall leaves, pods and flowers. Who knows, you might even find a ghost pumpkin or three…

26 October 2016

Folded Bleached Baby’s Breath Wreath Armature

Glued Baby's Breath Wreath, folded in half to create a moon shaped armature

4 October 2017

Display wreath that hover around a big shiny pumpkin

For this design I wanted my wreath to be light and airy so that it just whips around the solid pumpkin like a breeze.

28 October 2015

Besom Broom

The word ‘Besom’ derives from the old English ‘besma’ meaning ‘bundle of twigs’.

1 September 2021

Above and below eucalyptus curve butternut cradle

Suspend a heavy butternut over water in an early Autumn design.

21 October 2015

Rolled up Autumn leaf wreath

Create a textured wreath with Chrysanthemums and rolled up Autumn leaves

12 October 2022

Corn-o’leaf mummy-o'lantern

Wrap and tie a fishbowl vase with corn foliage to craft a lantern for autumn... almost... Halloween.

25 October 2017

Skeleton eyeball blossoms

Hydrangea skeleton blossoms with Eucalyptus eyeballs

25 October 2017

Willow Paddle

Weave willow between the fork in a twig to create a paddle like armature

29 September 2011

Twig and skeleton leaf Stick Insect

Made from dried cherry twigs and a skeleton leaf.

13 October 2021

Weave a willow wreath around a minimal pumpkin display

It’s amazing how we sometimes try to complicate a design. I tried adding calla lilies… took them out and loved the willow. Added gerberas. Took them out and loved the willow. Added orchids. Took them out and loved the willow. Added Dahlias… and yes, took them out and loved the willow. So finally I just thought- I really do love the willow.

31 October 2018

Peg and glue a floating Halloween design

A hovering Halloween design that seems to float.

30 September 2020

Mesh bag net armature to keep your flowers in place

Instead of vegetable net bags becoming trash wrap it around your container for an instant armature. It even looks a bit like a spider web- perfect for a long lasting design as we count down to Halloween.

27 September 2017

Tendril vine Wreath Pumpkin

Reshape a vine wreath into smaller wreaths to combine as a pumpkin

1 February 2017

Coil wire and grass to create a spring frog

Twirl and wrap wire and lily grass around a dowel stick to create a spring frog

1 October 2025

Turning a pumpkin to hover for a sway in the lightest autumn breeze display

A pretty pumpkin deserves some fancy mechanics to create an impossibly ethereal display.

13 November 2024

Double down on the Fall magic with the earliest hint of bare (but sparkly) Twig Season

A double vase to keep the bit of sparkle you add to transition a Fall design into Christmas nice and dry... while the fresh plant material remain hydrated.

Related Designs

7 October 2020

Let’s circle around to this one

Create a floral circlet to rest the little pumpkin on... but above the water line.

4 October 2017

Whipped up in the autumn breeze

Give a loosely woven wreath legs to stand on to hover lightly around a pumpkin

23 September 2015

Pretty Spicy!

Hang fruity wire garlands to display Gerbera daisies

28 October 2015

On Pumpkin Coloured Days

Create a besom broom to sweep up those Autumn leaves

7 October 2011

Thanksgiving Harvest

Thanksgiving pumpkin with Chinese lanterns and spiral blossoms

1 September 2021

It’s butter… nuts!

An it's not too early to decorate for Autumn, Autumn design

24 July 2012

A little bit of Art and Soul

A twig structure with roses

21 October 2015

Watch the leaves turn

Roll autumn leaves to create a wreath

12 October 2022

Ahead

Oh my... a corn leaf mummy head for autumn... looking ahead to Halloween styling.

25 October 2017

When the pretty eyeballs you back!

Barely there skeleton blossoms with Eucalyptus eyes for my Halloween design... Oh! and a Willow Paddle, which probably should have been the main Tutorial... but... well...

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

25 October 2023

Go on Autumn… glow!

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

13 October 2021

Gratitude

A minimal Thanks Giving design that is a modern take on a wreath

31 October 2018

Scary stuff!

My Halloween design... with some scary stuff hidden if you can read between the leaves!

30 September 2020

This season all the stylish pumpkins will be wearing them!

A simple way to keep the plastic mesh the pumpkins are sold in from becoming trash: wrap it around the container as an armature for a quick Fall design. Replace the flowers as they fade and top up the water as needed.