My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Balanced Attitude

… to be really good…

and I mean really, really good at that thing that matters to you

you need to balance somewhere between being closed off enough to protect what is uniquely you

and exposed enough so that you remain curious and inspired.

And go at it with an attitude that supports growth

… and mastery.

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Tutorials
Counterbalance elegantly leaning Calla lilies with dressed up Dried Autumn Details
21 September 2022
Counterbalance elegantly leaning Calla lilies with dressed up Dried Autumn Details

Using those much treasured dried autumn details to bridge the gap between the bright green of summer and the brightness that is yet to come.
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.
Spin a tiny glue bead around a thin stem to secure it at an angle in a design
25 September 2019
Spin a tiny glue bead around a thin stem to secure it at an angle in a design

This is a trick for attaching fine details at exactly the right angle.
Curving Calla Lilies
30 August 2011
Curving Calla Lilies

Follow the flower's natural curve but you can also curve only sections to create an elegant crescent or a curve at the tip of the stem
Adjusting the curve in plant material
16 May 2018
Adjusting the curve in plant material

It is possible to curve or adjust a curve in plant material
Smooth dried hydrangea flowers in the palm of your hand
10 July 2012
Smooth dried hydrangea flowers in the palm of your hand

Hold a dried hydrangea flower in the palm of your hand to smooth out the folds
Butterfly hairclip claws to hold twigs in place while glue dries
18 January 2012
Butterfly hairclip claws to hold twigs in place while glue dries

Butterfly hair clips are the perfect little claws to help you hold tiny items in place while you wait for glue to dry
Hanging leaves from a Hazel twig top bar
23 October 2013
Hanging leaves from a Hazel twig top bar

Create a free moving autumn leaf screen
Wedding welcome and direction sign
15 March 2017
Wedding welcome and direction sign

Hang a twig and wood mobile at your weeding as a direction board
U shape stems to anchor Fuchsia drops and Maple leaf Falls in a bud vase
18 October 2023
U shape stems to anchor Fuchsia drops and Maple leaf Falls in a bud vase

Bend pliable stems to kick against the side to anchor design details exactly in place in a small vase.
Use the pull tab of a can to keep your floral details in place
16 August 2023
Use the pull tab of a can to keep your floral details in place

Love anchovies cans. And if you fold over the pull tab just so it is perfect for keeping even longer stem flowers upright.
Related Designs
See you around
30 July 2014
See you around

Weave a few spheres to create a simple design
It goes like this...
16 May 2018
It goes like this...

Gently curve plant material.
Direct Contrasts
13 October 2011
Direct Contrasts

I have always been fascinated, as a designer, by the idea that there is a point when extremes or direct contrasts flip into its opposite.
Fall Treasures
9 September 2015
Fall Treasures

A sisal mat armature for fall twigs flowers and leaves
Delicate
4 November 2015
Delicate

Bleached Gypsophila wreath with delicate autumn touches
Harvest Moon
26 October 2016
Harvest Moon

Fold a fine twig wreath in half to create a moon shaped armature
It’s a sugar rush!
18 September 2019
It’s a sugar rush!

A perfectly imperfect wild willow wreath to display the first Autumn treasures of the year.
Marcescent
29 November 2017
Marcescent

Glue a delicate autumn room devider
Mr. Stalk, the Seriously Terrifying Scarecrow, on his Day Off
6 November 2012
Mr. Stalk, the Seriously Terrifying Scarecrow, on his Day Off

An easy going design of ripped grass and calla lilies. But look a bit closer. See if you can find Mr. Stalk relaxing somewhere between the blades of grass.
What a find!
14 October 2015
What a find!

Roll autumn leaves to create a frog to keep flowers upright
What a find!
14 October 2015
What a find!

Roll autumn leaves to create a frog to keep flowers upright
Their work well done
23 October 2013
Their work well done

String Autumn leaves to fall down in a design
Wedding Welcome
15 March 2017
Wedding Welcome

My article and wedding direction board design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine
Wreath Vine Season!
5 September 2018
Wreath Vine Season!

Weave tiny wreaths on the stems of Wisteria vines
Creative Direction
29 September 2021
Creative Direction

Hang the arum lilies from the edge of a container to support all the other floral details.
Drops do that!
18 October 2023
Drops do that!

Collecting drops of autumn that makes me smile back.
Canned right after harvest
16 August 2023
Canned right after harvest

Pull tab support for "canned" Calla lilies and bunny-tail grass.
Favourite Flowers
Zantedeschia
Zantedeschia

Calla lilies in my Direct Contrast design for the Floral Trends Design Group