My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

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 that I am growing on my balcony garden. Not much else is needed. But add a cute little crab and you have a bowl filled with summer.

“I

was

a drab

little crab

once…”

Song lyrics from the animation Moana Shiny by the crab Tamatoa (sung by Jemaine Clement )

Sign up for my weekly newsletter

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

Sign Up Now
Tutorials
Fold a crab from grass
14 June 2023
Fold a crab from grass

A fun coastal touch for your design... a woven crab.
Stacked bowl floral display
20 February 2019
Stacked bowl floral display

Create a foam free stacked design by slipping flowers between stacked bowls.
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.
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
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.
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.
Guacamole Green Coiled Grass Chameleon
17 July 2012
Guacamole Green Coiled Grass Chameleon

My Chameleon is mono-botanical. Made from coiled grass
Arachnis Gerbera-petal-legicus
28 October 2020
Arachnis Gerbera-petal-legicus

The easiest Gerbara disk floret spider... ever!
Spider-mum
31 October 2018
Spider-mum

Craft a spider from twigs and a chrysanthemum
Twig and skeleton leaf Stick Insect
29 September 2011
Twig and skeleton leaf Stick Insect

Made from dried cherry twigs and a skeleton leaf.
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!
Stack two glass vases to keep a leaf upright in water
24 January 2018
Stack two glass vases to keep a leaf upright in water

Slip a leaf into the gap between two glass containers to keep it upright... and add a plastic lining to support the flowers nestled into it.
That good old double vase trick
22 January 2014
That good old double vase trick

Create a dry layer by placing a smaller vase inside the larger vase
Dried twig collar in a double vase display for gravity sensitive flowers
11 August 2021
Dried twig collar in a double vase display for gravity sensitive flowers

Putting the focus on the flowers with an ever changing design.
Whittle a stumpy stopper to peg precious tiny floral details in place
30 April 2025
Whittle a stumpy stopper to peg precious tiny floral details in place

An easy way to create a design using only a few bits of plant material that can be maintained... effortlessly.
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.
Pinching vines in place with almost alike but perfectly unique double vases and twig peg
23 July 2024
Pinching vines in place with almost alike but perfectly unique double vases and twig peg

The tiniest twig peg keep the vines from spilling out of the minimal double vase display.
Sweet pea and Felting Wool Swirl Around a Log
10 July 2024
Sweet pea and Felting Wool Swirl Around a Log

Arrange beautiful King Tut sweet pea vines to swirl around a piece of fire wood... with a bit of help from a felting technique
Related Designs
Inna...
20 February 2019
Inna...

Stack bowls to keep your flower stems in place.
Lemon Aid
25 July 2018
Lemon Aid

Use a lemon as a stopper to keep floral material in place
a Yay! You
14 April 2021
a Yay! You

A tiny Spring detail to add to a cute little floral design.
Arachnis Phobicus
26 October 2022
Arachnis Phobicus

A fun woven spider for 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
How to make a stack of just enough:
24 January 2018
How to make a stack of just enough:

Stack two vases to create a small gap at the side to keep a leaf upright
Follow the line
11 April 2018
Follow the line

Stack a few glass containers and fill each with water to a different level.
How do you do?
22 January 2014
How do you do?

Snow and twigs winter design
A bit Special... four dimensional designing
11 August 2021
A bit Special... four dimensional designing

Using that little something that is unusual about your flower to make the design stand out.
Hope Bubble
20 January 2021
Hope Bubble

That good old double vase trick... but this time I deliberately added a bubble between the two layers to create a third circle in the design.
Of should and must
30 April 2025
Of should and must

Display tiny design details in a budvase by crafting a stopper-frog.
Those B00OOOoootunias though!
30 October 2024
Those B00OOOoootunias though!

Add something dark and suspicious to your petunias for a fun Halloween display
Just... the Most
24 July 2024
Just... the Most

Perfect for summer designing with some space for the vines to continue to grow in your design.
Still wrapping my head around this one
10 July 2024
Still wrapping my head around this one

Craft a haze of green around a log for a sweet pea swirl effect.
Favourite Flowers
Lathyrus
Lathyrus

This design was entered in the craft section of a show. I grew my bag over 12 weeks. Each day I would guide the tiny fresh growth of the Sweet Pea plants to completely cover the...