My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Bent

bent floral art design

... been

Dried Lathyrus wreath

bent and broken,

Skeleton Hydrangea blossoms

but

Skeleton blossoms

I hope

Sweet pea tendrils and seed pods

into

End of summer wreath

a

Dried Lathyrus and hydrangea blossom wreath

better shape.

Quote by Charles Dickens (Great Expectations)

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

Tutorials

26 August 2015 Sun baked Sweetpea vine wreath

A perfect way to use a Lathyrus vine after all it flowered

26 August 2015 Skeleton Hydrangeas

Make skeleton petals from hydrangeas to create blossoms

26 August 2015 Skeleton Hydrangea Petal Blossoms

Use the skeleton petals of hydrangeas to create blossoms

1 November 2011 Weaving a twig wreath

For my design I wanted the wreath to look wind blown so I added a few loosely woven twigs into the weave. I also wanted to emphasize the autumn colours so I added a twirling...

22 September 2012 Skeleton Leaves

Remove the pulp from leaves so that only the vain framework remain

3 September 2014 Skeletonize Physalis Pods

Remove the pulp from the papery pod (sepal) covering the little berry of Chinese lantern plant so that only the vain framework remain

12 November 2014 Skeleton leaf bowl

Stiffen some skeletonize leaves into a lacy fine floral bowl

17 April 2013 Skeleton Leaf Flameless Candle Cocoon

Cover a balloon with skeleton leaves to create a cocoon

28 February 2011 Paper flowers

You can use any type of paper to make flowers. I use tissue paper, Crêpe paper, cardboard, newsprint and coffee filters (new and used) to make sweet peas, carnations, paper...

19 February 2013 Manipulating stems: Snapping at an angle, Bending, Spiraling, Curling and Straightening

Most stems, twigs and even sturdier branches can be bend into shapes. It takes practice and more than a bit of patience. The main idea is to slowly manipulate the branch without...

7 December 2011 Hang a wreath on a door without knocking nails into the door face

I use two methods (or a combination of both) to attach a wreath to a door.

Favourite Flowers

Lathyrus

Sweet pea

Hydrangea

Hydrangea, when cultivated as a cut flower rather as a plant it is often revered to as Hortensia

Related Designs

21 October 2015 Watch the leaves turn

Roll autumn leaves to create a wreath

16 December 2015 Christmas Waves

Twist a Kalanchoe and Ivy vine Christmas tree mobile

4 May 2016 Ring-a-round

Open a vine wreath to create a spiral twig armature around a glass container

17 August 2016 Strangeness

Weave a wreath to display air plants on

19 October 2016 There are Octobers

Autumn wreath

26 October 2016 Harvest Moon

Fold a fine twig wreath in half to create a moon shaped armature

30 November 2016 All things Autumn (by which I mean all things chocolate): Worth a second look

This was the fourth (and last) design I did in my "All things Autumn (by which I mean all things chocolate)" floral art demonstration

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...

20 December 2017 A Very Merry Christmas Star

A wire Christmas star with a secret plan to hide the twinkle

27 December 2017 Can it be?

Craft a pine tube to display a soft and snow filled winter scene

7 February 2018 Up around the bend

Bend Equisetum into curves to wire into an open wreath shape

12 September 2018 Hole-ding it’s breath

Craft an almost Autumn armature from dried sweet pea vines

21 November 2018 Rules!

The first design I did for my book launch demonstration looking at aspects that influences my effortless style of designing.

21 November 2018 The effortless floral craftsman, a floral crafter's guide to crafting with nature Book Launch Demonstration

My book launch demonstration was hosted by my flower-buddies from the Capilano Flower Arranging Club. We looked at what influences our own effortless style... that "thing" that...

15 May 2019 Heard it through the grapevine?

Have you heard? I have wonderful news this week. Oh! and I also have this pretty grapevine armature shaped like the petals of an open rose to show you. But... Have you heard...

11 March 2020 On-Spring-dium

A almost impossibly delicate oncidium (dancing lady) orchid wreath.

25 March 2020 How to lay a little bit low

A flat-lay to celebrate finally finding the perfect way to dry passion fruit flowers... and my book's first birthday but mostly the drying of passion fruit flowers thing.

24 June 2020 End Up

Connect small wreaths to create a pretty summer armature to arrange your flowers on.

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.

7 April 2021 First we learn HOW to design… and then we learn how only WE design.

Whipped up to be light in the Spring breeze wreath design.

3 November 2021 Coppepeppepepper wreath

Wire dried pepper berries to a wreath with super fancy flat wire (okay... it's the humble wire from a copper pot scrubber but it still looks fancy!)

4 May 2022 Wonderful and Enough

That incredible moment when you realize that one good idea for your design really is enough...

8 June 2022 Make Believe

Ever seen an eucalyptus flower? This is... and is not one.

7 September 2022 Of the shades to come

This design requires a bit of prep-time so it is perfect to make while waiting for the first autumn leaf to appear…

5 October 2022 Tail End Of The Season

A display armature for a delicate autumn display.

4 October 2023 So Into Fall

Keep you fresh plant material hydrated in water... and your dried plant material suspended to keep it from falling into the water.

24 January 2024 I mean… really!?!

Using fresh twigs to bind a little twig platform to suspend the beautiful orchids from.

18 September 2024 Finding balance

Balancing dried ribbons of foliage to craft a wind twisted floral display.

7 December 2011 Forest Filigree Christmas Wreath

I wanted my Hazel twig wreath to look like forest filigree: mysteriously overgrown, tangled with age and dappled with moss and lichen. The wreath is also dressed with fresh and...

20 January 2011 The last Vine Wreath

Every designer knows how to stretch their supplies. We use and re-use our dried plant material until our fellow designers feel like hiding it from us. I formed such an...

30 March 2011 Garden Wreath Workshop and Demonstration

Contemporary Wreath Design demonstration as part of the Durbanville Garden Club's annual Garden Festival, Western Cape, South Africa