My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Bright, brighter… brightest!

Now,

let me see, there is

bright and luminous

cheerful and alive,

light and sunny,

clear and vibrant,

vivid and bold,

and that’s just naming a few of the perfect hues of autumn…

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Tutorials
Brick on a stick
29 January 2011
Brick on a stick

Create simple but effective stands for Floral Art
Taco-shaped twig armature
16 October 2012
Taco-shaped twig armature

Make a half-moon shaped armature to fill with flowers
Drinking straw "test tubes"
4 January 2011
Drinking straw "test tubes"

When you need to keep a tiny stem hydrated this is just what you need.
Drying Physalis sepals
23 March 2012
Drying Physalis sepals

Every Autumn we see the beautiful Physalis pods everywhere but they are easy to dry and preserve to use year round.
Bite and snap a sturdy twig
22 May 2012
Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.
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.
A fluffy faded leaf "tail" to display delicate autumn treasures
5 October 2022
A fluffy faded leaf "tail" to display delicate autumn treasures

Threading leaves to craft a long garland armature for an autumn display
Three drop Lantern
28 September 2022
Three drop Lantern

Attach three Physalis pods to drop down in a long lasting Fall design.
Grass snippet globe with T-connections for a (shaded) second layer
27 April 2022
Grass snippet globe with T-connections for a (shaded) second layer

Craft two snippet half moons to connect... and... then add a second layer of grass snippets here and there to shade the flowers.
Upright standing besom for the modern witch on the go
20 October 2021
Upright standing besom for the modern witch on the go

Craft a wire tripod to fit into the bristles of a handcrafted broom so that it can stand freely in your display.
Dancing fall leaves... on a stick
6 November 2019
Dancing fall leaves... on a stick

Spike fall leaves and water tubes to create a minimal radiating autumn display
Drying leaves to have the exact same curve
6 November 2019
Drying leaves to have the exact same curve

Threat a stack of leaves to dry so that they shrivel and dry up in a similar way.
Cross hatch Twig Armature
2 October 2019
Cross hatch Twig Armature

Add a bit of shadow and dimension to a flat armature by using the sketch technique of cross hatching.
Inside Pod Designing
3 October 2018
Inside Pod Designing

Snip open a Physalis pod to create a cavity for delicate floral details.
Pierce and stack fall leaves to rest on the edge of a container
1 November 2017
Pierce and stack fall leaves to rest on the edge of a container

Use one leaf to keep the next in place
Shaping Thanks with wire that has a bit of give
11 October 2017
Shaping Thanks with wire that has a bit of give

Shape the letters out of wire and then decorate with autumn design elements.
Display wreath that hover around a big shiny pumpkin
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.
Tendril vine Wreath Pumpkin
27 September 2017
Tendril vine Wreath Pumpkin

Reshape a vine wreath into smaller wreaths to combine as a pumpkin
Twig sparkler
12 July 2017
Twig sparkler

Glue twigs to radiate out from a central point
Three Twig Bundle Braid
3 May 2017
Three Twig Bundle Braid

Braid bundles of twigs to create an armature for flowers to dance in
Driftwood base for a floral foam pebble design
2 November 2016
Driftwood base for a floral foam pebble design

The flat surface of a piece of driftwood creates a base to design on
Folded Bleached Baby’s Breath Wreath Armature
26 October 2016
Folded Bleached Baby’s Breath Wreath Armature

Glued Baby's Breath Wreath, folded in half to create a moon shaped armature
Stack a Twig Enclosure
17 February 2016
Stack a Twig Enclosure

Loop and tie a few stacked twigs to create an enclosed floral armature
Related Designs
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.
Tail End Of The Season
5 October 2022
Tail End Of The Season

A display armature for a delicate autumn display.
Inside my world
28 September 2022
Inside my world

Cut open a Chinese Lantern to show off that shiny berry inside.
Shine Shade
27 April 2022
Shine Shade

Glue snippets of grass into a double layer sphere to create a sheltered floral globe.
Flying Lessons
20 October 2021
Flying Lessons

An easy get ahead with Halloween decoration that will last.
Dance lessons from the Autumn leaves
6 November 2019
Dance lessons from the Autumn leaves

A fun and easy contemporary floral design to display foraged autumn leaves and just a touch of flowers that can easily be replaced.
Cross-hatch a Shadow Bright Autumn
2 October 2019
Cross-hatch a Shadow Bright Autumn

A clever trick borrowed from art techniques to add dimension to a bright and colourful Autumn floral design.
But what’s inside?
3 October 2018
But what’s inside?

This week we are looking at the contents pages of my book... but more specifically at the sweet little pod design on the content page of my book.
A Round
1 November 2017
A Round

Create a delicate design that rests lightly on the edge of a container
giving a thanks
11 October 2017
giving a thanks

A wire and acorn thanks
Whipped up in the autumn breeze
4 October 2017
Whipped up in the autumn breeze

Give a loosely woven wreath legs to stand on to hover lightly around a pumpkin
As tendrils tend to do
27 September 2017
As tendrils tend to do

Curl a wreath with tendrils to create a twig-pumpkin
Sparkler
12 July 2017
Sparkler

A radiating twig design
Oh just...
3 May 2017
Oh just...

Braid a few twigs to dance around your flowers
Pick your poison
2 November 2016
Pick your poison

A Fun Halloween design with "poisonous mushrooms" tucked between the moss and petals
Harvest Moon
26 October 2016
Harvest Moon

Fold a fine twig wreath in half to create a moon shaped armature
Pour
11 May 2016
Pour

Glue a twig vase and melt some plastic to create a tumbling design
Where would you put it!?!
17 February 2016
Where would you put it!?!

Tie a twig armature enclosure for fresh flowers
On Pumpkin Coloured Days
28 October 2015
On Pumpkin Coloured Days

Create a besom broom to sweep up those Autumn leaves
Watch the leaves turn
21 October 2015
Watch the leaves turn

Roll autumn leaves to create a wreath
Favourite Flowers
Lilium
Lilium

A Rock by any other name, lily design
Physalis
Physalis

Spiral flowers from Chinese lantern sepals for my Thanksgiving Harvest design.