My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Celebrate!

A closer look at my design at the 20th anniversary of Canada Blooms and The Toronto Flower Show, one of the best known Floral Art Competitions on our design calendars:

“It’s A Party… Life is a Celebration!
The passions of architecture and nature converge to ignite your imagination and illuminate your soul. The sights, sounds and scents of this garden will trigger your senses into overload.”

I was invited to exhibit in this year's show as an International Competitor to represent Canada. Competitors came from Canada, Bermuda, France, South Africa, United States, Barbados, United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia to create a design based on the theme “Celebrate!”

My design was inspired by a bubbling glass of Sparkling Wine. But I wanted it to look light and suspended in the moment. I researched aquarium designs and made 9 tubes powered by a small battery to add a constant stream of bubbles between my flowers. Each bubble tube is controlled with a tiny tap to open or close for more… or less bubbles to add dimension.

Celebrate floral art design

As plant material I used 140 meters of Tillandsia Usneoides that I wove into garlands with about three strands running up the length of a garland. I also used willow tips manipulated into tendrils and I suspended a total of 120 white Phalaenopsis orchids from 160 meters of beaded wire and fishing line. Each tiny stem was placed in a water filled glass seahorse to keep it hydrated.

Celebrate design at the 20th anniversary of Canada Blooms and The Toronto Flower Show

Judging of the floral arrangement exhibits at the Toronto Flower Show are by General Show Regulations and the Judging Criteria Of Ontario Judging and Exhibiting Standards for Horticulture and Floral Design and by International Flower Show Rules, World Association of Floral Artists (WAFA) criteria

Entries:
Invitational class 10 International Exhibitors: Celebrate!

Tillandsia Usneoides woven into garlands, willow tips manipulated into tendrils and white Phalaenopsis orchids

  • Staged: on a base
  • Area Allotted: 122cm x 122cm x 203cm (48” x 48” x 80”)
  • Base and Background colour: Caribbean Coast

Tillandsia Usneoides garlands, willow tips, Phalaenopsis orchids

The design was judged from the front and both sides

 I won a Gold Ribbon for my Celebrate! Floral Art Design

I won a Gold Ribbon for my Celebrate! Floral Art Design

Gold Ribbon Canada Blooms

Thank you to Canada Blooms, The Garden Club of Toronto and The Toronto Flower Show and for inviting me to design.

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

Tutorials

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...

14 January 2011 Beaded wire

Thread thin wire with tiny beads

29 October 2014 Spin a Single Strand Spanish Moss Spider Web

Weave a barely there all natural spider web.

3 January 2011 Syringe with tube

Easy way to fill test tubes and easiest way to remove water from a vase

26 July 2011 Wire Tendrils

Curl the wire at irregular intervals to create a natural wire tendril similar to that of a passion fruit plant

16 August 2011 Fast way to fill a lot of test tubes in awkward places

I do not believe in arranging flowers without a water source of some kind. I want my flowers to remain as beautiful for as long as possible and I often get quite creative to...

30 August 2011 Removing Oasis Floral Adhesive glue spills

The finish of every design should be flawless. Make sure there are no bits of glue visible in your design by carefully removing all traces of spills.

28 December 2011 Macramé inspired hanging test tubes

When I hang these delicate glass bubbles I want to make sure they are really secure. By slipping them into Macramé inspired knots they are not only hanging securely but the...

18 January 2012 Butterfly feeler hooks for swinging test tubes

I don't always want to wire my test tubes into the design. I like to create a bit of movement by simply hooking the tubes to gently swing.

8 August 2012 Stringing wool and Spanish moss

Create veil of wool and Spanish moss

24 April 2013 Macramé hanging vases

Knot wool to create a catch to hang tiny bud vases from

25 September 2013 Make a Phalaenopsis Orchid from autumn leaves

Fall leaf craft

11 February 2015 Stripping foliage from weaving stems

Remove foliage from stems to weave with

Favourite Flowers

Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis, Moth orchid

Tillandsia Usneoides

Spanish moss, Florida moss, long moss, or graybeard

Salix matsudana "Tortuosa"

Curly Willow, Chinese Willow, Tortured Willow, Globe Willow, Dragon's Claw, Hankow Willow

Related Designs

13 April 2016 It keeps me going and I love it.

Hang a veil of Tillandsia Usneoides to create an armature

6 July 2016 The oh no factor

My article and Floral Monogram Seating Plan designs featured in DIY Weddings Magazine

15 February 2017 Step Along

Create twig steps to display the orchids

1 March 2017 Gumusservi

To celebrate the 6th year anniversary of My Creative Workbook I am looking at the most popular Tutorial I have done to date:

29 March 2017 A Twirl

Suspend a wire chandelier design to twirl

31 May 2017 Let's hang out

Skewer some Eucalyptus to suspend between the orchids

17 October 2018 But wait… there's more!

Tucked into the box with every advance copy of the book, the effortless floral craftsman is a packet of clips. This design and Tutorial is a bit of inspiration... what will you...

10 April 2019 Just Like Wisteria Rain

Craft a ethereal design from twigs and wisteria flowers

3 July 2019 Taking a Breather

A relaxing summer design that spins gently in the wind

23 October 2019 As pumpkins do this time of year

Hanging pumpkins and tiny vases to create a Autumn mobile floral design.

22 January 2020 Spacer

Armatures are great (budget friendly) spacers for creating large floral designs without using an enormous amount of your resources.

18 March 2020 Aerial Odyssey

A closer look at my design at Canada Blooms and The Toronto Flower Show last week. The show was cancelled right after we staged the designs due to COVID-19 concerns.

5 May 2021 But of course.

Repurpose an apothecary vase lid for a floating Spring design.

9 June 2021 Making Waves

A quick and easy to do cascade design for summer.

10 August 2022 Space holder

Creating a bit of space in a summer design to allow for the plant material to naturally fall as it wants.

17 August 2022 Branch Manager

Managed to find an utterly gorgeous branch... perfect contrast to the minimal orchids.

21 June 2023 Floral Hurricane

My Floral Hurricane design entry for the BC Floral Art Society mini show competition

27 December 2023 A Very Merry Dried Orange and these from My Greenhouse to yours Trendy Christmas Cheer

And of course I would add the environmentally friendly-estest floral design option to top all the rest. Reusable and upcycled... and smells wonderful.

29 October 2014 Frightfully Pretty

Weave a single strand Spanish Moss spider web

8 August 2012 Stringing in the rain

A veil of green wool, Spanish moss and dried hydrangeas hang over white lilies

14 January 2011 Inspired by Nature

Flax leaves are ripped with a kenzan and wrapped with copper wire and small blue beads to create a rope to weave into a delicate spider web.

13 April 2011 Harnessing the Wind

21 June 2011 WAFA 10th International Flower Show in Boston USA: This Glorious Earth

I wove my Zipper from just over 300 short, dried rose twigs with tiny thorns on them. The delicate "fabric" at the back of the design is woven rose bush roots. Aranthera and...

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.

26 June 2012 Diamond Jubilee Waterfall

To commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee and the 20th Anniversary of Friends of Government House Gardens Society a Horticultural event was hosted in the gardens and...

24 April 2013 Hanging Space

Suspend small bud vases with Macramé-like knotted wool. This design is featured on The Fusion Flowers Magazine... Fusion Links page.

23 October 2013 Their work well done

String Autumn leaves to fall down in a design

23 July 2014 Chain of Thought

Knot small stems into decorative chain garlands

23 September 2015 Pretty Spicy!

Hang fruity wire garlands to display Gerbera daisies