My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Dance lessons from the Autumn leaves

6 November 2019
click to send Christine a smile
and more

First you Sway

Then turn, turn, turn

Half a Tumble and

sweep.

Then swing

Wave, wave, wave...

Shake a

flutter and finish with a

twirl, twirl, twirl

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

Tutorials

6 November 2019

Dancing fall leaves... on a stick

Spike fall leaves and water tubes to create a minimal radiating autumn display

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.

22 April 2011

Test tube on a stick

Include a single floret (such as an orchid) or bundle a few weaker stems (such as lily of the valley) into an arrangement or hand tie by wiring a test tube to a stick.

2 October 2013

Spiny Twig Porcupine Armature

Glue a few twigs to display Autumn flowers and foliage on

22 September 2012

Stir-stick Sunburst

Glue a radiating armature from stir-sticks.

22 September 2012

Stiffen and set skeletonized leaves into a whirl

Skeletonized leaves can be shaped while wet to create shapes

7 August 2019

A Three level Kenzan skewer stack to Radiate Gladiolus spikes flat in a shallow container

Build up a design in a shallow container by stacking it by threading the plant material into the teeth of a pin cushion in three levels.

16 October 2012

Taco-shaped twig armature

Make a half-moon shaped armature to fill with flowers

1 May 2012

Cinderella Spiral Pumpkin from Midelino Cane Coils

Tie Midelino Cane coils to make a spiral armature

26 November 2014

Sticks stuck in a ground covered foundation

Glue potting soil to polystyrene to create a natural looking armature

10 July 2012

Stabilizing sticks for dried or fresh flowers

Create a full design without the weight by stabilizing the flowers with glued sticks. This is a great alternative to floral foam.

14 August 2024

Firethorns join two leaves for an edgy support for a tall flower stem

Thorns are a great way to spear (and keep) design details into position.

13 September 2023

Traditional book folding craft technique turned into an armature… with a me twist

Fold a book into a floral armature... with tricks there to keep the floral material hydrated and suspended.

30 August 2023

Radiating bunny tails

Spear bunny tail grasses into a Kenzan to create a cozy space to display apricot lemonade cosmos flowers.

Related Designs

2 October 2013

Prickly

Build a twig porcupine armature for fall flowers

22 September 2012

Turning of the leaves

An Autumn Equinox design that captures the moment before the spectacular colour burst of autumn floats around again

7 August 2019

Point Out: this is a single bunch of gladiolus!

Cut stems of Gladiolus to place in a radiating summer design.

16 October 2012

Bright, brighter… brightest!

Celebrate the bright colours of autumn with lilies and Chinese lanterns

26 November 2014

Late Autumn Early Christmas.

Glue a ground foundation for a late autumn design

14 August 2024

everything in one

Connect a unit of leaves... and a pretty floppy stem with thorns.

13 September 2023

I am a fan!

Giving my book a super fan make-over.

30 August 2023

Courage, now

A bit of a rethink as the season is getting ready to change. How can I give my design idea a fresh twist?

Favourite Flowers

Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum Design: the Floral Hour glass was made as part of my wax series