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Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Dream Rescue

  • 16 June 2021
  • and more

“Your

real

duty

is to

save

your

Dream”

Quote by Modigliani

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Dew-Drop Crystals
Dew-Drop Crystals

I created the Tutorial for how I add these crystals to my floral designs 11 years ago! Since then I have tried, tested and searched for the perfect crystals that would go from studio‑table picture perfect to show‑day‑dependable and I always come back to these. They remain the absolute best. They’re inexpensive yet have a refined, high‑quality crystal brilliance; they don’t tarnish and their adhesive backing stays reliably tacky even after they were exposed to water.
Tutorials
Shelter grass veil for a round container
16 June 2021
Shelter grass veil for a round container

A single lily flower design dressed up with a grass veil.
Securing a kenzan
7 January 2015
Securing a kenzan

Temporarily adhere a traditional Ikebana Kenzan or pincushion to a shallow container.
Long lasting Lily and lily grass ball
14 August 2019
Long lasting Lily and lily grass ball

Keep all the fresh flower material hydrated in water by weaving the stems from one side of the vase to the other.
Loop-over grass veil for a cool summer design
12 June 2019
Loop-over grass veil for a cool summer design

A cool and minimal floral design for summer.
Foliage Weaving
8 June 2011
Foliage Weaving

For this tutorial I focus on a simple weave pattern that does not require you to soften or prepare the leaves to be more durable or flexible. This is the starting point in weaving techniques. You can build on this technique to make floral handbags, gift boxes, and baskets, sew it into a curve or wrap it around a vase or cover a test tube.
Tuck a loosely woven grass grid into a square container
15 August 2018
Tuck a loosely woven grass grid into a square container

Grass-grid armature.
Twin Leaf Weave
3 April 2013
Twin Leaf Weave

Weave two palm leaves together to create a floral grid
Woven lily grass parachute armature
13 July 2016
Woven lily grass parachute armature

Weave a canopy or parachute shaped armature in a way that you can place the stems in two vases to keep it hydrated.
Weaving a ball shaped Dew-drop Catcher from grass
1 October 2012
Weaving a ball shaped Dew-drop Catcher from grass

Weave a sphere from grass
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.
Weave a grass Platform for an opening Tulip bud
26 February 2020
Weave a grass Platform for an opening Tulip bud

Tulips continue to grow as they open. This means you not only have to be mindful of their proportions as they are now... but also as they will be once open.
Bend Wired Equisetum into a Hollow Wreath
7 February 2018
Bend Wired Equisetum into a Hollow Wreath

Craft a wreath with a hollow cavity inside to use as an armature for your flowers
Lilies
2 January 2011
Lilies

How to keep Lilies in bud for longer. Removing the pollen. Stringing a Lily Garland.
Grass tunnel that stays just so
12 March 2014
Grass tunnel that stays just so

Snip, roll and glue a few blades of grass to create a design feature
Create a woven base for a “prettiest flower of the moment” display
17 June 2026
Create a woven base for a “prettiest flower of the moment” display

Invest a bit of effort into crafting a decorative grid so that you can simply drop in any special flowers you cut to refresh it.
Adjustable nested grass Wood Wide Web shelter for tiny snow drops
14 January 2026
Adjustable nested grass Wood Wide Web shelter for tiny snow drops

Craft a grass shelter with hollow grass that can be retracted and extended to adjust the length in height where needed.
Suspend flowers above water on two wires covered with ringlet "happy birthday streamers" made from grass
19 March 2025
Suspend flowers above water on two wires covered with ringlet "happy birthday streamers" made from grass

Create a wire platform to rest the fresh flowers on so that they are hydrated but not submerged in the water below the grass dome.
A cluster bunch of just enough floral ingredients to spike into a Kenzan for a larger display
31 July 2024
A cluster bunch of just enough floral ingredients to spike into a Kenzan for a larger display

A larger summer display in a Kenzan
Peg Sunflowers and Quaking Grass in a Kenzan
6 September 2023
Peg Sunflowers and Quaking Grass in a Kenzan

An old trick... but still a great one to support thin stems in the needles of a Kenzan.
Craft a padded wooden Dowel to position a leaf cone into the sharp teeth of a Kenzan
10 May 2023
Craft a padded wooden Dowel to position a leaf cone into the sharp teeth of a Kenzan

Prevent a leaf from ripping or bruising when positioning it in your design.
Swing ripped foliage over a mop-head of hydrangeas to follow the natural curve
15 June 2022
Swing ripped foliage over a mop-head of hydrangeas to follow the natural curve

Gently curve ripped foliage over flowers to add a cooling movement to a minimal summer design.
Give a single upright bleeding heart flower a view through a leafy hole
25 May 2022
Give a single upright bleeding heart flower a view through a leafy hole

Flair open a leathery leaf to craft a frame a single bleeding heart flower on its long stem.
Connect bud vases with a fresh foliage open weave
2 February 2022
Connect bud vases with a fresh foliage open weave

Craft two woven panels to place front and back of a couple of bud vases to create a unit.
Related Designs
For a longer lasting Summer
14 August 2019
For a longer lasting Summer

A creative way to keep foliage hydrated for a cool, water filled summer design.
Almost... all over!
12 June 2019
Almost... all over!

Loop a grass veil over a lily stem to create a minimalist summer design.
One Singular Sensation
3 April 2011
One Singular Sensation

Three Lilies plaited to create a sensational, singular flower "growing" out of a Equisetum dome filled with Rainbow Oasis pebbles.
A Rock by any other Name...
25 February 2011
A Rock by any other Name...

It's not really what we call things that matter but what they are made of- in this design, it's made of all three types of Oasis and wool.
Bursting with excitement
15 August 2018
Bursting with excitement

Loosely weave grass to create a decorative grid keeping flowers in place over a square container.
April showers bring May flowers
3 April 2013
April showers bring May flowers

After a long winter it is always fun to use the first spring bulb flowers!
Woven
13 July 2016
Woven

Weave a canopy or parachute shaped armature for orchids to perch on
How to catch a dew drop:
1 October 2012
How to catch a dew drop:

Weave a sphere from grass to catch a precious and exquisite and perfect glistening early autumn dew drop
To top it all off
26 February 2020
To top it all off

This is a great "space-keeper" design. The tulip will continue to grow into the vase height as they open... but until then the grass platform part of the design diverts your attention to fix any issues you might experience with the proportions right now.
Up around the bend
7 February 2018
Up around the bend

Bend Equisetum into curves to wire into an open wreath shape
Petrichor
12 March 2014
Petrichor

A minimalist design in a shallow tray
Veiled Sunshine:50th Anniversary of the South African Orchid Society at the Cape Town Convention Centre.
11 April 2011
Veiled Sunshine:50th Anniversary of the South African Orchid Society at the Cape Town Convention Centre.

Bright and sunny cymbidium orchids and roses, lilies, lisianthus and pincushions
Drop in for a moment
17 June 2026
Drop in for a moment

Tiny flowers... big impact with a bit of creativity.
Subject: A Formal Complaint Regarding the Distinct Lack of Snowflakiness
14 January 2026
Subject: A Formal Complaint Regarding the Distinct Lack of Snowflakiness

Fold and combine two hollow grasses for an adjustable shelter to frame the daintiest of flowers.
Let’s
19 March 2025
Let’s

... take a moment of reflection as we celebrate 5 years! Happy 5th birthday to my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman
Have a floral adventure, really
31 July 2024
Have a floral adventure, really

Creating a larger sustainable floral design by clustering the floral details into bunches.
Mother Nature’s little magic to let us know Autumn is near
6 September 2023
Mother Nature’s little magic to let us know Autumn is near

It's the little sun-washed coloured hints that makes you look again to see if you really saw what you thought you saw... yes! There really are signs of autumn everywhere!
By the cone full
10 May 2023
By the cone full

A small design to display those last Spring snippets from your garden...
Take a swing at it
15 June 2022
Take a swing at it

A cooling design for early summer days with swinging ripped grass and more than enough water for thirsty hydrangeas.
Grateful Heart
25 May 2022
Grateful Heart

Frame a single perfect Bleeding heart flower in a leaf dot.
Putting my feelers out
2 February 2022
Putting my feelers out

Adding just a little something to a bud vase design to connect them... and make it special.
Favourite Flowers
Lilium
Lilium

A Rock by any other name, lily design