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Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Fall Treasures

Oh! treasures to discover

to gather

to nurture

to respect

treasures to treasure

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Tutorials
Layered sisal and twig armature
9 September 2015
Layered sisal and twig armature

small sisal fibers create a mat like armature
Drying Hydrangeas: Fast, Flat or Natural
30 May 2012
Drying Hydrangeas: Fast, Flat or Natural

Use all three methods to dry hydrangeas to get three very different textures to use in design work.
Bite and snap a sturdy twig
22 May 2012
Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.
Unravel Sisal string to get Sisal Fibers
28 August 2013
Unravel Sisal string to get Sisal Fibers

I purchase a huge roll of sisal string to use... sometimes as string, but mostly I unravel it for the fibers
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.
Sisal Disk
19 June 2013
Sisal Disk

Create a inflexible circle armature to hang flowers from
Butterfly feeler hooks for swinging test tubes
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.
Smooth dried hydrangea flowers in the palm of your hand
10 July 2012
Smooth dried hydrangea flowers in the palm of your hand

Hold a dried hydrangea flower in the palm of your hand to smooth out the folds
Dangling Quaking Grass drops threaded through a hydrangea flower head for support
7 August 2024
Dangling Quaking Grass drops threaded through a hydrangea flower head for support

A quick craft with quaking grass to turn it into dangling droplets.
Counterbalance elegantly leaning Calla lilies with dressed up Dried Autumn Details
21 September 2022
Counterbalance elegantly leaning Calla lilies with dressed up Dried Autumn Details

Using those much treasured dried autumn details to bridge the gap between the bright green of summer and the brightness that is yet to come.
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.
Glue soaked stems cheeky angled grid for those first autumn leaves (with a dye soak up tip)
8 September 2021
Glue soaked stems cheeky angled grid for those first autumn leaves (with a dye soak up tip)

A barely there delicate grid to keep your flowers in place.
Finally! I found a perfect way to perfectly preserve a perfect passion fruit flower.
25 March 2020
Finally! I found a perfect way to perfectly preserve a perfect passion fruit flower.

Yay everyone! I found the absolute best way to preserve passion fruit flowers. Here it is: how to dry flowers using Silica Gel.
Autumn Screen
29 November 2017
Autumn Screen

Craft a hanging twig and autumn leaf design
Using sisal and wood glue to make a rigid and versatile foundation for floral art armatures
22 March 2017
Using sisal and wood glue to make a rigid and versatile foundation for floral art armatures

Wrap thin, glue soaked sisal fibers around a balloon or ball to create a barely there armature
Pin Protea foliage into a curl
22 March 2017
Pin Protea foliage into a curl

The sturdy Protea leaves holds it shape even when dried when pinned into place
Skewered Foliage Garland
22 March 2017
Skewered Foliage Garland

Create a garland that dries well with rolled up leaves
Add plant material and a wire support to sisal armatures
22 March 2017
Add plant material and a wire support to sisal armatures

Customize sisal armatures by adding a wire skeleton and interesting bits of plant material
Cane, Ti leaves and Sisal Disk Armature
23 November 2016
Cane, Ti leaves and Sisal Disk Armature

create a cookie shaped armature for the chocolate cosmos flowers
Cane Coils
23 November 2016
Cane Coils

Curve cane into a snail shell spiral
Rolled up Autumn leaf wreath
21 October 2015
Rolled up Autumn leaf wreath

Create a textured wreath with Chrysanthemums and rolled up Autumn leaves
Related Designs
Limelight
27 May 2015
Limelight

My RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2015 Limelight Floral Art Design. My Limelight design was inspired by a slice of lime. But I wanted it to look like it was spun by a butterfly. I used Sisal, silk and loads of Lisianthus flowers and 9 grapevine plants. Each tiny stem was placed in a water filled glass seahorse or test tube to keep it hydrated.
Losing some of that Muchness
28 August 2013
Losing some of that Muchness

A barely there sisal Mad Hatter's floral hat
This Moment
19 June 2013
This Moment

Create an armature design outside the vase
So happy together
8 May 2013
So happy together

Glue a sisal bubble for a few delicate flowers to rest in
Diamond Jubilee Waterfall
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 Great Hall of Government House in Victoria, Canada entitled British Columbia Blooms.
Bring in some of the magic of summer rain
7 August 2024
Bring in some of the magic of summer rain

Design drops of grass to dangle down a hydrangea flower for an effortless summer floral display.
Floral Hurricane
21 June 2023
Floral Hurricane

My Floral Hurricane design entry for the BC Floral Art Society mini show competition
Balanced Attitude
21 September 2022
Balanced Attitude

Getting the balance just so... so that you lean into the first sights of Autumn.
Shine Shade
27 April 2022
Shine Shade

Glue snippets of grass into a double layer sphere to create a sheltered floral globe.
A good September Soaking
8 September 2021
A good September Soaking

Exploring two soaking techniques for a subtle early autumn design
How to lay a little bit low
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.
Marcescent
29 November 2017
Marcescent

Glue a delicate autumn room devider
Biomimicry
22 March 2017
Biomimicry

A design demonstration and workshop at the Floral Trends Design group in South Africa exploring how we emulate nature’s best biological ideas to solve our modern day design problems.
All things Autumn (by which I mean all things chocolate): Another perspective
23 November 2016
All things Autumn (by which I mean all things chocolate): Another perspective

This was the third design I did in my "All things Autumn (by which I mean all things chocolate)" floral art demonstration
On a Grand Scale
9 December 2015
On a Grand Scale

My article and a floral panel design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine
Favourite Flowers
Hydrangea
Hydrangea

Dried and fresh hydrangeas with sticks and bark