My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Finding balance

18 September 2024
and more

Add a bit over here and a bit over there… but not so the same that it is a bit boring… then take that bit away and it’s perfect.

Then we add two heavy somethings and two light somethings… until something tilts and we remove a heavy something and add another light something… and yay! that also worked.

Let’s dot a flower here and stretch a grass bit there… no wait… let’s transition the shapes with a curve… hmmm better, right?

Add a pop of chocolate here and a calming straw over… nope uneven again… a bit of chocolatey vine in between… that’s how we find balance again.

Or… well… you can always get completely carried away and

joyfully add a scatter too much, a splatter too many and a chaotic load of sprinkles… and through concentrating on creating floral chaos get to take a deep breath so that things feel balanced again on the inside…

yay… for all those

“meditation” flower design techniques!

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Gather what you'll need

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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

18 September 2024

Controlled chaos straw and dried foliage armature

Craft a straw covered wire grid to slip over display containers for a foam free floral display that is light and airy... just like it grown in the field.

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.

4 May 2022

Tendril Tangle Grid

Let tendrils do what they naturally do to help keep your flowers in place.

11 July 2011

Paper Foundation for Kyogi paper wood curls

Gently curl and tuck strips of Kyogi paper to form a tangle of curls and scatter a few orchids to create the impression that a gust of wind just blew it that way

2 August 2023

Tangle a wild wide web of Jasmine vine to suspend your flowers

My summer design strategy: the warmer the weather the deeper the water. A vine frog is just the thing!

19 August 2020

Tangle a perfect vine around two wreaths for a split armature

Passion fruit flowers never lasts long. Not even growing outside on a vine. But the buds continue to open once cut making a wreath display ideal for an even changing passion fruit flower display.

28 February 2024

Tangle a Ceropegia Woodii bud vase nest topper

Hatching an Oncidium orchid from a succulent vine nest... as one does in early Spring.

7 April 2021

Spring breeze tangled ribbon wreath

Using branches pruned from a fruit tree... with a few dried flowers and just a few orchids to make a fresh Spring design.

10 April 2024

See through Jasmine Vine tangle support

This is a great way to explore using vines dried, soon to dry and fresh and hydrated to craft the thinnest possible transparent design.

10 June 2020

Overgrown vine tangle to suspend flowers in a clear vase

A zero waste and sustainable floral design solution to keep your flowers exactly where you want them without using floral foam.

25 August 2021

Loop and Twist a Wire and Twig Tangle Grid

Wire twigs and wire around a shallow container to keep your floral details suspended in water in a shallow container.

19 August 2013

Knotted and tangled wire heart

A wire armature for delicate flowers

14 August 2013

Haphazard twig Rectangle

Glue a few twigs into a rectangular shape to hang as a space or room devider

26 July 2017

Half wire half grass tangle to keep stems in place

Tangle and shape wire to create a half moon for grass and gyp to rest in

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.

1 June 2022

A wild "found it this way" thorn and overgrown tulip design with a ribbon tangle instead of a bow.

Glue an overgrown thorn armature to a container to display fully opened tulips

13 November 2019

A tangle of ribbon instead of a bow for an unusual winter design

I wanted my design to look more "found this way" than "designed this way" so I strategically tangled the ribbon to dangle down the design rather than tie it in a neat bow.

21 September 2016

"I found it this way" demonstration Floral art Structures: Twig Tangles

For my "I found it this way" Floral Art demonstration at The Capilano Flower Arranging club, I began all four of my designs with basic armatures made of Twig Tangles and we discussed the importance of a stable structure as a foundation to a structural design. The twig tangles create a basic armature for the designs to be suspended from. Each design is crafted that it almost looks like a foraged or ‘found” natural object

26 August 2015

Sun baked Sweetpea vine wreath

A perfect way to use a Lathyrus vine after all it flowered

16 October 2019

Not quite a wreath, not quite a basket armature

Easy to weave design that can hold your prettiest autumn design treasures.

13 October 2021

Weave a willow wreath around a minimal pumpkin display

It’s amazing how we sometimes try to complicate a design. I tried adding calla lilies… took them out and loved the willow. Added gerberas. Took them out and loved the willow. Added orchids. Took them out and loved the willow. Added Dahlias… and yes, took them out and loved the willow. So finally I just thought- I really do love the willow.

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