My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

First we learn HOW to design… and then we learn how only WE design.

7 April 2021
and more

I know how to tie a bow, let’s find out how I add a bow:

My bows always

look as if

I got a whole lot of help

from a breeze

that whipped it all together

to look…

just…

so…

You know how to tie a bow… Do you know how you add a bow?

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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

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.

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 breaking it.

11 February 2015

Stripping foliage from weaving stems

Remove foliage from stems to weave with

22 May 2012

Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.

1 November 2011

Weaving a twig wreath

For my design I wanted the wreath to look wind blown so I added a few loosely woven twigs into the weave. I also wanted to emphasize the autumn colours so I added a twirling copper wire into the weave

16 March 2016

Willow Parasol

Weave willow stems into a decorative parasol

7 September 2016

Willow flower crown

Loosely weave willow tips to create an ethereal crown

24 May 2017

Chain link wreath weaving

Weave a few small wreaths to connect

4 January 2011

Drinking straw "test tubes"

When you need to keep a tiny stem hydrated this is just what you need.

18 April 2018

Clematis Vine Swing

Weave a delicate nest for a small spring design.

5 September 2018

Wisteria Wreath Vine

Weave tiny vine wreaths on the leave stems of a stripped Wisteria vine

9 January 2019

Winter white Tulle bridal basket

Craft a delicate bridal basket from twigs and tulle.

26 August 2015

Sun baked Sweetpea vine wreath

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

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.

4 May 2016

Loosened Wreath Armature

Snip a dried twig wreath to undo the spirals to hang around a glass container

27 September 2017

Tendril vine Wreath Pumpkin

Reshape a vine wreath into smaller wreaths to combine as a pumpkin

24 February 2016

Willow Spring

Set willow tips into a spiral to create a spring design

25 August 2011

Placing orchids in test tubes

Cut the Phalaenopsis orchid with a bit of green stem attached. This will make them last longer.

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.

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.

25 March 2026

Sparkle web for a wreath display

Weave fishing line over a wreath to create a sparkling grid to stick dew drop crystals to.

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.