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Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Flying Lessons

  • 20 October 2021
  • and more

“The thing about witchcraft, said Mistress Weatherwax

… is that it’s not like school at all.

First you get the test,

And then afterwards

You spend

Years

Findin’ out how you passed it.

It’s a bit like life in that respect”

from "The Wee Free Men" Book by Terry Pratchett, 2003

From the entryway of our home...

... to yours- Happy decorating for Halloween

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Tutorials
Upright standing besom for the modern witch on the go
20 October 2021
Upright standing besom for the modern witch on the go

Craft a wire tripod to fit into the bristles of a handcrafted broom so that it can stand freely in your display.
Besom Broom
28 October 2015
Besom Broom

The word ‘Besom’ derives from the old English ‘besma’ meaning ‘bundle of twigs’.
Spinning a Hot Glue Spider Web or silk for a Floral Cocoon
28 March 2011
Spinning a Hot Glue Spider Web or silk for a Floral Cocoon

How to spin (and remove) hot glue spider web or floral cocoon
Blow away hot glue strands
24 July 2012
Blow away hot glue strands

When you glue a structure with hot glue there are always a few stray strands of glue stuck all over the design. Blow it away with a hairdryer.
Bite and snap a sturdy twig
22 May 2012
Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.
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.
Wire Tendrils
26 July 2011
Wire Tendrils

Curl the wire at irregular intervals to create a natural wire tendril similar to that of a passion fruit plant
Inside Pod Designing
3 October 2018
Inside Pod Designing

Snip open a Physalis pod to create a cavity for delicate floral details.
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.
Bat Skeleton crafted from twigs
30 October 2019
Bat Skeleton crafted from twigs

Eerie! Because you use what is there already in the twigs this skeleton looks rather... realistic!
Taco-shaped twig armature
16 October 2012
Taco-shaped twig armature

Make a half-moon shaped armature to fill with flowers
Twig mushroom
3 July 2012
Twig mushroom

Stack and wire a twig mushroom armature
Cross hatch Twig Armature
2 October 2019
Cross hatch Twig Armature

Add a bit of shadow and dimension to a flat armature by using the sketch technique of cross hatching.
Booo-tunias
30 October 2024
Booo-tunias

A fun design trick for a Halloween display treat.
Booo-tunias levitating in a scary twig armature
30 October 2024
Booo-tunias levitating in a scary twig armature

Craft a stable dried autumn armature to keep petunia stems suspended in water at the top of a container.
Canary vine tangle in a double vase
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.
Bored looking Sisal ghost with dangling bell feet
1 November 2023
Bored looking Sisal ghost with dangling bell feet

Quick and so easy... I added the bells so that the ghost looks kinda bored now that Halloween is all over.
Radiating bunny tails
30 August 2023
Radiating bunny tails

Spear bunny tail grasses into a Kenzan to create a cozy space to display apricot lemonade cosmos flowers.
The horror of flower dye and a spider that sits beside her
26 October 2022
The horror of flower dye and a spider that sits beside her

Weave a spider from lily grass... and reposition it every so often for a creative Halloween twist.
Related Designs
On Pumpkin Coloured Days
28 October 2015
On Pumpkin Coloured Days

Create a besom broom to sweep up those Autumn leaves
But what’s inside?
3 October 2018
But what’s inside?

This week we are looking at the contents pages of my book... but more specifically at the sweet little pod design on the content page of my book.
There once was a bat called Tequila, a Halloween story
30 October 2019
There once was a bat called Tequila, a Halloween story

An all plant zero waste, levitating, twig (with just a splatter of autumn leaves, a breath of spiderweb and float of roots) Halloween decoration with an eerie bat skeleton made from twigs lurking just over there.
Bright, brighter… brightest!
16 October 2012
Bright, brighter… brightest!

Celebrate the bright colours of autumn with lilies and Chinese lanterns
Twig-a-tude
3 July 2012
Twig-a-tude

Stack and wire twigs to create a twig mushroom with attitude for summer
Pick-Up Sticks
29 September 2011
Pick-Up Sticks

A twig and stick design with sweet dumpling pumpkins and rosary vine (Ceropegia woodii). I also made a cherry twig and skeleton leaf Stick Insect
Prickly
2 October 2013
Prickly

Build a twig porcupine armature for fall flowers
Glued to stay just so
29 January 2014
Glued to stay just so

Wire and glue a twig armature
Cross-hatch a Shadow Bright Autumn
2 October 2019
Cross-hatch a Shadow Bright Autumn

A clever trick borrowed from art techniques to add dimension to a bright and colourful Autumn floral design.
Those B00OOOoootunias though!
30 October 2024
Those B00OOOoootunias though!

Add something dark and suspicious to your petunias for a fun Halloween display
That day after Halloween feeling
1 November 2023
That day after Halloween feeling

Time to cut down vines... and enjoy them a bit longer in a Halloween display.
Courage, now
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?
Arachnis Phobicus
26 October 2022
Arachnis Phobicus

A fun woven spider for Halloween decorating
Favourite Flowers
Hydrangea
Hydrangea

Dried and fresh hydrangeas with sticks and bark