My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Half the Fun

Capilano Flower Arrangers Club Design Challenge: a design using “no container” with vegetables or fruit, flowers and greenery as the main focal point.

Half the fun floral art design

… and I got Cabbage

Sliced cabbage platform

... a roundish-dense,

Rosary vine, pansy seedpods, maple seeds and grass in a cabbage

smooth-leaved

Sliced cabbage design

firm-headed

Blades of grass in the cabbage

multi-layered

Vegetable design

Lightish-Yellowish-Green

Vegetable floral art design

all round vegetable-y-no doubt Cabbage

Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.

Tutorials

25 May 2016 Sliced Grassy Cabbage

Slicing a cabbage to create an armature for a vegetable design.

8 October 2011 Pumpkin legs

I wanted my pumpkin to lift its head slightly so that it is easy to see the beautiful sepals inside. Making tiny legs also prevent the pumpkin from rolling.

4 January 2011 Drinking straw "test tubes"

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

14 January 2011 Ripping Flax

Flax can be ripped into fibres creating long and versatile strips

10 September 2012 Braid a Celtic heart knot

Braid or knot a traditional Celtic heart with foliage

18 September 2012 T- Pin blades of grass

Make a small grass "propeller" by pinning blades of grass into the design

6 November 2012 Ripped Grass Frame

Create a sheltered or veiled design by framing the outer edge of your armature (in this case thick cardboard) with long strands of grass

Favourite Flowers

Ceropegia woodii

Rosary vine, Chain of Hearts, Collar of hearts and String of hearts

Related Designs

10 May 2017 About a line

Skewer and line up leaves to create an armature

8 July 2020 Super Cute!

A simple placement of bud vases... with the tiniest of lemon coloured twist that makes them unusual.

21 July 2021 High-Strung

String up a tiny hammock for a dreamy summer vacation design

16 February 2022 Hang on, love

A hanging heart design to celebrate love this Valentine's Day.

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.

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.

5 January 2011 Protea Composite

To create this huge Protea I took apart nine Protea flower heads and glued the tepals and bracts back on to a polystyrene ball to create a large Protea composite flower that is...

11 April 2011 Kitchen Garden

Kitchen Garden Design. South African Horticultural Society Show 2009

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

10 August 2011 Pleated Pleasure

Pleats are accordion like folds of equal width in alternating opposite directions in any kind of fabric. I absolutely love the tight buds of Allium and they represent the...

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

7 October 2011 Thanksgiving Harvest

Thanksgiving pumpkin with Chinese lanterns and spiral blossoms

19 October 2011 In an Oriental Manner

I wanted my parasol design to be thoroughly me, and thoroughly contemporary yet respectful of the guiding rules and methods shared by the different schools of Ikebana.

26 October 2011 Trick a levitating Treat

A fun Halloween ghost pumpkin design

22 February 2012 Nuts and Bolts of Floral Art Mechanics

My design entered for evaluation at the Floral Trends Design Group meeting in South Africa

10 March 2012 To have your centerpiece... and eat it too

This was my design for The Capilano Flower Arranging Club workshop. We were exploring designs using all things edible: fruit, vegetables and a bit of herbs.

24 April 2012 Words Matter.

Braiding and plaiting and knotting hair is a huge trend in hairdressing at the moment. Intricate little plaits are draped over long flowing hair to add complexity and quirk. ...

16 May 2012 On the first warm day in May

A ripped flax, Ranunculus and Mikado Reed drop shaped nest

19 June 2012 Designing a Feeling

The emotions your designs inspire give real meaning to your work. My article in the Canadian Florist Magazine

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...

21 August 2012 Just Right! Floral Art demonstration: Too Cold!

My first design in my demonstration at the BC Floral Art Society meeting

10 September 2012 Tying the knot

Gypsophilla design with Celtic love knots featured in the DIY Wedding Magazine

18 September 2012 Tying the knot and loosening those curls

Romantic rose centerpiece with just a bit of an edge featured in the DIY Wedding Magazine

6 November 2012 Mr. Stalk, the Seriously Terrifying Scarecrow, on his Day Off

An easy going design of ripped grass and calla lilies. But look a bit closer. See if you can find Mr. Stalk relaxing somewhere between the blades of grass.