My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Here comes the sun...

28 April 2021
and more

Here comes the sun

do,

Here comes the sun

And I say it's all right

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter

Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here...

Lyrics- the Beatles (George Harrison)

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

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

28 April 2021

A contained design for watching those pretty twigs get their leaves

Careful manipulation of twigs in a shallow container. With a special note on how to use new growth.

22 May 2012

Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.

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.

16 January 2019

Delicate Twig Hammock Armature to keep tulips upright in a shallow container

Craft a suspended armature to create a clear winter design.

9 December 2015

Scalable twig and Phalaenopsis orchid winterscape panel

This design can easily scale up or down by using larger or smaller pieces of wood to create a larger wall panel or make a few of these panels to stack as tiles to create a more easily manageable composite

2 May 2018

Radiating rainbow vine armature

Design an armature that is light enough to be carried by two flower stems to create a radiating frame.

7 February 2018

Bend Wired Equisetum into a Hollow Wreath

Craft a wreath with a hollow cavity inside to use as an armature for your flowers

15 May 2019

Glue a grapevine armature shaped like the petals of an open rose

Cut a wreath into sections to glue back together into a beautiful rose petal shape

17 July 2019

Twig Dome Armature

Crafted from a hand full of twigs to give you a large design... even though you add only two stems of sweet peas.

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.

5 February 2020

Pour glue over a stick Bundle to craft a Poke Out Spring stick Armature

Fake an early Spring by crafting a long lasting stick bundle that has a blossoming branch of succulent flowers.

19 February 2020

Twig snippet pillar armature

A great do-in-advance and reusable design solution for a winter, early spring floral display.

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.

12 August 2026

Café au Lait Summer Swirl-Twirl

Use that good old double vase trick to create a (dry) fairy light swirl for your design base.

8 July 2026

Cross and knot forked stems to support them in a minimal summer display

Abyssinian Gladiolus do not need much help to be pretty perfect for a summer display... water and a few twigs and a pretty bow.

15 April 2026

Hop over, skip one and a long jump to the other side twig suspension (with a craftsmanship magic trick in between, of course)

Use a few spongy stems and a bougainvillea branch with sharp thorns to create an impossibly delicate Spring display that is minimal and luxurious.

25 February 2026

The prettiest stick to stick up, out and over to support clematis vines up, under and in to its fullest and drapy-est potential.

A sturdy stick armature to help you drape the first few opening clematis Armandii vines into a winter display.

4 February 2026

A dogwood frog with tiny dew drop crystal rafts that won't get lost in the twigs

Bring in a few dogwood twigs to force for some hopeful signs of spring.

10 September 2025

Hug winding wreaths over a glass container for a jaunty gerbera, caladium and chilly almost autumn display

Using handmade wreaths as mechanics that gives that cozy early autumn vibrance.

2 July 2025

Tap in a thorn support for a delicate flower stem and twirling tendrils

Peg a dainty flower stem into a water filled summer display to remove all visual clutter.

28 May 2025

Rose shaped tuberous root spiral floral frog

While repotting your foxtail fern why not save a few of the roots... for an armature.

2 April 2025

A Muscari cluster frog to display a precious Scilla Siberica on its own dogwood twig

Crafting a display cluster of plant material is the best way to turn the most delicate of stems into a focal point.

29 January 2025

Straight up and down icicle, clematis vine and huckleberry twig double vase winter display

Give an old mechanic a contemporary twist for creating light and airy flower displays.

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 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.

24 May 2023

Foxtail wreath frog with a leg in water

Twirl the fern into a wreath so that it can remain hydrated.

4 January 2023

Snow glow fluffy display bed for your design details

A cranberry lantern to cozy up a white winter's evening.

4 January 2023

Cranberry snow glow lantern

Sugar frosted cranberry ball filled with fairy lights.

Related Designs

16 January 2019

Every. Single. Week.

Stand tulips upright in a shallow container with a suspended twig armature.

9 December 2015

On a Grand Scale

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

2 May 2018

Over the rainbow

Craft a radiating design that suspends from the orchid stems

7 February 2018

Up around the bend

Bend Equisetum into curves to wire into an open wreath shape

15 May 2019

Heard it through the grapevine?

Have you heard? I have wonderful news this week. Oh! and I also have this pretty grapevine armature shaped like the petals of an open rose to show you. But... Have you heard my wonderful news???

17 July 2019

… and... a bit more... effort… to make it special

Instead of just placing a handful of twigs and two stems of sweet peas in a vase... why not...?

5 February 2020

What it’s all about

A bundle of twigs armature to create a pretend Spring design for a snowy morning.

19 February 2020

The Upside of being Inside

A creative design that has some height to it without blocking the view. This can easily be scaled up or down to match the environment you want to display it in.

9 December 2020

Have yourself a Merry Cellulose Fibre Christmas: Gyp flurry Snowman

...ok not really that fancy- it’s paper pulp. Cardboard boxes, really. In the spirit of 2020- I am inspired by the endless stream of cardboard boxes being delivered. My list of inspiration would not be complete without showing a but-we-have-been-doing-this-forever “just wrap an empty box and place it in a design”, design.