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.

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.

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.