My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Hopping with Excitement

I am absolutely hopping with excitement to hear!!! Are you enjoying your book??? Share your experience of The Effortless Floral Craftsman book with our flower friends by leaving a short (or long... if you want) comment on the review pages:

Amazon Canada

Amazon.com

Amazon UK

And if you have been waiting for the new edition to order your copy ... I have great news: Amazon is offering free shipping right now!

or if you want a signed and gift wrapped copy I again have a few of the Craftsmanship editions available

It's with a hop

hop

hop... hop... hop

hop... skip

and a jump that I say: Happy Easter to you.

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Tutorials
Cross cut Spring Twig Armature
17 April 2019
Cross cut Spring Twig Armature

Give a sturdy twig a cut to stay put in your Spring design.
Securing a kenzan
7 January 2015
Securing a kenzan

Temporarily adhere a traditional Ikebana Kenzan or pincushion to a shallow container.
So many ways to use a Kenzan to hold floral materials
7 January 2015
So many ways to use a Kenzan to hold floral materials

How to place various sizes of plant material in a Kenzan
Large wax snowflakes
4 December 2013
Large wax snowflakes

Artificial snow can be very "chemical" and flowers deteriorate quickly when exposed to it. It also dissolves in water. I use candle wax as "snow"
Bite and snap a sturdy twig
22 May 2012
Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.
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.
Nesting a small basket in a clematis vine for a “help yourself” Easter egg display
9 April 2025
Nesting a small basket in a clematis vine for a “help yourself” Easter egg display

The dried plant material keeps the vine from flopping over in the vase as it continues to grow and flower and the vine lifts the dried material far above the water to prevent it from spoiling.
Peg Sunflowers and Quaking Grass in a Kenzan
6 September 2023
Peg Sunflowers and Quaking Grass in a Kenzan

An old trick... but still a great one to support thin stems in the needles of a Kenzan.
Grow a wheatgrass patch for an almost entirely edible Easter display
29 March 2023
Grow a wheatgrass patch for an almost entirely edible Easter display

Grow wheatgrass to create a Spring patch of green for your mini Easter egg hunt.
Kenzan peg bark curls into a hollow and bottomless log vase
11 November 2020
Kenzan peg bark curls into a hollow and bottomless log vase

Craft a bottomless vase out of bark so that the floral stem is supported but can still stand in water to remain hydrated.
Related Designs
Before I show you my book- let me show you my book
19 September 2018
Before I show you my book- let me show you my book

… and why we call this the special craftsmanship edition
Cover Story
26 September 2018
Cover Story

The design for the cover of my book, the effortless floral craftsman, crafted from Fiddlehead Fern and Red Lipstick Hanging Heliconia.
Hi-Lo
6 June 2018
Hi-Lo

Perfect stems, perfect flowers. Needs nothing more.
The ties that Bind
1 June 2016
The ties that Bind

Bind a lily to create a trumpet shape as it opens
It’s all ===> right
20 March 2019
It’s all ===> right

Hang a dangling eggshell in a Spring blossom design.
Walking on eggshells
28 March 2018
Walking on eggshells

Fill eggshells with moss to create an upright container... with a surprising balancing trick.
Never saw such a lovely day...
16 April 2014
Never saw such a lovely day...

Weave a palm thorn garland to decorate for Easter
Just think!
8 April 2015
Just think!

Weave a nest for chocolate Easter eggs
Any Which Way
7 January 2015
Any Which Way

Using a traditional Ikabana Kenzan to place flowers in a shallow container
Playing Favourites
21 June 2017
Playing Favourites

A quick and easy Kenzan design
Alchemy
15 November 2017
Alchemy

Gently stand leaves upright in a Kenzan
Eggsactly… just like this
9 April 2025
Eggsactly… just like this

The flowers will continue to open around the nest… and the eggs… well surely they will disappear and you will need to replace those before Easter.
Mother Nature’s little magic to let us know Autumn is near
6 September 2023
Mother Nature’s little magic to let us know Autumn is near

It's the little sun-washed coloured hints that makes you look again to see if you really saw what you thought you saw... yes! There really are signs of autumn everywhere!
To grow a patch of grass of our very own
29 March 2023
To grow a patch of grass of our very own

The first of my new monthly articles about growing the material you need to design with. This month we are taking stock of what we need... and growing wheatgrass.
What goes around
11 November 2020
What goes around

Display a single stem flower in an Autumn leaf twirl