My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Hot air balloon

Hot air balloon flower arrangement by Christine de Beer

Now, after years of extensive research

Contemporary arum lily flower arrangement by Christine de Beer

And... I have conducted the surveys (mostly polite small talk with strangers in elevators- in my defense- it is perfectly ok here where I live, to have a quick chat about the weather, in fact considered rude not to)

How to use lily grass in a modern floral design

I have done controlled experiments (involving ice cream, mainly)

Soft minimal floral styling for green design

And have done field observation (people watch, at the place where I get the ice cream or the above mentioned elevators when there's no need for small talk)

Floral foam free zero waste flower arranging that looks minimal

The data is in: summer is, in fact, mostly hot air. And I am happy to report I saw an autumn leaf fluttering by my design room yesterday.

hot air (noun informal) empty talk intended to impress

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

Tutorials

24 August 2022 Balloon out grass to craft a framed armature

Carefully bubble out a tied bunch of grass to make a cavity to display gorgeous flowers.

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.

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

14 August 2019 Long lasting Lily and lily grass ball

Keep all the fresh flower material hydrated in water by weaving the stems from one side of the vase to the other.

12 March 2014 Grass tunnel that stays just so

Snip, roll and glue a few blades of grass to create a design feature

13 July 2016 Woven lily grass parachute armature

Weave a canopy or parachute shaped armature in a way that you can place the stems in two vases to keep it hydrated.

26 February 2020 Weave a grass Platform for an opening Tulip bud

Tulips continue to grow as they open. This means you not only have to be mindful of their proportions as they are now... but also as they will be once open.

24 July 2019 Grass Twirling Up to Dress a Stem of Lilies

A single stem of lilies turned into a celebration just by twirling a handful of lily grass around it.

12 June 2019 Loop-over grass veil for a cool summer design

A cool and minimal floral design for summer.

27 September 2017 Tendril vine Wreath Pumpkin

Reshape a vine wreath into smaller wreaths to combine as a pumpkin

7 March 2018 Phormium bubble frame

Curl and secure a few blades of flax into a bubble to frame your flowers

29 September 2021 Over the edge flower, floral support

Hook the calla lilies over the edge of a vase to create a support for your taller floral details.

Favourite Flowers

Zantedeschia

Calla Lily, Arum Lily

Related Designs

16 August 2023 Canned right after harvest

Pull tab support for "canned" Calla lilies and bunny-tail grass.

12 June 2024 Just about enough space

Create a little bit of space to keep a few thin stemmed floral treasures upright in your design

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.

14 August 2019 For a longer lasting Summer

A creative way to keep foliage hydrated for a cool, water filled summer design.

12 March 2014 Petrichor

A minimalist design in a shallow tray

13 July 2016 Woven

Weave a canopy or parachute shaped armature for orchids to perch on

25 January 2017 What is in a basket of spectacular?

Weave a basket with dangling edges for a single orchid display

26 February 2020 To top it all off

This is a great "space-keeper" design. The tulip will continue to grow into the vase height as they open... but until then the grass platform part of the design diverts your...

13 June 2018 Eat up!

A woven bubble for a carnivorous plant.

24 July 2019 Up to much?

Dress up a single lily stem with a few blades of grass.

12 June 2019 Almost... all over!

Loop a grass veil over a lily stem to create a minimalist summer design.

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

27 September 2017 As tendrils tend to do

Curl a wreath with tendrils to create a twig-pumpkin

7 March 2018 Twist of its own

... a quick an easy design. Curl a few flax leaves to frame orchids

14 October 2015 What a find!

Roll autumn leaves to create a frog to keep flowers upright

29 September 2021 Creative Direction

Hang the arum lilies from the edge of a container to support all the other floral details.