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Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

it’s finally The Rustle Up season

  • 7 October 2026
  • and more

... when inspiration seems to levitate on down like a lazy (snap)dragon... and is everywhere to be found

and nature invites you to quickly make,

prepare,

or simply find something you need,

usually with very little planning needed

or from available resources

… and the word “rustle” even sounds like autumn designing, right?

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Gather what you'll need

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The Effortless Floral Craftsman, a floral crafter's guide to crafting with nature
The Effortless Floral Craftsman, a floral crafter's guide to crafting with nature

For more information about my book (and to read the first 38 pages for free...) here is the shop link.
Moss Grosgrain Ribbon
Moss Grosgrain Ribbon

What a find! They are exactly, exactly the colour of "healthy plant material". This is a great design staple to have in your tool box for securing floral details that you might need a visible tie that should not distract from the plant material.
Dew-Drop Crystals
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
Rustle up (and down) a grass armature for a gravity defying pumpkin display
7 October 2026
Rustle up (and down) a grass armature for a gravity defying pumpkin display

Autumn feels like it is the easiest to design for because everything you need is already there for the picking
Not quite a wreath, not quite a basket armature
16 October 2019
Not quite a wreath, not quite a basket armature

Easy to weave design that can hold your prettiest autumn design treasures.
Willow Paddle
25 October 2017
Willow Paddle

Weave willow between the fork in a twig to create a paddle like armature
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.
Floral wreath ring stem armature for a cute pumpkin patch in a stem vase design
7 October 2020
Floral wreath ring stem armature for a cute pumpkin patch in a stem vase design

Use a wreath to keep flower and a heavy little ghost pumpkin in place in a small vase.
Folded Bleached Baby’s Breath Wreath Armature
26 October 2016
Folded Bleached Baby’s Breath Wreath Armature

Glued Baby's Breath Wreath, folded in half to create a moon shaped armature
Turning a pumpkin to hover for a sway in the lightest autumn breeze display
1 October 2025
Turning a pumpkin to hover for a sway in the lightest autumn breeze display

A pretty pumpkin deserves some fancy mechanics to create an impossibly ethereal display.
Above and below eucalyptus curve butternut cradle
1 September 2021
Above and below eucalyptus curve butternut cradle

Suspend a heavy butternut over water in an early Autumn design.
Balancing the curved stems of dried Autumn leaf tubes
11 November 2015
Balancing the curved stems of dried Autumn leaf tubes

Long stemmed autumn leave tubes as a floral armature
Weaving with tufts of grass
21 September 2011
Weaving with tufts of grass

The fine sections of grass are securely woven and interwoven and resting on the wooden slats. It looks very fragile but is secure enough to use.
Palm twirl with a hidden double knot grid support that hold even heavier flowers in place
11 September 2024
Palm twirl with a hidden double knot grid support that hold even heavier flowers in place

Knot horizontal palm fronts in place to create a support for heavy flowers.
Double down on the Fall magic with the earliest hint of bare (but sparkly) Twig Season
13 November 2024
Double down on the Fall magic with the earliest hint of bare (but sparkly) Twig Season

A double vase to keep the bit of sparkle you add to transition a Fall design into Christmas nice and dry... while the fresh plant material remain hydrated.
Corn-o’leaf mummy-o'lantern
12 October 2022
Corn-o’leaf mummy-o'lantern

Wrap and tie a fishbowl vase with corn foliage to craft a lantern for autumn... almost... Halloween.
Creating a secure grass snippet here and there grid
19 June 2019
Creating a secure grass snippet here and there grid

This grid helps secure flowers in place... and add visual interest by being over rather than under the flowers.
Standing a water tube at an angle in lumber
30 August 2017
Standing a water tube at an angle in lumber

Create a minimal design by placing a single flower on a platform
Add lemony summer balance to wild “just picked these” design elements to avoid overcrowding your container.
9 July 2025
Add lemony summer balance to wild “just picked these” design elements to avoid overcrowding your container.

Balance a few lemons to craft a light as a summer's breeze mechanic for bobbing and breezy flowers.
Bits of snipped grass glued to create a net
5 July 2017
Bits of snipped grass glued to create a net

Glue a fragile sheltering net to soften the look of a summer design
Quick and Easy… Add just enough design to a tuft of bunny tail grass to hint at the autumn fun to come
20 September 2023
Quick and Easy… Add just enough design to a tuft of bunny tail grass to hint at the autumn fun to come

Stand a tuft of bunny tail grass in a small amount of water to dry... and then add a little something that turns it into a little something more.
Heap tufts of quaking grass bracts to dance in the slightest summer breeze
18 June 2025
Heap tufts of quaking grass bracts to dance in the slightest summer breeze

A delicate stack of light and airy grass around gorgeous lilies.
Curve fountain grass... a bit... or a lot... and how to choose grass that is straight for more height
21 August 2024
Curve fountain grass... a bit... or a lot... and how to choose grass that is straight for more height

Curving long and elegantly sweeping purple fountain grass
Light as air puffy grass and elegantly curved gladiolus summer display that hints at all things pumpkin
21 August 2024
Light as air puffy grass and elegantly curved gladiolus summer display that hints at all things pumpkin

Create two separate containers to minimize clutter in a light and airy floral display.
A wild "found it this way" thorn and overgrown tulip design with a ribbon tangle instead of a bow.
1 June 2022
A wild "found it this way" thorn and overgrown tulip design with a ribbon tangle instead of a bow.

Glue an overgrown thorn armature to a container to display fully opened tulips
Hovering golden wheat Ghost Ship armature
27 October 2021
Hovering golden wheat Ghost Ship armature

Using dry and fresh floral material in one design without the dry becoming soggy and the fresh drying out.
Snowy twig band armature for a ever changing winter display
18 January 2023
Snowy twig band armature for a ever changing winter display

A well made snow covered twig band armature will last all winter so that you can display even the most delicate winter treasures.
Basket weave bunny tail grid to catch your floral details
23 August 2023
Basket weave bunny tail grid to catch your floral details

A no waste... but still decorative way to keep your flower in place and hydrated in the warm days of summer.
Radiating bunny tails
30 August 2023
Radiating bunny tails

Spear bunny tail grasses into a Kenzan to create a cozy space to display apricot lemonade cosmos flowers.
Reed Cradle Armature
29 June 2016
Reed Cradle Armature

Glue reeds on a wire frame to create a dimensional armature to suspend orchids in
All dried Autumn hemisphere design that will outlast even the falling leaves outside
23 September 2020
All dried Autumn hemisphere design that will outlast even the falling leaves outside

Preserve some floral material to design with when it is but not quite Autumn outside.
On the edge grid for a decorative twig and reed armature
14 October 2020
On the edge grid for a decorative twig and reed armature

Place the floral details strategically on the edge of sturdier parts of the armature to keep the reed grid from collapsing under the weight of the floral details.
Weaving a twig wreath
1 November 2011
Weaving a twig wreath

For my design I wanted the wreath to look wind blown so I added a few loosely woven twigs into the weave. I also wanted to emphasize the autumn colours so I added a twirling copper wire into the weave
Related Designs
Center Peace
16 October 2019
Center Peace

A visual breather from all the bright and festive designs to come when designing for Autumn.
When the pretty eyeballs you back!
25 October 2017
When the pretty eyeballs you back!

Barely there skeleton blossoms with Eucalyptus eyes for my Halloween design... Oh! and a Willow Paddle, which probably should have been the main Tutorial... but... well...
Let’s circle around to this one
7 October 2020
Let’s circle around to this one

Create a floral circlet to rest the little pumpkin on... but above the water line.
Harvest Moon
26 October 2016
Harvest Moon

Fold a fine twig wreath in half to create a moon shaped armature
And just like that, it is The Pumpkin’s Turn
1 October 2025
And just like that, it is The Pumpkin’s Turn

An impossibly minimal autumn display that sways in the slightest breeze... as if by magic!
It’s butter… nuts!
1 September 2021
It’s butter… nuts!

An it's not too early to decorate for Autumn, Autumn design
Balancing Act
11 November 2015
Balancing Act

Bend dried fall leaves to balance on the edge of a glass container
All things being Equal
21 September 2011
All things being Equal

The fan is made from 18 coffee stir sticks and dressed with a veil of grass, fall leaves and Viburnum berries
Fall-a-la-lah!
13 November 2024
Fall-a-la-lah!

Transitioning into the Christmas season... gently
Ahead
12 October 2022
Ahead

Oh my... a corn leaf mummy head for autumn... looking ahead to Halloween styling.
More! More!! More!!!
11 September 2024
More! More!! More!!!

Adding more to an autumn design... but leaving everything out that you don't need.
If
30 August 2017
If

Place a water tube at an angle in lumber so that the Zantedeschia float just above the base to show off the delicate grass snippets scattered up the stem
Club together
19 June 2019
Club together

Last Wednesday I had such a flowery fun evening teaching a collaborative floral carpet workshop focusing on braiding and weaving ideas from my book the effortless floral craftsman … this was my carpet block that I designed for the evening
Just A Bit
5 July 2017
Just A Bit

Glue a bit of grass snippets to suspend over the design
I love flowers
9 July 2025
I love flowers

Just the right balance for a lemon light summer display.
Did you see that!?!
20 September 2023
Did you see that!?!

Take a handful of grass... but then add just enough design to make it interesting.
How to stack a heap of little by little
18 June 2025
How to stack a heap of little by little

Stack the most delicate blades of grass to dance in the slightest summer breeze.
Found it!
1 June 2022
Found it!

A very secure thorn branch armature to hold overgrown Tulips in place
Ship Shape
27 October 2021
Ship Shape

The dry wheat stems are suspended from the outside of the container so that they remain dry and the flower stems can gently rest inside to remain hydrated.
Note to Self
23 August 2023
Note to Self

An easy to weave natural grid for summer floral arrangements.
Courage, now
30 August 2023
Courage, now

A bit of a rethink as the season is getting ready to change. How can I give my design idea a fresh twist?
Make the design
29 June 2016
Make the design

Weave a reed cradle to suspend orchids from
Getting a head start on all that Fall-ing
23 September 2020
Getting a head start on all that Fall-ing

Floral styling using mostly dried material that will last the entire Autumn.
Stick it out… the creative spirit version
14 October 2020
Stick it out… the creative spirit version

Soft minimal Fall armature making it easy to replace the flowers as the season progress.
Veiled Sunshine:50th Anniversary of the South African Orchid Society at the Cape Town Convention Centre.
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