My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

It's a Heatwave!

3 August 2022
and more

time to remember Summer Design Rule One:

The warmer...

the weather...

... the deeper...

the water.

Uh huh... that is rule one.

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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

3 August 2022

Above and below water jasmine in a grass square

Not only is water designs wonderfully refreshing to make... it is also wonderfully refreshing for your flowers.

14 January 2011

Ripping Flax

Flax can be ripped into fibres creating long and versatile strips

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.

3 January 2012

Bubble raft to float flowers

Flowers naturally float in water. They just don’t always naturally float on water. For that they sometimes need a bit of help.

11 July 2018

Glued Hydrangea Float

Glue a delicate hydrangea wreath to float on water

22 September 2012

Stir-stick Sunburst

Glue a radiating armature from stir-sticks.

20 May 2020

A floral float… that floats

If you know my work you have probably seen me do this: I float flowers using a tiny bubble wrap skirt... this time I am floating an entire design on it's own bubble wrap raft.

4 September 2019

Stack banana leaf rice pockets to float as rosettes

Fold and peg banana leaves into pockets so that they float freely on water. This is inspired by a traditional banana leaf craft used to cook rice in.

10 July 2019

Letting grass kick against the side of the vase to create a neat and minimal line

Plant material float about in water. To keep it in place it is best to wedge it slightly to touch the sides of the container.

7 October 2015

Keeping design details submerged in water

Flowers tend to float in water. To keep them submerged you need to add a bit of weight

7 July 2021

Floral Raft in a Bottle

Float flowers in a bottle by giving each flower their own little bubble wrap raft-skirt.

30 June 2021

Sparkling dew drop puddle to keep flowers hydrated even during a heatwave

Done in no time design... and it is rather refreshing to make.

15 July 2015

Floating transparent ripples to support delicate floral material

Cut circles out of transparencies to make ripples in the water

7 May 2025

Baby’s Tears spill-over for a water-drop vase

Spend a bit of time styling the Pilea Glauca in your container... well worth it! It will root and you can simply replace the flowers (in their own secret water source) as needed.