My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Jump out at you

... is it the gap, maybe?

The petals taking a bow?

or the neatly lined up snippets?

The knot, perhaps?

… what jumps out at you?

This week in our newsletter I tell you what jumped out at me… and I would love to hear from you as well. The sign up is below this post to receive my weekly tip email and if you have comments, questions or would like to say hi you can always reply.

Sign up for my weekly newsletter

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

Sign Up Now
Tutorials
A knot and a lean and hand full of snippets in a bud vase
22 February 2023
A knot and a lean and hand full of snippets in a bud vase

Using all parts of a small bunch of iris flowers to craft a unique display.
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.
Connect the dot grass Armature
3 February 2016
Connect the dot grass Armature

Connect the ends of grass snippets to create a spherical grass armature
Lemon Aid Container Stopper
24 July 2018
Lemon Aid Container Stopper

Keep flowers in place by placing a lemon on the narrow rim of the container.
Breezy lily grass ripple
20 July 2022
Breezy lily grass ripple

A radiating design that has the freedom of movement to add a bit of a cooling effect on the warmer days of summer.
Letting grass kick against the side of the vase to create a neat and minimal line
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.
Lightly sprinkled foliage frog
12 February 2014
Lightly sprinkled foliage frog

Light as air ripped foliage flower frog
Weave a long lasting (without using floral foam) in a vase floral design basket
29 January 2020
Weave a long lasting (without using floral foam) in a vase floral design basket

Give your woven grass a water source by designing the basket in a vase rather than placing the vase in a basket
Loop a Monstera leaf stem to craft an underwater hold for a knotted orchid stem
27 January 2021
Loop a Monstera leaf stem to craft an underwater hold for a knotted orchid stem

Use the unique qualities of each stem to create a submerged design in a water filled glass vase.
Over and under weave floral panel armature for inside a vase
15 January 2020
Over and under weave floral panel armature for inside a vase

Weave a small panel that fits snugly in a container for a minimal, foam free design that is quick to make but looks spectacular.
Connect bud vases with a fresh foliage open weave
2 February 2022
Connect bud vases with a fresh foliage open weave

Craft two woven panels to place front and back of a couple of bud vases to create a unit.
Create a tighter fit with pebbles so that you can wedge a twig securely into a vase
26 August 2020
Create a tighter fit with pebbles so that you can wedge a twig securely into a vase

It all started with my twig being just too small to wedge into the glass vase tight enough to keep my orchid stem in place...
Related Designs
Inna...
20 February 2019
Inna...

Stack bowls to keep your flower stems in place.
Connect the dot
3 February 2016
Connect the dot

Connect snippets of grass to create a shelter for your flowers
Lemon Aid
25 July 2018
Lemon Aid

Use a lemon as a stopper to keep floral material in place
The tiniest drop
20 July 2022
The tiniest drop

A radiating summer design that waves in the slightest of breezes.
Down-bubble
7 October 2015
Down-bubble

Add grass "bubbles" that can be repositioned to your design
These are my favourite summer things:
10 July 2019
These are my favourite summer things:

A submerged design... perfect for summertime designing... and enjoying!
Easy does it
12 February 2014
Easy does it

Rip foliage to sprinkle as a light as air flower frog
Peekaboo
29 January 2020
Peekaboo

A light and airy (no floral foam but still long lasting) floral design for those days that you are really, really looking for signs of Spring.
Knot how it was supposed to go
27 January 2021
Knot how it was supposed to go

When you figure out the "how to" tricks of manipulating plant material it is possible to respectfully set them into seemingly impossible new directions.
This way we connect
15 January 2020
This way we connect

Weave a connected panel to frame a single orchid.
Putting my feelers out
2 February 2022
Putting my feelers out

Adding just a little something to a bud vase design to connect them... and make it special.
It starts with WHY
26 August 2020
It starts with WHY

Add design elements that serves a purpose for a minimal summer inspired floral design.
hang out with.. you know… floristically speaking
5 June 2024
hang out with.. you know… floristically speaking

Making what makes your floral details unique the focal point of a design
Favourite Flowers
Iris
Iris

I made a Shishi Odoshi (tipping fountain) for my Desalination Floral Art Demonstration design. Blue Iris flowers hangs down (and up-side down) on my twig blind to represent the...