My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

March Days

“It was...

one of those March days...

when the

sun shines hot

and the wind

blows cold”

Quote by Charles Dickens

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Tutorials
Marching winter frosted twig and freesia stack
28 February 2018
Marching winter frosted twig and freesia stack

Frost a few twigs to craft a delicate armature for fragrant freesias
Adding snow to twigs
28 December 2016
Adding snow to twigs

Glue artificial snow to twigs
Free standing Willow twig armature with a hidden water source
20 April 2016
Free standing Willow twig armature with a hidden water source

Cut a few willow twigs to split to create legs for the armature
Bite and snap a sturdy twig
22 May 2012
Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.
Leaning Sunflowers to stay just so
27 July 2016
Leaning Sunflowers to stay just so

The trick to any freestanding design is to get your first three stems standing stable and secure in the water. Once you have that you can build the design around it.
Balancing a Twirled Willow Armature
25 February 2015
Balancing a Twirled Willow Armature

Twirl twigs to create a balanced nest to display the beautiful orchids on
Twig Tumbler
8 January 2014
Twig Tumbler

Wire and glue a stack of sticks into a cylindrical or tube shape
Grass tunnel that stays just so
12 March 2014
Grass tunnel that stays just so

Snip, roll and glue a few blades of grass to create a design feature
Interweave a messy grass tumble
19 July 2017
Interweave a messy grass tumble

Loosely wrap and weave lily grass to create a planned-messy looking armature
Sticks stuck in a twig on sticks armature
20 January 2016
Sticks stuck in a twig on sticks armature

Drill holes in twigs to insert fine sticks to create a delicate armature
Love Bug
1 February 2012
Love Bug

Heart shaped rosery vine and pine love bug
See through Jasmine Vine tangle support
10 April 2024
See through Jasmine Vine tangle support

This is a great way to explore using vines dried, soon to dry and fresh and hydrated to craft the thinnest possible transparent design.
Knot willow twigs around a shallow container to keep tiny orchid stems upright
7 February 2024
Knot willow twigs around a shallow container to keep tiny orchid stems upright

An all natural flower frog that adds to the design feel.
Lean along armature for grape Hyacinths
12 April 2023
Lean along armature for grape Hyacinths

A last lean towards winter as the snow melts and the Spring flowers starts to make an appearance.
Blossom craving solutions: Forcing and Coaxing and crafting flowering branches
8 March 2023
Blossom craving solutions: Forcing and Coaxing and crafting flowering branches

Early spring floral styling with some magic
Hover winter twig armature with an acetate platform
8 February 2023
Hover winter twig armature with an acetate platform

Crystal clear floral design for winter styling
Bundled up Rosehip Scatter twigs… for anywhere you need a small frosted winter decorating touch
28 December 2022
Bundled up Rosehip Scatter twigs… for anywhere you need a small frosted winter decorating touch

A delicate winter decoration to add sparkle to those in between Christmas and New Years Eve days.
Sturdy, blossoming armature in a shallow puddle
16 March 2022
Sturdy, blossoming armature in a shallow puddle

If you know just a bit more about the "why" we do the things we do it is easy to discover new "how's". This week I show you why it is possible to design with blossoming twigs in a shallow puddle.
Lily grid for cradling the first spring sprigs in a small vase
9 March 2022
Lily grid for cradling the first spring sprigs in a small vase

Place a fully opened lily over the opening of your vase to help support more delicate stems
Place delicate stems at an angle in a shallow fiber lined container
23 February 2022
Place delicate stems at an angle in a shallow fiber lined container

Line a shallow container with fiber to create a mat for the flowers to hydrate and stand in the exact way you want to place them.
Party popper inspired Copper curls for a New Year’s Eve double vase orchid heart centerpiece
29 December 2021
Party popper inspired Copper curls for a New Year’s Eve double vase orchid heart centerpiece

A design that is aged to ring in the new. Perfect for the a New Year's celebration.
Twig float for a single lemon blossom
5 August 2020
Twig float for a single lemon blossom

This design is all about that line there where the water meets the lemon blossom stem...
a Just-Replace-The-Flowers-When-They-Wilt freestanding bark armature
6 May 2020
a Just-Replace-The-Flowers-When-They-Wilt freestanding bark armature

Part of sustainable designing is designing with the entire life-cycle of your work in mind. Designing armatures is a lasting and ever changing design solution.
Manipulate Blossoming Twigs To Hang Fluttering Woven Grass Hearts
12 February 2020
Manipulate Blossoming Twigs To Hang Fluttering Woven Grass Hearts

These peach blossom branches needed only the tiniest bit of help to frame the woven hearts to perfection.
Zig-Zag fold plastic for a flower stem support
23 January 2019
Zig-Zag fold plastic for a flower stem support

Zig Zag fold clear plastic for a flower stem support that looks like ice
Peg and glue a floating Halloween design
31 October 2018
Peg and glue a floating Halloween design

A hovering Halloween design that seems to float.
Vein Veil For Freesias
22 August 2018
Vein Veil For Freesias

Cut a slight veil to frame your flowers with
Related Designs
Link
24 May 2017
Link

weave a few wreaths to link
Pick-Up Sticks
29 September 2011
Pick-Up Sticks

A twig and stick design with sweet dumpling pumpkins and rosary vine (Ceropegia woodii). I also made a cherry twig and skeleton leaf Stick Insect
That Will Be
20 April 2016
That Will Be

Freestanding willow twig armature design
Too Hot!
27 July 2016
Too Hot!

Leaning floral stems to stand on their own in a shallow container
Just So
25 February 2015
Just So

Twirl a few willow twigs to create a balanced armature to display orchids
Gotcha!
10 June 2015
Gotcha!

Hana Kubari lily stems
It's stick season!
8 January 2014
It's stick season!

Snap and stack an glue a few twigs to create a lace like armature
Petrichor
12 March 2014
Petrichor

A minimalist design in a shallow tray
Meraki
19 July 2017
Meraki

A grass armature for one perfect slipper orchid
A lots of stuff and things
20 January 2016
A lots of stuff and things

Sticks and twigs create a resting spot for palm and rose butterflies
(if only) I can see you
10 April 2024
(if only) I can see you

Tangle jasmine vines outside a vase for a transparent screen to display floral details on and around a sea horse vase to display floral details in.
Knot... that easy
7 February 2024
Knot... that easy

An all natural shallow container design solution...
The word we are looking for is… fun
12 April 2023
The word we are looking for is… fun

A leaning twig armature with both the first signs of Spring and the last signs of winter.
And now we wait
8 March 2023
And now we wait

A bit of flower magic to get a few early blossoms to enjoy inside.
Snow… drops
8 February 2023
Snow… drops

A late winter design for minimal floral styling.
Giving a nod
28 December 2022
Giving a nod

A scattering of winter decorating for wherever you might need it.
Poised to Spring
16 March 2022
Poised to Spring

An "it's only 10 days to Spring" design to display some blossom buds.
…. Aaaaaand tick!
9 March 2022
…. Aaaaaand tick!

Ever wonder how I decide what I share with you? A fun design ticking all the boxes.
Plan Together
23 February 2022
Plan Together

Leaning Muscari flowers in a snow covered twig armature.
It’s the most… it’s the most... Toast-iest Patina Christmas of all!
29 December 2021
It’s the most… it’s the most... Toast-iest Patina Christmas of all!

This is the sixth of my Christmas 2021 series of designs. This year in the form of a mini workshop… my Christmas present to you. This week I will show you how to go overboard on almost everything... and still get a pretty patina on your copper design details.
Spare a Moment
5 August 2020
Spare a Moment

A tranquil design that just takes a moment to do... when you need to take a moment to... breathe.
Forever… incomplete
6 May 2020
Forever… incomplete

Craft a pretty armature that can be used again and again.
Parallel Hang Ups
12 February 2020
Parallel Hang Ups

While waiting for the blossoms to open... why not weave in a touch of Valentine's Day love?
Do they have cold feet?
23 January 2019
Do they have cold feet?

Keep flower stems upright with a folded cellophane plastic support that looks like cracked ice.
Scary stuff!
31 October 2018
Scary stuff!

My Halloween design... with some scary stuff hidden if you can read between the leaves!
FreestyleFreesia
22 August 2018
FreestyleFreesia

Dutch floral designer Pim van den Akker, from Flower Factor invited me to participate in a FloraHolland initiative promoting the versatility of Freesias entitled #FreestyleFreesia Here is the extended version of my video.
Favourite Flowers
Freesia
Freesia

White freesia buds and florets on my "Been there, Seen that" design