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Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Mr. Stalk, the Seriously Terrifying Scarecrow, on his Day Off

  • 6 November 2012

Here is the thing, you see,

-and this we must remember-

things are almost never

and hardly ever

quite as terrifying as they seem…

With Halloween over and done, remember to take a breather before all the jolly designing for Christmas!

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Tutorials
Stalk and Husk Scarecrow
6 November 2012
Stalk and Husk Scarecrow

Use husks or dried leaves to make a scarecrow or doll
Ripping Flax
14 January 2011
Ripping Flax

Flax can be ripped into fibres creating long and versatile strips
Ripped Grass Frame
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
Spin a spiderweb around skeletons scaling up still sprawling severed nasturtium stems
29 October 2025
Spin a spiderweb around skeletons scaling up still sprawling severed nasturtium stems

Create a glass stack for growing nasturtium foliage for a long lasting Halloween display.
Hydrangea pomander with just a hint of pumpkin in its ribbon layered to hide a secret (refillable) water source
15 October 2025
Hydrangea pomander with just a hint of pumpkin in its ribbon layered to hide a secret (refillable) water source

A floral sphere, or kissing ball, a pomander is designed to be hung or carried as decorations for weddings and holidays... especially festive if you can skip the floral foam, right?
Curve a handful of grass to twist into place
8 October 2025
Curve a handful of grass to twist into place

Use two tiny budvases to display a few blades of grass for autumn.
Booo-tunias
30 October 2024
Booo-tunias

A fun design trick for a Halloween display treat.
Booo-tunias levitating in a scary twig armature
30 October 2024
Booo-tunias levitating in a scary twig armature

Craft a stable dried autumn armature to keep petunia stems suspended in water at the top of a container.
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.
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
Figure eight willow spacer for a water tube in a double vase display
20 August 2024
Figure eight willow spacer for a water tube in a double vase display

Create a bit of a buffer to keep a water tube upright in a light and airy suspended display.
Canary vine tangle in a double vase
1 November 2023
Canary vine tangle in a double vase

Great craft for when you are tidying up the garden before the first frost but would still like to enjoy the vines for a bit longer.
Bored looking Sisal ghost with dangling bell feet
1 November 2023
Bored looking Sisal ghost with dangling bell feet

Quick and so easy... I added the bells so that the ghost looks kinda bored now that Halloween is all over.
Turn some gladiolus leaves into a pumpkin vase collar
27 September 2023
Turn some gladiolus leaves into a pumpkin vase collar

A collar for a vase that you can use throughout the season... simply replace the water and the flowers inside the vase.
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.
Counterbalance elegantly leaning Calla lilies with dressed up Dried Autumn Details
21 September 2022
Counterbalance elegantly leaning Calla lilies with dressed up Dried Autumn Details

Using those much treasured dried autumn details to bridge the gap between the bright green of summer and the brightness that is yet to come.
Balloon out grass to craft a framed armature
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.
Swing ripped foliage over a mop-head of hydrangeas to follow the natural curve
15 June 2022
Swing ripped foliage over a mop-head of hydrangeas to follow the natural curve

Gently curve ripped foliage over flowers to add a cooling movement to a minimal summer design.
Over the edge flower, floral support
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.
Knot a delicate hammock from ripped foliage
21 July 2021
Knot a delicate hammock from ripped foliage

Light and airy addition to a floral design to celebrate summer
Adding tendrils to an already fluffy papyrus puff ambel
8 July 2020
Adding tendrils to an already fluffy papyrus puff ambel

There's no need for a quick and easy summer design to be boring... look closer!
Levitating Halloween tree with roots
30 October 2019
Levitating Halloween tree with roots

Cut a slit in the branches, at the root side to suspend it over the vases rather than in the vases.
Bat Skeleton crafted from twigs
30 October 2019
Bat Skeleton crafted from twigs

Eerie! Because you use what is there already in the twigs this skeleton looks rather... realistic!
Hula skirt for a glass vase
28 August 2019
Hula skirt for a glass vase

Hawaiian Hula skirt for a Luau inspired flower arrangement.
Spider-mum
31 October 2018
Spider-mum

Craft a spider from twigs and a chrysanthemum
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.
Physalis Pod Stick-man
31 October 2017
Physalis Pod Stick-man

Glue twigs into a stick man for a Halloween design
Twirl a ripped Phormium pumpkin pod
23 August 2017
Twirl a ripped Phormium pumpkin pod

Rip the New Zealand flax to create a delicate fiber armature
Sliced Grassy Cabbage
25 May 2016
Sliced Grassy Cabbage

Slicing a cabbage to create an armature for a vegetable design.
Related Designs
Scale up some Halloween chuckles
29 October 2025
Scale up some Halloween chuckles

Playing around with a few growing nasturtium stems for a dramatic Halloween display.
Design.
15 October 2025
Design.

An... almost a pumpkin (don't you think...?) pomander to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Falls in place
8 October 2025
Falls in place

A curve to twirl Autumn floral details through.
Those B00OOOoootunias though!
30 October 2024
Those B00OOOoootunias though!

Add something dark and suspicious to your petunias for a fun Halloween display
And what are you supposed to be?
21 August 2024
And what are you supposed to be?

... a hint of a pumpkin late summer floral display to show off the elegant curve of a gladiolus flower stem.
That day after Halloween feeling
1 November 2023
That day after Halloween feeling

Time to cut down vines... and enjoy them a bit longer in a Halloween display.
this NEEDS to be at the top of my (our?) to-do list
27 September 2023
this NEEDS to be at the top of my (our?) to-do list

Autumn bud vase collar made from gladiolus foliage.
Ahead
12 October 2022
Ahead

Oh my... a corn leaf mummy head for autumn... looking ahead to Halloween styling.
Balanced Attitude
21 September 2022
Balanced Attitude

Getting the balance just so... so that you lean into the first sights of Autumn.
Hot air balloon
24 August 2022
Hot air balloon

A grass bubble to frame two of the most beautiful calla lilies.
Take a swing at it
15 June 2022
Take a swing at it

A cooling design for early summer days with swinging ripped grass and more than enough water for thirsty hydrangeas.
Creative Direction
29 September 2021
Creative Direction

Hang the arum lilies from the edge of a container to support all the other floral details.
High-Strung
21 July 2021
High-Strung

String up a tiny hammock for a dreamy summer vacation design
Super Cute!
8 July 2020
Super Cute!

A simple placement of bud vases... with the tiniest of lemon coloured twist that makes them unusual.
There once was a bat called Tequila, a Halloween story
30 October 2019
There once was a bat called Tequila, a Halloween story

An all plant zero waste, levitating, twig (with just a splatter of autumn leaves, a breath of spiderweb and float of roots) Halloween decoration with an eerie bat skeleton made from twigs lurking just over there.
But... what are you Like?
28 August 2019
But... what are you Like?

A fun design... with a hula skirt (...for the cool summer breeze to arrange and rearrange)
Scary stuff!
31 October 2018
Scary stuff!

My Halloween design... with some scary stuff hidden if you can read between the leaves!
Mr Twig-or-cheat
31 October 2017
Mr Twig-or-cheat

An extra Almost-a-Design for Halloween this year
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
Almost is still not quite
23 August 2017
Almost is still not quite

Weave just a hint of the Autumn to come
New Year's Wreath
4 January 2017
New Year's Wreath

Decorate an artificial wreath with fresh flowers and frosted twigs
Half the Fun
25 May 2016
Half the Fun

Cut a cabbage to create a design platform
Favourite Flowers
Zantedeschia
Zantedeschia

Calla lilies in my Direct Contrast design for the Floral Trends Design Group