My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Note to Self

23 August 2023
and more

(probably out walking or the moment I see my bus coming around the corner or in the bath or just before falling asleep…)

AH! a design using grasses...

But the grasses are almost a basket ( a hint to the Fall season to come)...

But the fluffy tails point this way...

AND that way!

Uh huh… I’ll remember that***

(***code for: write that down I’m not going to remember that)

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.

Gather what you'll need

This section contains affiliate links. If you choose to explore any of these tools, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

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

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.

8 June 2011

Foliage Weaving

For this tutorial I focus on a simple weave pattern that does not require you to soften or prepare the leaves to be more durable or flexible. This is the starting point in weaving techniques. You can build on this technique to make floral handbags, gift boxes, and baskets, sew it into a curve or wrap it around a vase or cover a test tube.

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.

15 April 2015

Stretching leaves and foliage into a ringlet curl

Most leaves and foliage can be slightly manipulated to curve or curl.

3 April 2013

Twin Leaf Weave

Weave two palm leaves together to create a floral grid

23 April 2014

Flower catcher

Keep a flower suspended just above water with palm leaves

13 January 2016

Stacked Grass Pyramid Armature

Stack snippets of grass on a wire frame to make a floating pyramid armature

13 July 2016

Woven lily grass parachute armature

Weave a canopy or parachute shaped armature in a way that you can place the stems in two vases to keep it hydrated.

27 February 2019

Weave a floral trap

Keep your flowers in place with an all natural woven trap.

29 May 2019

Taking a break when weaving with grass

When weaving a more labour intensive design you might want to/have to break for a few hours. This is the best way to keep the project from dying out too quickly.

29 May 2019

Weaving and Interweaving for contrast

My block design is shaped around a Styrofoam block. It is bulky but lightweight and a great way to reuse packaging.

9 August 2017

Weave a flat top to tip at an angle with flower stems

Craft a platform to highlight small flowers

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.

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

3 February 2021

Weave a Ceropegia Woodii Vine grid to catch your flowers

Suspend flowers over a water filled container by weaving a natural grid.

1 May 2019

An almost not even there grass grid

... with the help of an old staple technique.

12 August 2026

Café au Lait Summer Swirl-Twirl

Use that good old double vase trick to create a (dry) fairy light swirl for your design base.

5 August 2026

Pin pegs for barely there suspended floral details

Glue clear notice board pins onto the side of a container to keep your floral details suspended in the water.

1 July 2026

Fairy light grid with a hover like glow from below

Give a fairy light grid a slight lift to allow the lights to glow below the design.

28 January 2026

Stack miniature roses on to stacked grass snippets

Tea cup roses have the tiniest of stems and can easily be supported by grass snippets stacked into a armature.

17 July 2024

Use Firethorn spears for a Vine and Orchid twist support

Sharp thorns can be used to keep your floral details in place

Related Designs

3 April 2013

April showers bring May flowers

After a long winter it is always fun to use the first spring bulb flowers!

23 April 2014

Bound to Keep

Weave and tie a decorative catcher to suspend flowers

13 January 2016

Once Upon A Time

Stack and glue a Grass Pyramid Armature

13 July 2016

Woven

Weave a canopy or parachute shaped armature for orchids to perch on

27 February 2019

It’s a trap!

Weave a trap to keep your floral details suspended in a square container.

29 May 2019

Creative Competition

This week I am so excited to share my article and design that was published in the recent issue of the Floral Art Society of New Zealand's Academy Magazine for NZ qualified teachers, judges and demonstrators. It's all about good competition.

3 April 2019

Blossoming like a Caterpillar

Crafting caterpillars from blossoms

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