My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

“Ok wow”

What would happen if…?

I don’t...

stop...

until...

I...

say...

“Ok… wow”

Design note: take a moment to appreciate your own creations. If you MUST criticize, judge how to improve and learn from, do so later.

For now just enjoy the beauty.

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Tutorials
Stacking grass covered pebbles
25 June 2019
Stacking grass covered pebbles

Pebbles are a great way to weigh down or keep your floral material in place. Here's a way to dress them up a bit
Foliage Weaving
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.
Interweave an enchanted gift basket
13 March 2019
Interweave an enchanted gift basket

A bit of a planned-messy woven basket that is sturdy enough to carry small items.
Weaving a gift box with a lid from palm leaves
20 December 2011
Weaving a gift box with a lid from palm leaves

A great all natural gift decorating alternative
Weaving a ball shaped Dew-drop Catcher from grass
1 October 2012
Weaving a ball shaped Dew-drop Catcher from grass

Weave a sphere from grass
Weaving Slippers from Foliage
14 January 2015
Weaving Slippers from Foliage

Weave slip on shoes from palm leaves
Messy edged basket
12 August 2015
Messy edged basket

Weave a loose basket to display flowers
Taking a break when weaving with grass
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.
Weaving and Interweaving for contrast
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.
Palm and hazel fan together to support perfect to pick Helleborus stems
15 January 2025
Palm and hazel fan together to support perfect to pick Helleborus stems

Winter treasures in a small vase for an uplifting fresh flower display.
Rock steady for tiny floral details
26 June 2024
Rock steady for tiny floral details

Lean a large pebble in a display container to keep your summer floral details exactly where you want them.
Gap basket weave for a Spring flower container
1 May 2024
Gap basket weave for a Spring flower container

Fiasco inspired vase cover for a small Spring design
Interweave a fairy light and grass glow vase
25 October 2023
Interweave a fairy light and grass glow vase

Wrap a fairy light grid around a fishbowl vase to interweave dried grass for an almost basket display.
The horror of flower dye and a spider that sits beside her
26 October 2022
The horror of flower dye and a spider that sits beside her

Weave a spider from lily grass... and reposition it every so often for a creative Halloween twist.
Weave a grass sphere to keep the long flower stems neatly in place on a bud vase
6 July 2022
Weave a grass sphere to keep the long flower stems neatly in place on a bud vase

Both pretty and pretty effective. Keep the flowers exactly where you want them by weaving a stopper for your bud vase.
Interweave a criss-crossed nest for an Easter Egg
31 March 2021
Interweave a criss-crossed nest for an Easter Egg

Zero waste, all natural Easter craft design.
Weave a grass Platform for an opening Tulip bud
26 February 2020
Weave a grass Platform for an opening Tulip bud

Tulips continue to grow as they open. This means you not only have to be mindful of their proportions as they are now... but also as they will be once open.
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
Related Designs
How to avoid your wedding treasures from becoming “after the event trash”
13 March 2019
How to avoid your wedding treasures from becoming “after the event trash”

My article and grass wedding basket design.
Our finest gifts we bring,
20 December 2011
Our finest gifts we bring,

A small, all natural gift box woven from palm
How to catch a dew drop:
1 October 2012
How to catch a dew drop:

Weave a sphere from grass to catch a precious and exquisite and perfect glistening early autumn dew drop
Unraveling fast
16 July 2014
Unraveling fast

Weaving foliage to create a lush water scene
Take a load off
14 January 2015
Take a load off

Weave slippers from foliage
Catch of the Day
12 August 2015
Catch of the Day

Weave a loose basket to display a single flower... or three
Easter Bonnet
5 April 2017
Easter Bonnet

Weave a delicate Pillbox hat
Creative Competition
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.
What’s that word for it again?
15 January 2025
What’s that word for it again?

A fun way to fan out palm leaves to display some winter pickings
It’s leaps of faith, grasshoppers
26 June 2024
It’s leaps of faith, grasshoppers

A sunny rock to make your design... not rock
Favourite Take-Away
1 May 2024
Favourite Take-Away

Basket weave container for some Spring floral treasures.
Go on Autumn… glow!
25 October 2023
Go on Autumn… glow!

Mixing permanent and fresh design ingredients to celebrate just how clever the glow of Autumn is.
Arachnis Phobicus
26 October 2022
Arachnis Phobicus

A fun woven spider for Halloween decorating
Let’s play ball
6 July 2022
Let’s play ball

Weave a spherical support to place long stemmed flowers into a bud vase.
Criss-crossed
31 March 2021
Criss-crossed

Hide an egg inside a interwoven nest for a dainty Easter decoration design.
To top it all off
26 February 2020
To top it all off

This is a great "space-keeper" design. The tulip will continue to grow into the vase height as they open... but until then the grass platform part of the design diverts your attention to fix any issues you might experience with the proportions right now.
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.
Favourite Flowers
Lathyrus
Lathyrus

This design was entered in the craft section of a show. I grew my bag over 12 weeks. Each day I would guide the tiny fresh growth of the Sweet Pea plants to completely cover the...