My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

On the first warm day in May

There are plans to hatch,

nests to repair,

and summer wishes to share.

It all looks fantastically possible...

On that first warm day in May

On the first warm day in May is the title of a popular 1952 song by Rosemary Clooney

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Tutorials
Ripping Flax
14 January 2011
Ripping Flax

Flax can be ripped into fibres creating long and versatile strips
Stringing pearls
16 May 2012
Stringing pearls

Long blades of thin grass or ripped flax are ideal for stringing decorative beads
Mikado Reed drop shaped nest
16 May 2012
Mikado Reed drop shaped nest

A sturdy shape made by binding Mikado reeds keeps the thin strands of flax in place.
Hanging dangling eggshells with a twig and some ripped grass
20 March 2019
Hanging dangling eggshells with a twig and some ripped grass

Pierce eggshells to string it up for a delicate Spring design element.
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
A Dandelion Seed Puff that stays just so
17 May 2017
A Dandelion Seed Puff that stays just so

Use a thin wire to puff out dandelion seeds to look like it spilled from a basket
A little nest for Easter chocolates that naturally hooks over the edge of a container
11 April 2017
A little nest for Easter chocolates that naturally hooks over the edge of a container

Weave a tiny nest with a twig hook so that you can hang it in a design
Hanging Willow Nest
3 August 2016
Hanging Willow Nest

Bend and weave a nest shape from fresh willow stems
Weave green strips of willow bark into a nest
15 June 2016
Weave green strips of willow bark into a nest

Strip bark from willow to eave and set into a shape
Messy summer floral nest
3 July 2013
Messy summer floral nest

Wrap and weave and twirl and dangle foliage to create a spiral nest
Related Designs
It’s all ===> right
20 March 2019
It’s all ===> right

Hang a dangling eggshell in a Spring blossom design.
Almost is still not quite
23 August 2017
Almost is still not quite

Weave just a hint of the Autumn to come
Well… we did it again!
11 April 2017
Well… we did it again!

Blossoms and chocolates for Easter
I found it this way: Bird nest design
12 October 2016
I found it this way: Bird nest design

This was the fourth design I did in my "I found it this way" floral art demonstration
Practice
3 August 2016
Practice

Weave a willow bird nest
One tug
15 June 2016
One tug

Weave willow bark strips into a nest and weave a bird from flax
Half the Fun
25 May 2016
Half the Fun

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

Flax Christmas tree "cake" for the Floral Trends Design Group end of the year function. "On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... two turtle doves"
Ceropegia woodii
Ceropegia woodii

Pompon Chrysanthemum pom-poms and strands of Rosary vine for my floral lariat necklace in the Canadian Florist Magazine
Ranunculus
Ranunculus

Persian buttercups tucked in low in my On the first warm day in May design