My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

On the inside

Turn the leaves inside out…

with the down side facing up.

Inwardly outward.

Glue the inner bits to the outer layer.

Add some more pretty leaves to the interior of the exterior

with a few at the heart of the edge

and to the entire leafy middle of the outside.

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Tutorials
Papier Mache pumpkin half
18 October 2017
Papier Mache pumpkin half

Glue thin tissue paper layers to a pumpkin to create a shape to design with
Muted Side Up Autumn Leaf Pod
18 October 2017
Muted Side Up Autumn Leaf Pod

Turn the leaf so that the muted underside faces outward to create a more understated Autumn colour scheme .
Dracaena Roots
18 October 2017
Dracaena Roots

Grow Dracaena plants in water for the roots
Potted bark pod for a flowering plant
11 January 2017
Potted bark pod for a flowering plant

Cover a Styrofoam shape with bark to create a bowl for a potted design
Papier Mache
2 June 2011
Papier Mache

I save all the thin tissue paper or un-printed newsprint papers that are wrapped around the flowers that are delivered to me to make batches of Papier Mache with. These sheets make fantastic Papier Mache because it is designed to be super absorbent and colour fast.
Just Hatched Papier Mache Easter Eggs
7 April 2012
Just Hatched Papier Mache Easter Eggs

Glue newsprint paper to balloons to make large egg shaped containers to design in
Paper log stack
15 March 2012
Paper log stack

I made this log stack from cardboard covered with bark
Bark pod for growing a Pearl Oyster mushroom mini farm
19 August 2015
Bark pod for growing a Pearl Oyster mushroom mini farm

Glue bark to a Papier Maché and wire frame to create a pod shaped armature
Bark covered heart
10 July 2012
Bark covered heart

Cover cardboard with bark to create a heart shaped log
Autumn Leaf Rosette
11 November 2012
Autumn Leaf Rosette

Great way to use all the autumn leaves you collect on walks during the season. Slowly build up the leaf rosette and let the leaves dry before adding a few more.
Placing orchids in test tubes
25 August 2011
Placing orchids in test tubes

Cut the Phalaenopsis orchid with a bit of green stem attached. This will make them last longer.
Spiked Autumn leaf cauldron
30 October 2013
Spiked Autumn leaf cauldron

Pike a few (hundred!) autumn leaves to build up a hollow leaf armature
Bark Bowl
17 September 2014
Bark Bowl

Glue bark onto a bowl to create a dome shape
Autumn leaf and decorative tissue paper gift bag
18 November 2015
Autumn leaf and decorative tissue paper gift bag

A gift bag that dries beautifully
Skeleton leaf bowl
12 November 2014
Skeleton leaf bowl

Stiffen some skeletonize leaves into a lacy fine floral bowl
Acorn inspired Autumn leaf armature
5 November 2014
Acorn inspired Autumn leaf armature

Dry fall leaves to create a ball shape structure
Wood chip and sparkle mushroom cornucopia
11 October 2023
Wood chip and sparkle mushroom cornucopia

A horn of plenty... seasonal sparkle.
Snowy Magnolia forest floor armature
25 January 2023
Snowy Magnolia forest floor armature

An armature to display a lovely surprise orchid that developed on the long spike just after the other flowers started to fade.
Roof-tile pumpkin from dried physalis pods
9 November 2022
Roof-tile pumpkin from dried physalis pods

Carefully stack dried physalis berry husks to craft a long lasting pumpkin that you can refresh with fresh flowers and vines.
Crafting a Corny Corn Husk Corn Armature
22 September 2021
Crafting a Corny Corn Husk Corn Armature

Four ears of corn, corn husk wire armature with a hidden water source for the fresh flowers.
Kenzan peg bark curls into a hollow and bottomless log vase
11 November 2020
Kenzan peg bark curls into a hollow and bottomless log vase

Craft a bottomless vase out of bark so that the floral stem is supported but can still stand in water to remain hydrated.
Quarter fold and Thread an Autumn leaf tube armature
9 October 2019
Quarter fold and Thread an Autumn leaf tube armature

This armature is actually made of four times as many leaves as what it looks like to create a hinge to fan the entire leaf-tube open yet keep it's shape.
Related Designs
Protea Composite
5 January 2011
Protea Composite

To create this huge Protea I took apart nine Protea flower heads and glued the tepals and bracts back on to a polystyrene ball to create a large Protea composite flower that is similar in shape to an African clay vase used in wedding ceremonies.
As special as an almost never find
11 January 2017
As special as an almost never find

Sometimes you find such a beautiful plant that you just can't bring yourself to cut it. This design explores using the entire plant, pot and all, in a design
Spring Clean
7 April 2012
Spring Clean

A clean Easter design. The tiny blossoms are Kalanchoe 'Calandiva Pink'. Tucked low in the paper eggs are a few Cymbidium orchids and the twigs are contorted hazel. The feathers are made from Kyogi or shaved wood.
Growth Medium
19 August 2015
Growth Medium

Design a bark and moss pod for a mushroom mini farm
Thanksgiving Harvest
7 October 2011
Thanksgiving Harvest

Thanksgiving pumpkin with Chinese lanterns and spiral blossoms
Sticktoitness
10 July 2012
Sticktoitness

Glue a heart shaped design made from bark and wood.
Leaves by Hundreds came
11 November 2012
Leaves by Hundreds came

A rosette of fall leaves to celebrate the beauty of autumn
What a find!
14 October 2015
What a find!

Roll autumn leaves to create a frog to keep flowers upright
As the leaves melt away
30 October 2013
As the leaves melt away

Spike a few hundred fall leaves to create a cauldron for Halloween flowers
Still
17 September 2014
Still

My bark bowl design and tutorial featured in the Centrepiece Wedding Magazine
Autumn is a mosaic of them all
18 November 2015
Autumn is a mosaic of them all

Easy to assemble fall leaf and tissue paper gift bag
Forest Floor
19 November 2014
Forest Floor

Glue a autumn leaf rosette armature
The Thing Is
12 November 2014
The Thing Is

Use a glue mixture to shape skeleton leaves into a lacy bowl
All In One
5 November 2014
All In One

dry autumn leaves into an acorn shape
Plenty Glow to Harvest
11 October 2023
Plenty Glow to Harvest

Glow and sparkle bark armature to celebrate the first signs of Autumn
Even More
25 January 2023
Even More

This orchid developed at the very end of a long stem... right as the rest of the flowers started to die back so I made a special armature to display the cut stem.
All Pumpkind Out
9 November 2022
All Pumpkind Out

A physalis husk pumpkin to celebrate the last bright rays of Autumn.
Kinda Corny
22 September 2021
Kinda Corny

Crafting with corn to make... well... corn, really.
What goes around
11 November 2020
What goes around

Display a single stem flower in an Autumn leaf twirl
With a thankful twist in the middle
9 October 2019
With a thankful twist in the middle

Fold and thread an autumn leaf armature for a thankful Thanksgiving design
Favourite Flowers
Phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis orchid detail from my Harnessing the Wind design
Dracaena sanderiana
Dracaena sanderiana

I made a Shishi Odoshi tipping fountain out of PVC pipe (sprayed green) for my Desalination demonstration design. Lucky Bamboo in front, in the vase was used to catch the water and...