My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Once Upon A Time

13 January 2016
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Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.

Tutorials

13 January 2016

Stacked Grass Pyramid Armature

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

30 August 2011

Removing Oasis Floral Adhesive glue spills

The finish of every design should be flawless. Make sure there are no bits of glue visible in your design by carefully removing all traces of spills.

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.

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.

17 September 2025

Weave a delicate horn of plenty that looks like it was foraged in an enchanted forest

Overgrown grassy cornucopia that looks like it is unraveling and entangling again.

19 February 2025

A bark design surface that suspends the first Spring flowers to rest just below the surface.

Glue two large bark chips to craft a large design platform to suspend the most delicate of floral details in a "I wish it was Spring already" arrangement.

16 October 2024

Protect your “mercury” glass vases with a reusable lining when using wire as a mechanic

How to protect glass vases from scratching when using wire as a mechanic

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

12 June 2024

Narrow twin leaf spacer for keeping a tiny stem bouquet upright

A pretty way of taming wonderfully wild thin stemmed floral details... without loosing the light and airy feel.

15 May 2024

Threaded rosette foliage frog… with a kick

Threaded Heuchera (Coral Bells) rosette with curved stems to kick against the sides of your container to keep it suspended above water.

24 April 2024

Slot together Monstera Twin Leaves to create a design gap

A small bundle of Spring floral treasures framed with lush monstera foliage.

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.

26 July 2023

A woven grass grid cage for flying Column and Augmented petal Phalaenopsis orchids

Pick away the petals from a few Phalaenopsis orchids to display in a summer grass tunnel design.

12 July 2023

Frond Support for short stemmed flowers

Create an all natural fern grid to arrange your flowers for a summer display.

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.

31 August 2022

Suspended, suspended buds in a zig zag grass thread

Suspend flowers in tight bud to slip over a folded and threaded grass grid

27 July 2022

Dendrobium orchid and grass snippet cone around a glass container

Craft a grass armature to suspend the orchids in deep water from around the outside of your container.

25 August 2021

Loop and Twist a Wire and Twig Tangle Grid

Wire twigs and wire around a shallow container to keep your floral details suspended in water in a shallow container.

2 June 2021

Two leaf lining your container to shelter your orchids

Create a shallow puddle in a larger container to keep your flowers in place.

26 May 2021

Stacking stems to show off flowers from all angles

Roses so pretty you want to admire them front, side and back.

17 March 2021

Cone shaped leafy puddle for a short stemmed flower

Take all the usual ingredients for a budvase design- a flower, a leafy green something and roll it into something unusual to display.

10 March 2021

A tiny pebble to keep it all in place

Keep an orchid and a blade of grass on an upturned bowl... with the weight of a tiny pebble.

17 February 2021

Controlled breaking a thin reed to create a grass spiral armature

Carefully break... but don't snap a reed to create a curved base for a fanned out grass armature.

26 August 2020

Create a tighter fit with pebbles so that you can wedge a twig securely into a vase

It all started with my twig being just too small to wedge into the glass vase tight enough to keep my orchid stem in place...

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.

5 June 2019

Stack a Stack of Stems to create a sturdy grid Armature... with some height

Stack green lily stems to create an upright mechanic to keep shorter stems in place.

19 April 2017

Sponge mechanic for a tiny flower stem

Soak a small sponge to create a water source for a small focal flower.

5 April 2017

Weaving a Pillbox hat from grass

Use the "over and under" weaving pattern to weave a round, upright hat with a flat top and no brim.

25 January 2017

Detailing a messy edged grass basket

Weave a basket from lily grass and then cut and curl the edges

7 December 2016

Flat wire and grass bridal basket

Wrap grass around a flat wire shape to create a delicate bridal basket design

17 August 2016

Hanging Tillandsia

There are many ways to hang your air plants in a design. In this Tutorial I explore three

Related Designs

10 August 2011

Pleated Pleasure

Pleats are accordion like folds of equal width in alternating opposite directions in any kind of fabric. I absolutely love the tight buds of Allium and they represent the "pleasure" part of my design

23 April 2014

Bound to Keep

Weave and tie a decorative catcher to suspend flowers

4 June 2014

All white, just not quite

My article and woven ring basket design featured in the summer issue of DIY Weddings Magazine

16 September 2015

Pointing In

wrap and glue a ring armature to create a decorative wreath

3 December 2014

Finding Common Ground

My article and twig boutonniere design featured in the Winter issue of DIY Weddings Magazine

17 September 2025

Looking forward, a plenty

A delicate twist on a cornucopia design that looks like an invitation into another world.

23 July 2025

Just how easy peasy breezy summer lemon squishy?

How easy is it to get the juice of a lemon to hydrate a lily, that is the creative question answered by this week's design!?!

19 February 2025

When the Pretty much Pretty flows, it lingers in our hearts

A bark support to display the most delicate Spring floral treasures.

16 October 2024

And there you glow

A glowing autumn display of vases to scatter around every here and there.

12 June 2024

Just about enough space

Create a little bit of space to keep a few thin stemmed floral treasures upright in your design

15 May 2024

Well, well, well, if it isn’t the design solution I have been procrasti-crafting on

Beautiful Bletilla striata (Chinese Ground Orchid) deserves it's own elaborate frilly skirt display.

24 April 2024

You Just Like You

Support a small bundle of spring florals to stand upright in water with two Monstera leaves.

23 August 2023

Note to Self

An easy to weave natural grid for summer floral arrangements.

26 July 2023

Column… try it flower buddies

A bottom to the top... top to the bottom support to help keep your summer flowers hydrated.

12 July 2023

Standing in frond

Standing your delicate flower stems in a fern frond.

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.