My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Peekaboo

I...

See-

-eee-

-eee-

-eee-

You!

Oh yes, peek through the flowers and you’ll see it’s definitely still winter over here in Vancouver… but… well... soon.

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Tutorials
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
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.
Stretching leaves and foliage into a ringlet curl
15 April 2015
Stretching leaves and foliage into a ringlet curl

Most leaves and foliage can be slightly manipulated to curve or curl.
Large wax snowflakes
4 December 2013
Large wax snowflakes

Artificial snow can be very "chemical" and flowers deteriorate quickly when exposed to it. It also dissolves in water. I use candle wax as "snow"
Weaving a diagonal green grass basket
1 February 2012
Weaving a diagonal green grass basket

Once you figure out how to do the corners weaving a diagonal shape is actually not that hard to do.
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
Weaving Slippers from Foliage
14 January 2015
Weaving Slippers from Foliage

Weave slip on shoes from palm leaves
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.
Flat wire and grass bridal basket
7 December 2016
Flat wire and grass bridal basket

Wrap grass around a flat wire shape to create a delicate bridal basket design
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
Clip a neat design strip right through 38.46 g (or a thousand!) sprouting wheatgrass for a ethereal Spring display
12 March 2025
Clip a neat design strip right through 38.46 g (or a thousand!) sprouting wheatgrass for a ethereal Spring display

Mow a gap through growing wheatgrass to display Spring treasures.
Protect your “mercury” glass vases with a reusable lining when using wire as a mechanic
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
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
Basket weave bunny tail grid to catch your floral details
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.
A woven grass grid cage for flying Column and Augmented petal Phalaenopsis orchids
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.
Peg the heavy details in place with a wedged stem support
7 June 2023
Peg the heavy details in place with a wedged stem support

Create a support for your floral details by wedging the cut flower stem across the opening of the vase.
Interweave a dangling Egg outline Easter Wreath Basket
5 April 2023
Interweave a dangling Egg outline Easter Wreath Basket

An open egg shaped wreath for Easter styling
A knot and a lean and hand full of snippets in a bud vase
22 February 2023
A knot and a lean and hand full of snippets in a bud vase

Using all parts of a small bunch of iris flowers to craft a unique display.
Breezy lily grass ripple
20 July 2022
Breezy lily grass ripple

A radiating design that has the freedom of movement to add a bit of a cooling effect on the warmer days of summer.
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.
Handcrafted grass and twig basket to hold some Easter flowers
13 April 2022
Handcrafted grass and twig basket to hold some Easter flowers

Easter basket filled with (almost... almost chocolate) anthuriums.
Connect bud vases with a fresh foliage open weave
2 February 2022
Connect bud vases with a fresh foliage open weave

Craft two woven panels to place front and back of a couple of bud vases to create a unit.
Related Designs
It’s a trap!
27 February 2019
It’s a trap!

Weave a trap to keep your floral details suspended in a square container.
“Ok wow”
26 June 2019
“Ok wow”

A design so fine you can easily miss it... if it were not for the interwoven pebbles catching your eye.
Take a load off
14 January 2015
Take a load off

Weave slippers from foliage
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.
Oh! So clever
7 December 2016
Oh! So clever

My article and Bridal basket design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine
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
Hat tip
9 August 2017
Hat tip

Tip a mortarboard inspired top at an angle for a glass design
Spoiler alert: It is one thousand… that’s how many!
12 March 2025
Spoiler alert: It is one thousand… that’s how many!

Growing 1000 wheatgrass seeds to celebrate adding my 1000th Tutorials to my website... Yay!!!
And there you glow
16 October 2024
And there you glow

A glowing autumn display of vases to scatter around every here and there.
Favourite Take-Away
1 May 2024
Favourite Take-Away

Basket weave container for some Spring floral treasures.
Note to Self
23 August 2023
Note to Self

An easy to weave natural grid for summer floral arrangements.
Column… try it flower buddies
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.
Be excited
7 June 2023
Be excited

Oh my! Picked from my balcony garden... after I thought I completely missed it blooming.
Where do you even start looking?
5 April 2023
Where do you even start looking?

Easter egg... egg for Easter eggs
Jump out at you
22 February 2023
Jump out at you

Early iris flowers in a bud vase.
The tiniest drop
20 July 2022
The tiniest drop

A radiating summer design that waves in the slightest of breezes.
Let’s play ball
6 July 2022
Let’s play ball

Weave a spherical support to place long stemmed flowers into a bud vase.
Hop on… it’s Easter!
13 April 2022
Hop on… it’s Easter!

A cheery Easter basket for a new beginning
Putting my feelers out
2 February 2022
Putting my feelers out

Adding just a little something to a bud vase design to connect them... and make it special.
Aerial Odyssey
18 March 2020
Aerial Odyssey

A closer look at my design at Canada Blooms and The Toronto Flower Show last week. The show was cancelled right after we staged the designs due to COVID-19 concerns.
Favourite Flowers
Iris
Iris

I made a Shishi Odoshi (tipping fountain) for my Desalination Floral Art Demonstration design. Blue Iris flowers hangs down (and up-side down) on my twig blind to represent the...