My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Putting my feelers out

Do you feel it as well?

It’s like a fresh breeze blowing in from the sea.

This urge to touch again.

To switch off all the connectivity and mindfully re-connect.

… to create something tangible?

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Tutorials
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.
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.
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
Weave a floral trap
27 February 2019
Weave a floral trap

Keep your flowers in place with an all natural woven trap.
Weave a Ceropegia Woodii Vine grid to catch your flowers
3 February 2021
Weave a Ceropegia Woodii Vine grid to catch your flowers

Suspend flowers over a water filled container by weaving a natural grid.
Vein Veil For Freesias
22 August 2018
Vein Veil For Freesias

Cut a slight veil to frame your flowers with
Detailing a messy edged grass basket
25 January 2017
Detailing a messy edged grass basket

Weave a basket from lily grass and then cut and curl the edges
Woven lily grass parachute armature
13 July 2016
Woven lily grass parachute armature

Weave a canopy or parachute shaped armature in a way that you can place the stems in two vases to keep it hydrated.
Twin Leaf Weave
3 April 2013
Twin Leaf Weave

Weave two palm leaves together to create a floral grid
Messy edged basket
12 August 2015
Messy edged basket

Weave a loose basket to display flowers
Loosely woven grass on Driftwood
27 August 2014
Loosely woven grass on Driftwood

Loosely weave grass on a piece of driftwood for an informal armature
Shelter grass veil for a round container
16 June 2021
Shelter grass veil for a round container

A single lily flower design dressed up with a grass veil.
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.
Standing flower stems upright In Perlite
3 May 2023
Standing flower stems upright In Perlite

I use perlite to root my cuttings... and to support flower stems in an upright position in designs without using floral foam.
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.
Weave a lily grass shelter for a suspended flower stem
2 March 2022
Weave a lily grass shelter for a suspended flower stem

Hide the prettiest of flowers in the entire bunch in plain sight by framing it with elegant grass.
Related Designs
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.
It’s a trap!
27 February 2019
It’s a trap!

Weave a trap to keep your floral details suspended in a square container.
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.
here’s the catch
3 February 2021
here’s the catch

Weave an all natural net to place over a vase to keep your flowers above water.
FreestyleFreesia
22 August 2018
FreestyleFreesia

Dutch floral designer Pim van den Akker, from Flower Factor invited me to participate in a FloraHolland initiative promoting the versatility of Freesias entitled #FreestyleFreesia Here is the extended version of my video.
What is in a basket of spectacular?
25 January 2017
What is in a basket of spectacular?

Weave a basket with dangling edges for a single orchid display
Woven
13 July 2016
Woven

Weave a canopy or parachute shaped armature for orchids to perch on
April showers bring May flowers
3 April 2013
April showers bring May flowers

After a long winter it is always fun to use the first spring bulb flowers!
Catch of the Day
12 August 2015
Catch of the Day

Weave a loose basket to display a single flower... or three
Brought Together
27 August 2014
Brought Together

Loosely weave blades of grass together
Just Right! Floral Art demonstration: Just Right!
5 September 2012
Just Right! Floral Art demonstration: Just Right!

My third design in my demonstration at the BC Floral Art Society meeting
Dream Rescue
16 June 2021
Dream Rescue

Weave the most delicate grass shelter veil for a gorgeous lily.
One tug
15 June 2016
One tug

Weave willow bark strips into a nest and weave a bird from flax
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.
Spring Row
3 May 2023
Spring Row

Viola and chives cleverly dancing upright in a row.
Jump out at you
22 February 2023
Jump out at you

Early iris flowers in a bud vase.
The thing!?! Do you remember the thing?!?
2 March 2022
The thing!?! Do you remember the thing?!?

A design that visually plays with good proportions to allow the sheltered flower to be the focal point.
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...
Ornithogalum
Ornithogalum

Detail of my Christmas design: Floral wings with Chincherinchees, passion fruit tendrils, jasmine foliage and string of pearls succulents