My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Putting your own spin on it

I would definitely describe my own personal style as minimalist classic... but with a me flavoured edgy twist.

Putting your own spin on it floral art design

See my twisty...

Putting your own personality into your work

twirl

Adding your effortless style to design work

-a whirl

Minimal Phalaenopsis orchid flower design

spin on

Original mechanics for flower arrangements

a curl

Craft a tendril-ringlet for a floral design

... on a tendril inspired ringlet?

You will find a whole lot... actually 40 creative more design examples and well over 300 step-by-step how to’s, hints and core techniques on how to add your twist to the design inspiration you find by creating work in your own, you specific, effortless style in my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman, a floral crafter's guide to crafting with nature
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"Design with flowers in your own authentic, effortless style. In this picture filled guide you will find everything you need to know about crafting with natural design elements, developing your own effortless style of designing and creating meaningful and remarkable floral designs.

Part how to and part why to, The Effortless Floral Craftsman systematically builds floral artistry as page after page reveals the expert design secrets and creative processes behind Christine de Beer’s innovative, award winning floral designs".

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

Tutorials

22 May 2019 Gently peel leaves from the stalk to create a twisted stem end

Roll leaves to create a stopper to keep flowers in place in a bud vase

3 January 2011 Syringe with tube

Easy way to fill test tubes and easiest way to remove water from a vase

23 March 2013 Rolling leaf tubes

Roll foliage to create tubes

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.

11 November 2015 Balancing the curved stems of dried Autumn leaf tubes

Long stemmed autumn leave tubes as a floral armature

14 October 2015 Roll hundreds (yes! hundreds) of autumn leaves so create a natural, upright flower frog

Rolled leaves offer support for floral stems

5 October 2016 Folded leaf nest

Leaf armature made of rolled mini Monstera leaves

4 July 2018 Bundle Support

Tie a bundle of lily grass in a bundle to offer support for your flowers.

21 February 2018 Stem line-up

Line up stems to create a base for the heavy Hanging Heliconia stems

2 August 2017 Two vase, two level Phormium snippets

Design in two levels by using two vases, the smaller slipped into a bigger one.

7 May 2014 Rethinking the traditional Komiwara technique

Komiwara is a classic and traditional Ikebana technique used in a Rikka design. Designers would usually bundle straw to keep the flowers in place.

10 August 2016 Bamboo frog for a shallow container design

Cut short bamboo lengths to keep your flower material upright in a shallow and narrow container

Favourite Flowers

Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis, Moth orchid

Lilium

Lily

Lathyrus

Sweet pea

Related Designs

10 July 2019 These are my favourite summer things:

A submerged design... perfect for summertime designing... and enjoying!

8 July 2020 Super Cute!

A simple placement of bud vases... with the tiniest of lemon coloured twist that makes them unusual.

6 January 2021 I tip my (flower) cap!

An enclosed design that invites the onlooker to lean in closer to explore the pretty orchid.

27 January 2021 Knot how it was supposed to go

When you figure out the "how to" tricks of manipulating plant material it is possible to respectfully set them into seemingly impossible new directions.

17 March 2021 A scoop of pretty

A tiny budvase design that rearranges basic ingredients, such as a single leaf and an orchid to create a new design concept.

2 June 2021 Like an open book

Position foliage to create a smaller, shallow pond for your floral details to shelter in.

30 March 2022 Cone of Gratitude

Sweet spring design to hold some buds

6 April 2022 Gaps between those in-between Spring days

Give a minimal design a few grass "whiskers" to feel that Spring breeze.

20 April 2022 Oh this? Yes! it is new

New growth... too cute to resist!

5 October 2022 Tail End Of The Season

A display armature for a delicate autumn display.

26 April 2023 Oh So Me

Snip and grow willow to create a Spring new growth support for your tall flower stems.

19 July 2023 … And his little flower

Easy support for a single flower... and knot a special secret admirer just to keep it company.

13 September 2023 I am a fan!

Giving my book a super fan make-over.

8 May 2024 I mean… did you!?!

Playing with shapes to frame the light in a dramatic floral 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.

5 June 2024 hang out with.. you know… floristically speaking

Making what makes your floral details unique the focal point of a design

17 July 2024 Refresh-ing

A tall vase for a short orchid stem summer design

28 August 2024 Soft Serve Swirl

A nod to a summer filled with flowers... and the quite possibly the last of the season flowers still there to be picked.

6 November 2024 Some Handmade Meaning

I am a huge (HUGE!) fan of the original BoutStix magnets and I love the newest wrist corsage magnets as well. And not just for making corsages. I use them for everything. It is a...

8 May 2013 So happy together

Glue a sisal bubble for a few delicate flowers to rest in

11 November 2015 Balancing Act

Bend dried fall leaves to balance on the edge of a glass container

23 March 2013 Today I'll be

Silhouette design using glasses filled with water

14 October 2015 What a find!

Roll autumn leaves to create a frog to keep flowers upright

5 October 2016 I found it this way: Leaf nest design

This was the third design I did in my "I found it this way" floral art demonstration

4 July 2018 Wonder

Tie a bundle of grass to support your floral details

21 February 2018 Impossible things

A cut stem flower frog for the heavy Hanging Heliconia flowers

27 April 2016 Sprout

A sneaky way to condition new growth to add into your Spring design

2 August 2017 Grace

Use snips and snippets and leftovers to create a design of it's own

22 May 2012 Lean

Place short twigs, leaning to one side to create a flower frog

7 May 2014 Serendipity

Be inspired by traditional Ikebana techniques

10 August 2016 Saved up

Cut lengths of bamboo to place in a shallow container as a flower frog

22 June 2016 Perfection

Spiral grass to create a nest for the lady slipper orchids