My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Short Cut

Have you heard about my brand new floral adventure? I am writing a monthly article as part of the Plant Something BC initiative to promote the benefits of buying locally grown plants to aspiring and experienced gardeners of all ages.

My monthly flower arranging inspiration articles is a floral design companion for this initiative. This month I tell you about planting willow to coppice... perfect for filling your craft pantry with long weaving stems.

Short Cut floral arrangement by Christine de Beer

A short cut

How to weave a gathering basket with a water source for your cut flowers

for when you cut short

A small harvest basket for your cut flowers.

so that the vase life

Place your cut flowers in water to make sure they do not dehydrate

is not well…

Place tiny flower stems into a glass of water when you cut them from a plant

urhmmmm…

Easy way to make a basket for your cut flower harvest

*shuffles feet *

How to weave a cut flower garden harvest basket

wellll…

Diy basket making tutorial with willow

you know…

How to make a small basket with a water source and space for your tools out of willow

cut short.

This collaboration is supported by the BC Government’s Buy BC partnership program, delivered by the investment Agriculture Foundation of BC with funding from the Government of British Columbia to enable us to have an interdisciplinary relationship between BCLandscape and Nursery Association members and non-members from the floral designer, growers, the landscaper and garden centres.

Next month's Plant Something BC's article I will show you another design made from what I am growing and what is new in my balcony garden for this year.

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

Tutorials

19 April 2023 Willow and Vine tiny stem Gathering Basket

Tiny stems are often also delicate stems... place your cut flowers directly in a small glass of water. A perfect fit for this basket.

1 November 2011 Weaving a twig wreath

For my design I wanted the wreath to look wind blown so I added a few loosely woven twigs into the weave. I also wanted to emphasize the autumn colours so I added a twirling...

1 March 2023 Glue an early Spring basket from leftover cherry blossom twigs

After the last petal drops cut the blossom twigs into snippets to craft a basket with.

16 March 2016 Willow Parasol

Weave willow stems into a decorative parasol

25 October 2017 Willow Paddle

Weave willow between the fork in a twig to create a paddle like armature

3 August 2016 Hanging Willow Nest

Bend and weave a nest shape from fresh willow stems

28 January 2015 The difference between detailing a sprouting stem for a floral design and pruning a stem

Give the stem a closer cut to detail for floral art

25 January 2012 Weaving Willow spheres

I build up the spheres by weaving willow wreaths and then use those to shape the ball

11 February 2015 Willow Heart Wand

11 February 2015 Stripping foliage from weaving stems

Remove foliage from stems to weave with

8 June 2016 Stripping bark from willow sticks

Strip the green bark from the stems to expose the smooth wood

7 September 2016 Willow flower crown

Loosely weave willow tips to create an ethereal crown

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.

24 May 2017 Chain link wreath weaving

Weave a few small wreaths to connect

3 July 2012 Twig mushroom

Stack and wire a twig mushroom armature

22 May 2012 Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.

6 January 2012 Mossy Twig handbag

Radiate short twigs in a circle to make a moss and twig handbag

21 March 2018 Craft a Spring basket from a wreath

A wide gap nearly basket for nearly spring

14 March 2018 Willow birdcage

Weave a willow birdcage to use as a wedding ring box

11 April 2017 A little nest for Easter chocolates that naturally hooks over the edge of a container

Weave a tiny nest with a twig hook so that you can hang it in a design

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.

30 October 2012 Midelino Harvest Moon Basket

This is a great flat and open basket to take outside when “harvesting” your fall leaves, pods and flowers. Who knows, you might even find a ghost pumpkin or three…

14 August 2012 Midelino cane coil basket

Weave a hand basket from Midelino cane coils

4 September 2013 Weave a heart shaped basket

An easy to assemble open weave basket

Favourite Flowers

Salix matsudana "Tortuosa"

Curly Willow, Chinese Willow, Tortured Willow, Globe Willow, Dragon's Claw, Hankow Willow

Related Designs

24 May 2023 everywhere IS nature

A lush wreath that remains green so that you can design once... and cut and cut and place your violas to make sure you have flowers all season long.

28 June 2023 Catch and Release

Ah... yes summer time designing. Anyone else seeing more insects hiding between the petals this year?

2 August 2023 here… from … my little corner… of the world wide web

Weave a web of jasmine vine to support orchid stems

6 March 2024 A Stay Open

Grow a willow birdcage... with a bit of a Spring flower support to get it started.

20 March 2024 the arc of Success

Coil a straw basket for an Easter display

3 April 2024 springy, Spring, spring

Gorgeous Aquilegia vulgaris spring flower... with it's own springy thing!

2 October 2024 Brewing some inspiration

Autumn harvest willow for a double the pretty plaited flower support

1 March 2023 … ish

An early... ish Spring basket glued from blossom twigs

16 March 2016 Creative Expectations

My article and a floral parasol design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine

3 August 2016 Practice

Weave a willow bird nest

25 October 2017 When the pretty eyeballs you back!

Barely there skeleton blossoms with Eucalyptus eyes for my Halloween design... Oh! and a Willow Paddle, which probably should have been the main Tutorial... but... well...

11 February 2015 Love Spell

Weave willow to create a heart shaped wand design

7 September 2016 You are all invited!

My article and Willow Crown design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine

24 May 2017 Link

weave a few wreaths to link

3 July 2012 Twig-a-tude

Stack and wire twigs to create a twig mushroom with attitude for summer

8 June 2016 When the wind whisper

Glue a fantasy forest from Popsicle sticks, grape vine tendrils and willow tips

5 January 2012 Designing Your Way to Profits

Floral Craftsmanship Article in the Canadian Florist Magazine

12 July 2017 Sparkler

A radiating twig design

21 March 2018 Bring some Spring

Just like the weather is only hinting at spring, so is this design only hinting at being a basket

18 April 2018 Swing Vine

Weave a delicate vine swing to nestle a small vase with spring flowers in

3 March 2021 Spring Tray-ning

A Spring basket design for catching falling blossom petals.