My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Sticktoitness

Floral Trends Design Group Assignment: The workings of Wood and Bark

Stick sticky sticks that stick out

into sticky stick bark that sticks around.

Stick with sticky sticks till they all stick together

stuck in all that sticky stick stickiness,

stick stickier than ever!

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Tutorials
Whisper butterflies
10 July 2012
Whisper butterflies

Acetate is the clear plastic mostly used for packaging design. It is thicker than cellophane and holds its shape much better.
Bark covered heart
10 July 2012
Bark covered heart

Cover cardboard with bark to create a heart shaped log
Wire Tendrils
26 July 2011
Wire Tendrils

Curl the wire at irregular intervals to create a natural wire tendril similar to that of a passion fruit plant
Drying Hydrangeas: Fast, Flat or Natural
30 May 2012
Drying Hydrangeas: Fast, Flat or Natural

Use all three methods to dry hydrangeas to get three very different textures to use in design work.
Test tube on a stick
22 April 2011
Test tube on a stick

Include a single floret (such as an orchid) or bundle a few weaker stems (such as lily of the valley) into an arrangement or hand tie by wiring a test tube to a stick.
Longer stems for dried flowers
10 July 2012
Longer stems for dried flowers

Give dried hydrangeas (or other dried flowers) a longer stem to make it easier to work with.
Stabilizing sticks for dried or fresh flowers
10 July 2012
Stabilizing sticks for dried or fresh flowers

Create a full design without the weight by stabilizing the flowers with glued sticks. This is a great alternative to floral foam.
Butterfly hairclip claws to hold twigs in place while glue dries
18 January 2012
Butterfly hairclip claws to hold twigs in place while glue dries

Butterfly hair clips are the perfect little claws to help you hold tiny items in place while you wait for glue to dry
Drinking straw "test tubes"
4 January 2011
Drinking straw "test tubes"

When you need to keep a tiny stem hydrated this is just what you need.
Smooth dried hydrangea flowers in the palm of your hand
10 July 2012
Smooth dried hydrangea flowers in the palm of your hand

Hold a dried hydrangea flower in the palm of your hand to smooth out the folds
Make a Stuck with an Unstick Stick Maple Seed Spring floral frog… but for a grasshopper pair.
21 May 2025
Make a Stuck with an Unstick Stick Maple Seed Spring floral frog… but for a grasshopper pair.

Use the sticky side of sticky tape to create the lightest possible floral frog to display your floral details in.
A birch bark spiral wrap to cradle floral details in a wine glass
17 January 2024
A birch bark spiral wrap to cradle floral details in a wine glass

Spiral birch bark strips into two mirror images to create a wintery wrap for a bud vase.
Wood chip and sparkle mushroom cornucopia
11 October 2023
Wood chip and sparkle mushroom cornucopia

A horn of plenty... seasonal sparkle.
Two layer table top forest floor armature that Transition from Autumn to Christmas
10 November 2021
Two layer table top forest floor armature that Transition from Autumn to Christmas

Don’t you just hate short cuts?<br> ... because the longer your design elements will last the more effort it will take for you to make them look vibrant again.
Float a swirling vine nest in a small vase to help keep your flowers in place
10 February 2021
Float a swirling vine nest in a small vase to help keep your flowers in place

Turn a flower vase into a bud vase by floating a smaller container inside the larger one.
Rock Rest for a heavy Protea Flower Head
31 January 2018
Rock Rest for a heavy Protea Flower Head

Create a contrasting base to lift the heavy flower-head to design in
Muted Side Up Autumn Leaf Pod
18 October 2017
Muted Side Up Autumn Leaf Pod

Turn the leaf so that the muted underside faces outward to create a more understated Autumn colour scheme .
Papier Mache pumpkin half
18 October 2017
Papier Mache pumpkin half

Glue thin tissue paper layers to a pumpkin to create a shape to design with
Potted bark pod for a flowering plant
11 January 2017
Potted bark pod for a flowering plant

Cover a Styrofoam shape with bark to create a bowl for a potted design
Related Designs
Wave Wrap
17 January 2024
Wave Wrap

Roll birch bark into a double spiral to cradle some perfect flowers to admire all winter.
Plenty Glow to Harvest
11 October 2023
Plenty Glow to Harvest

Glow and sparkle bark armature to celebrate the first signs of Autumn
… any day now
10 November 2021
… any day now

Using dried floral material is so trendy right now. But the longer lasting the design elements the more effort you have to put in to stop it from looking lifeless.
My valenVine
10 February 2021
My valenVine

An... everything is moving... design. The tulips are growing and the small vine filled vase is bopping around in the water. And if you lean them against each other just right it grows and bobs in place!
Rock, don't Roll
31 January 2018
Rock, don't Roll

Balance the heavy Protea flower head to lean against a rock.
On the inside
18 October 2017
On the inside

For a softer autumn leaf pod turn the leaves so that the bright side faces in when making the pod.
As special as an almost never find
11 January 2017
As special as an almost never find

Sometimes you find such a beautiful plant that you just can't bring yourself to cut it. This design explores using the entire plant, pot and all, in a design
A Candy(cane) Cotton Christmas
14 December 2016
A Candy(cane) Cotton Christmas

A floral cotton candy cane
Be My Twig-Heart
10 February 2016
Be My Twig-Heart

Glue an upright twig heart for a freestanding Valentine's display
Favourite Flowers
Hydrangea
Hydrangea

Dried and fresh hydrangeas with sticks and bark