My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

The Beauty in the Sleeping Woods

My favourite fairy tale as a little girl was Sleeping Beauty. I would read the story not for the princess sleeping or the prince on his rescue mission.

Nope, I was enchanted by the rose bushes and roots and plants that grew for one hundred years undisturbed...

Twisted and tangled...

and gnarled with spiky thorns.

Powerful nature restoring itself.

As a floral artist I am inspired by the endurance of nature and my work is still re-creating the Sleeping Beauty Castle of my imagination.

Sleeping Beauty:

or Little Briar Rose or Afrikaans: Doring Rosie, French: La Belle au bois dormant, (The Beauty in the sleeping wood) German: Dornrösche, Dutch:Doornroosje

is a classic fairytale by the Brothers Grimm about some spinning, a pretty princess, enchantment and a prince who knew how to prune. But mostly it is about lots and lots of fantastic plant material…. how else could they have lived happily ever after?

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Tutorials
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.
Plaiting a palm thorn garland
30 May 2012
Plaiting a palm thorn garland

This is the basic technique used in traditional Easter crafts to plait a crown of thorns.
Stacked Twig Roundabout
24 July 2012
Stacked Twig Roundabout

This is a great way to use all those bits of twigs and sticks in your design room to make a floral armature
Bend Wired Equisetum into a Hollow Wreath
7 February 2018
Bend Wired Equisetum into a Hollow Wreath

Craft a wreath with a hollow cavity inside to use as an armature for your flowers
Contained rose twig stack
6 September 2017
Contained rose twig stack

Glue the twigs in a container to easily follow the round shape
Folded Bleached Baby’s Breath Wreath Armature
26 October 2016
Folded Bleached Baby’s Breath Wreath Armature

Glued Baby's Breath Wreath, folded in half to create a moon shaped armature
Folded Bleached Baby’s Breath Wreath Armature
26 October 2016
Folded Bleached Baby’s Breath Wreath Armature

Glued Baby's Breath Wreath, folded in half to create a moon shaped armature
Reed Cradle Armature
29 June 2016
Reed Cradle Armature

Glue reeds on a wire frame to create a dimensional armature to suspend orchids in
Related Designs
Up around the bend
7 February 2018
Up around the bend

Bend Equisetum into curves to wire into an open wreath shape
Up around the bend
7 February 2018
Up around the bend

Bend Equisetum into curves to wire into an open wreath shape
One of those difficult questions
6 September 2017
One of those difficult questions

Glue a bunch of twigs inside a container to create a round stack
All things Autumn (by which I mean all things chocolate): Loosen Up
9 November 2016
All things Autumn (by which I mean all things chocolate): Loosen Up

This was the first design I did in my "All things Autumn (by which I mean all things chocolate)" floral art demonstration
Harvest Moon
26 October 2016
Harvest Moon

Fold a fine twig wreath in half to create a moon shaped armature
Make the design
29 June 2016
Make the design

Weave a reed cradle to suspend orchids from
Pour
11 May 2016
Pour

Glue a twig vase and melt some plastic to create a tumbling design
Delicate
4 November 2015
Delicate

Bleached Gypsophila wreath with delicate autumn touches
Watch the leaves turn
21 October 2015
Watch the leaves turn

Roll autumn leaves to create a wreath
Favourite Flowers
Rosa
Rosa

My all in the same boat floral art arrangement with roses in an Agave sisalana (sisal) leaf.
Hydrangea
Hydrangea

Dried and fresh hydrangeas with sticks and bark