My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

This way we connect

It goes over and under

And over and over

And through and through

And weave all the way too

And one before of the other

And in between and curved around

And then…

it all just slots in!

This coming March is my book The #EffortlessFloralCraftsman 's first birthday and to celebrate I am so excited to tell you that I have something really special coming up...

Over the next few weeks all will be revealed in my Newsletters... including how to win your signed copy of the beautiful, soon to be rare, craftsmanship edition of my book! You will also receive early access to the special give-aways, discount codes, meet-up details and all the info as it is finalized.

Please be warned though- I only have a limited amount of the craftsmanship edition books left… so if you enjoy my work, appreciate old world quality, hand stitched books and have your heart set on a signed copy of the partially handcrafted craftsmanship edition of my book make sure you are signed up so that you can be part of the conversation.

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Tutorials
Over and under weave floral panel armature for inside a vase
15 January 2020
Over and under weave floral panel armature for inside a vase

Weave a small panel that fits snugly in a container for a minimal, foam free design that is quick to make but looks spectacular.
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.
Grass Spiral Wind Spinner
2 July 2019
Grass Spiral Wind Spinner

Thread grass into flexi grass to create a spinner that gently turns in the wind.
Stretching leaves and foliage into a ringlet curl
15 April 2015
Stretching leaves and foliage into a ringlet curl

Most leaves and foliage can be slightly manipulated to curve or curl.
Ladder-frog
31 July 2013
Ladder-frog

Lash the orchid stems together to create a ladder for the flower to rest on.
Criss-cross Monstera lace-up
16 August 2017
Criss-cross Monstera lace-up

Glue short sections of rosary vine into the natural gaps in the Monstera deliciosa leaf
Flower catcher
23 April 2014
Flower catcher

Keep a flower suspended just above water with palm leaves
Stacked Grass Pyramid Armature
13 January 2016
Stacked Grass Pyramid Armature

Stack snippets of grass on a wire frame to make a floating pyramid armature
Using a pin to place tiny dew drop crystals
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.
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.
Contained rose twig stack
6 September 2017
Contained rose twig stack

Glue the twigs in a container to easily follow the round shape
Bundle Support
4 July 2018
Bundle Support

Tie a bundle of lily grass in a bundle to offer support for your flowers.
Whittle a stumpy stopper to peg precious tiny floral details in place
30 April 2025
Whittle a stumpy stopper to peg precious tiny floral details in place

An easy way to create a design using only a few bits of plant material that can be maintained... effortlessly.
Clip a neat design strip right through 38.46 g (or a thousand!) sprouting wheatgrass for a ethereal Spring display
12 March 2025
Clip a neat design strip right through 38.46 g (or a thousand!) sprouting wheatgrass for a ethereal Spring display

Mow a gap through growing wheatgrass to display Spring treasures.
Palm and hazel fan together to support perfect to pick Helleborus stems
15 January 2025
Palm and hazel fan together to support perfect to pick Helleborus stems

Winter treasures in a small vase for an uplifting fresh flower display.
Use Firethorn spears for a Vine and Orchid twist support
17 July 2024
Use Firethorn spears for a Vine and Orchid twist support

Sharp thorns can be used to keep your floral details in place
Gap basket weave for a Spring flower container
1 May 2024
Gap basket weave for a Spring flower container

Fiasco inspired vase cover for a small Spring design
Basket weave bunny tail grid to catch your floral details
23 August 2023
Basket weave bunny tail grid to catch your floral details

A no waste... but still decorative way to keep your flower in place and hydrated in the warm days of summer.
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.
Create a design gap with two leaves to create shivering whiskers for your Spring design
6 April 2022
Create a design gap with two leaves to create shivering whiskers for your Spring design

Adding design details to create tiny gaps for more design details.
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.
A tiny pebble to keep it all in place
10 March 2021
A tiny pebble to keep it all in place

Keep an orchid and a blade of grass on an upturned bowl... with the weight of a tiny pebble.
Controlled breaking a thin reed to create a grass spiral armature
17 February 2021
Controlled breaking a thin reed to create a grass spiral armature

Carefully break... but don't snap a reed to create a curved base for a fanned out grass armature.
Loop a Monstera leaf stem to craft an underwater hold for a knotted orchid stem
27 January 2021
Loop a Monstera leaf stem to craft an underwater hold for a knotted orchid stem

Use the unique qualities of each stem to create a submerged design in a water filled glass vase.
Related Designs
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
31 July 2013
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

A tiny orchid stem ladder keeps the orchid suspended just above the water line
Making Ends Meet
16 August 2017
Making Ends Meet

Criss-cross corset style connect the gaps in a Monstera deliciosa leaf
Bound to Keep
23 April 2014
Bound to Keep

Weave and tie a decorative catcher to suspend flowers
Finding Common Ground
3 December 2014
Finding Common Ground

My article and twig boutonniere design featured in the Winter issue of DIY Weddings Magazine
Once Upon A Time
13 January 2016
Once Upon A Time

Stack and glue a Grass Pyramid Armature
Woven
13 July 2016
Woven

Weave a canopy or parachute shaped armature for orchids to perch on
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
Wonder
4 July 2018
Wonder

Tie a bundle of grass to support your floral details
Of should and must
30 April 2025
Of should and must

Display tiny design details in a budvase by crafting a stopper-frog.
Spoiler alert: It is one thousand… that’s how many!
12 March 2025
Spoiler alert: It is one thousand… that’s how many!

Growing 1000 wheatgrass seeds to celebrate adding my 1000th Tutorials to my website... Yay!!!
What’s that word for it again?
15 January 2025
What’s that word for it again?

A fun way to fan out palm leaves to display some winter pickings
Refresh-ing
17 July 2024
Refresh-ing

A tall vase for a short orchid stem summer design
hang out with.. you know… floristically speaking
5 June 2024
hang out with.. you know… floristically speaking

Making what makes your floral details unique the focal point of a design
Favourite Take-Away
1 May 2024
Favourite Take-Away

Basket weave container for some Spring floral treasures.
Note to Self
23 August 2023
Note to Self

An easy to weave natural grid for summer floral arrangements.
Jump out at you
22 February 2023
Jump out at you

Early iris flowers in a bud vase.
Gaps between those in-between Spring days
6 April 2022
Gaps between those in-between Spring days

Give a minimal design a few grass "whiskers" to feel that Spring breeze.
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.
The way we curve
10 March 2021
The way we curve

Tiny minimal design that explores curves.
From here in out
17 February 2021
From here in out

An all natural, zero waste design using only plant material.
Knot how it was supposed to go
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.
Favourite Flowers
Phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis orchid detail from my Harnessing the Wind design