My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

To two too!

24 March 2021
and more

You can choose two or all… celebrate with me...

With a couple of yay!!

a pair of whooooop!!

a jippppeeee! duet

ii of hip… hip…

a twin rah-rah!!

duo...hooray!!

And both halves that makes up the hap...

... and the py...

… in happy 2nd Book Birthday: The The Effortless Floral Craftsman

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

Gather what you'll need

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Dew-Drop Crystals

I created the Tutorial for how I add these crystals to my floral designs 11 years ago! Since then I have tried, tested and searched for the perfect crystals that would go from studio‑table picture perfect to show‑day‑dependable and I always come back to these. They remain the absolute best. They’re inexpensive yet have a refined, high‑quality crystal brilliance; they don’t tarnish and their adhesive backing stays reliably tacky even after they were exposed to water.

Tutorials

24 March 2021

A Spring Sprout Wreath Flower Frog

Craft an everything is still growing spring design to celebrate... what we love!

19 June 2012

Tapping away Tulip pollen

Tap away most of the pollen from a fully opened tulip

11 May 2011

Slow down tulip growth, after the stems have been severed from the bulbs

Tulips continue to grow after being cut. Sometimes when you make a very small design or for competition or bridal work you want to minimize growth. The best way to do this is to divert their energy.

21 March 2012

Where to cut Tulips to condition

Here is a trick to make sure your tulips will condition thoroughly

1 April 2020

Using your seriously cool hot glue skills to glue a wire support for a tulip stem

A clever almost concealed wire support to keep a single tulip flower upright in a minimal bud design.

26 February 2020

Weave a grass Platform for an opening Tulip bud

Tulips continue to grow as they open. This means you not only have to be mindful of their proportions as they are now... but also as they will be once open.

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.

6 February 2019

Winter White Twig Screen

Glue twigs to screen delicate flowers for a wintry design.

16 January 2019

Delicate Twig Hammock Armature to keep tulips upright in a shallow container

Craft a suspended armature to create a clear winter design.

4 April 2018

Tap in a Twig Support

Wedge snipped twigs into a glass vase to act as a support for your flowers

27 January 2016

Sprouting willow armature

Carefully manipulate and bend green willow stems to place in water to sprout as an armature for tulips to mature and open

21 January 2015

Braiding three Tulip stems

Plait Tulip stems

30 April 2014

Scattered grass armature

An grass armature that looks scattered but is actually very secure

12 August 2026

Café au Lait Summer Swirl-Twirl

Use that good old double vase trick to create a (dry) fairy light swirl for your design base.

8 July 2026

Cross and knot forked stems to support them in a minimal summer display

Abyssinian Gladiolus do not need much help to be pretty perfect for a summer display... water and a few twigs and a pretty bow.

22 April 2026

Roll a leaf blade shade shelter for a crystal puddle… frog

Create a delicate but glamorous shelter Spring design to show off delicate shade loving flowers.

15 April 2026

Hop over, skip one and a long jump to the other side twig suspension (with a craftsmanship magic trick in between, of course)

Use a few spongy stems and a bougainvillea branch with sharp thorns to create an impossibly delicate Spring display that is minimal and luxurious.

5 November 2025

Barely there twig layer support to allow all the autumn colours to shine and glow

Snip Autumn bits from your garden to arrange in and around a glass container for a modern loose, layered display.

23 April 2025

Reflexed petal Tulip… with a surprise Orchid flower buddy

Gently pop the petals of a mature tulip back to open up the flower... to add another flower, of course!

2 April 2025

A Muscari cluster frog to display a precious Scilla Siberica on its own dogwood twig

Crafting a display cluster of plant material is the best way to turn the most delicate of stems into a focal point.

29 January 2025

Straight up and down icicle, clematis vine and huckleberry twig double vase winter display

Give an old mechanic a contemporary twist for creating light and airy flower displays.

25 September 2024

Slip-slit tapped in stems to keep vines upright in a muted autumn display

A tiny adjustment in a stem wedged into a vase mechanic to give you even more control over the placement of design details.

10 April 2024

See through Jasmine Vine tangle support

This is a great way to explore using vines dried, soon to dry and fresh and hydrated to craft the thinnest possible transparent design.

9 August 2023

Tap in support for horizontal placement of your top heavy flowers

Placing gladiolus stems horizontally so that the stems... disappear.

22 March 2023

Easy twist to a tulip spiral to nestle a “we are still building this” bird’s nest in

The easiest unfinished nest idea... simply shaped from roots discovered while Spring cleaning and preparing to plant.

1 February 2023

Spiked Tulip Fan

Fanned out Tulips for a snowy winter display... that stays just so.

1 June 2022

A wild "found it this way" thorn and overgrown tulip design with a ribbon tangle instead of a bow.

Glue an overgrown thorn armature to a container to display fully opened tulips

23 March 2022

A Double vase, Sticky tape, Reflexed AND Woven Nestled Grass and Tulip Whirl

so many techniques rolled into one rather pretty tulip nest. Perfect to celebrate new beginnings: Spring and my book birthday... and my online workshop!

19 January 2022

Knot a wool grid for a cozy Tulip and twig armature design

Bring in some warmth with a tulip design that still hints at winter

Related Designs

1 April 2020

Hang in there!

Keeping this tulip upright requires less magic and more hot glue skills... but it looks magical never the less.

26 February 2020

To top it all off

This is a great "space-keeper" design. The tulip will continue to grow into the vase height as they open... but until then the grass platform part of the design diverts your attention to fix any issues you might experience with the proportions right now.

6 February 2019

Tread softly on winter

A delicate winter twig armature to show off the delicate beauty of these early spring coloured tulips.

16 January 2019

Every. Single. Week.

Stand tulips upright in a shallow container with a suspended twig armature.

4 April 2018

Grow on it

Wedge twigs into a vase to create a grid.

27 January 2016

Well, I'll be

Manipulate fresh willow stems to create a sprouting armature for long tulip stems

21 January 2015

Tiptoe through the Tulips

Braid Tulip stems to set in water

30 April 2014

Scattered

Scatter some dried grass to make a floral armature

19 March 2014

One of one of everyone

Float flowers using a bubble wrap raft

11 May 2011

It's Tulip Time!

Tulips continue to grow once the stem is severed from the bulb. More often than not you can use this growth to create an ever changing design. But sometimes you want that tulip to stay in the position it is placed.