My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Toning down the summer up into the earliest autumn

And I do so

Early autumn floral design using no flower foam

quietly…

How to alter summer floral details to look more like autumn

because

Using sunflowers in a no foam floral display

(honestly!)

Mechanics for floral foam free floral arrangements

the world doesn’t

How to place heavy flowers without floral foam as a mechanic

need

Early autumn sustainable zero waste floral styling

more noise

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

Tutorials

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.

4 April 2018 Tap in a Twig Support

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

17 July 2013 Chrysanthemum sepals and receptacle

I love using bits of flowers to add interest and texture

13 August 2014 Sunflower Disk Floret

Gently pull the petals ( Ray floret) from the seeded part of the sunflower

9 August 2023 Tap in support for horizontal placement of your top heavy flowers

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

21 October 2020 Sunflower heart autumn display

Pick away the ray floret so that the disk floret of a sunflower can be used as a flat surface to display your design on.

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

31 July 2019 Adding folded grass "jitters" to a Sunflower

Adding tension to a design with a grass frame and collar.

28 January 2015 Well Rooted Sprouting Willow Weave

Weave a sprouting armature

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

7 June 2023 Peg the heavy details in place with a wedged stem support

Create a support for your floral details by wedging the cut flower stem across the opening of the vase.

18 October 2023 U shape stems to anchor Fuchsia drops and Maple leaf Falls in a bud vase

Bend pliable stems to kick against the side to anchor design details exactly in place in a small vase.

24 March 2021 A Spring Sprout Wreath Flower Frog

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

13 August 2014 Standing flowering stems in shallow puddles

Making a truss out of sunflower stems for a free standing design

5 June 2019 Stack a Stack of Stems to create a sturdy grid Armature... with some height

Stack green lily stems to create an upright mechanic to keep shorter stems in place.

4 July 2018 Bundle Support

Tie a bundle of lily grass in a bundle to offer support for your flowers.

Favourite Flowers

Passiflora

Granadilla, passionflower, passion vines

Related Designs

4 April 2018 Grow on it

Wedge twigs into a vase to create a grid.

9 August 2023 Look at me… doing math!

Adding our own "bit" to our floral design work.

13 February 2019 Pick Love

Craft a willow heart to display 12 red roses to celebrate Valentine's Day.

21 October 2020 When it gets chilly

Use the heart of a sunflower as a platform to place your autumn floral details on.

17 July 2024 Refresh-ing

A tall vase for a short orchid stem summer design

31 July 2019 Jitters!

Zig-zag grass details add a bit of tension to the design

17 April 2013 Hide-and-go-peek

Create a soft light by making a leaf cocoon for a flameless candle

28 January 2015 In a State of Flow

weave some willow to use as an armature

27 January 2016 Well, I'll be

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

7 June 2023 Be excited

Oh my! Picked from my balcony garden... after I thought I completely missed it blooming.

18 October 2023 Drops do that!

Collecting drops of autumn that makes me smile back.

24 March 2021 To two too!

A Spring Tulip celebration design... with a special message

13 August 2014 A leg to stand on

Create a upright design by supporting the flowering stems

5 June 2019 Add up!

Stacking green stems to create an armature for short stemmed flowers.

4 July 2018 Wonder

Tie a bundle of grass to support your floral details