My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

When Autumn Fall

Autumn (or fall, depending where you live) is undoubtedly an extraordinary time of year for floral designers.

The flower market is stocked with berries and pods and pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.

And even though autumn officially starts on September 23 you can already feel it in the air and slowly coloured leaves are fluttering to the ground

Its a temptation to great to resist. I just had to gather an entire basket full of leaves to make my composite rose.

Poppy seed heads (Papaver somniferum) and the pistils of Lisianthus (Eustoma) flowers are arranged on a twig and lily grass collar. The composite rose is made from Katsura Tree (Cercidyphyllum japonica) leaves

The poppy seed heads are in water filled test tubes. The bit of weight on the ends of the seed heads helped to balance them as they hanged over the design.

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Tutorials
Autumn leaf Roses
6 September 2011
Autumn leaf Roses

I used to make baskets full of these when I was a little girl. We had a big Acasia thorn tree and I used to spear my “roses” onto the tree pretending I was the fairy responsible for bringing blossoms.
Autumn leaf Composite Flower
6 September 2011
Autumn leaf Composite Flower

Glue a round Autumn leaf Composite Flower.
Twig collar
6 September 2011
Twig collar

Create a light and transparent collar-base for the large composite flower to nestle into.
T-Wiring
6 September 2011
T-Wiring

A t-wire create a stem to insert grass or twigs to shadow a design without laying flat
Flatten a Spring for a disk grid
5 March 2025
Flatten a Spring for a disk grid

Aluminum wire grid to support the stems and flowers above the water.
Design a buildable corsage that can be taken apart and added back together again to give you more styling options without damaging your design.
6 November 2024
Design a buildable corsage that can be taken apart and added back together again to give you more styling options without damaging your design.

Easy assemble… and disassemble design details using a Wristix™ corsage magnet from BoutStix™
Ivy and tendril blooms
4 September 2024
Ivy and tendril blooms

Wrap ivy leaves around a passionflower vine tendril to craft a flower
Dried Bougainvillaea and pink Pepper berry Disk
4 September 2024
Dried Bougainvillaea and pink Pepper berry Disk

Pink just before autumn, autumn design to celebrate the richness in colour.
Get a head start with a long lasting shallow vine basket and succulent table top Spring display
21 February 2024
Get a head start with a long lasting shallow vine basket and succulent table top Spring display

Long, long, long lasting display that will even root in place with a few adjustments.
Snowy Magnolia forest floor armature
25 January 2023
Snowy Magnolia forest floor armature

An armature to display a lovely surprise orchid that developed on the long spike just after the other flowers started to fade.
Snowy twig band armature for a ever changing winter display
18 January 2023
Snowy twig band armature for a ever changing winter display

A well made snow covered twig band armature will last all winter so that you can display even the most delicate winter treasures.
Dendrobium orchid and grass snippet cone around a glass container
27 July 2022
Dendrobium orchid and grass snippet cone around a glass container

Craft a grass armature to suspend the orchids in deep water from around the outside of your container.
Tilt container with a spilling twigs armature
9 February 2022
Tilt container with a spilling twigs armature

Perfect design for a warmer than usual winter design that hints at thawing.
Hovering golden wheat Ghost Ship armature
27 October 2021
Hovering golden wheat Ghost Ship armature

Using dry and fresh floral material in one design without the dry becoming soggy and the fresh drying out.
Dried twig collar in a double vase display for gravity sensitive flowers
11 August 2021
Dried twig collar in a double vase display for gravity sensitive flowers

Putting the focus on the flowers with an ever changing design.
Sink a carnation composite flower flat top platform into a vase
24 February 2021
Sink a carnation composite flower flat top platform into a vase

The trick of this Tutorial is to create a flat top platform to display Spring blossom twigs- the way it would look on moss in a forest.
On the edge grid for a decorative twig and reed armature
14 October 2020
On the edge grid for a decorative twig and reed armature

Place the floral details strategically on the edge of sturdier parts of the armature to keep the reed grid from collapsing under the weight of the floral details.
All dried Autumn hemisphere design that will outlast even the falling leaves outside
23 September 2020
All dried Autumn hemisphere design that will outlast even the falling leaves outside

Preserve some floral material to design with when it is but not quite Autumn outside.
Finally! I found a perfect way to perfectly preserve a perfect passion fruit flower.
25 March 2020
Finally! I found a perfect way to perfectly preserve a perfect passion fruit flower.

Yay everyone! I found the absolute best way to preserve passion fruit flowers. Here it is: how to dry flowers using Silica Gel.
Twig Dome Armature
17 July 2019
Twig Dome Armature

Crafted from a hand full of twigs to give you a large design... even though you add only two stems of sweet peas.
Radiating rainbow vine armature
2 May 2018
Radiating rainbow vine armature

Design an armature that is light enough to be carried by two flower stems to create a radiating frame.
Autumn Screen
29 November 2017
Autumn Screen

Craft a hanging twig and autumn leaf design
Three tier dried autumn leaf armature
8 November 2017
Three tier dried autumn leaf armature

Dry autumn leaves on cardboard disks to create an upright fall armature
Contained rose twig stack
6 September 2017
Contained rose twig stack

Glue the twigs in a container to easily follow the round shape
Acrylic Spiderweb
21 September 2016
Acrylic Spiderweb

For this design I made the inside connection bit on a 3D printer with the spikes made of acrylic tubes.
Leaning Sunflowers to stay just so
27 July 2016
Leaning Sunflowers to stay just so

The trick to any freestanding design is to get your first three stems standing stable and secure in the water. Once you have that you can build the design around it.
Popsicle Stick Square Armature
8 June 2016
Popsicle Stick Square Armature

Glue Popsicle sticks to create a double layered, upright armature
Related Designs
Around about Springtime
5 March 2025
Around about Springtime

Spiral cyclamen foliage around to create a composite flower to showcase the petal-like anthurium flowers.
Some Handmade Meaning
6 November 2024
Some Handmade Meaning

I am a huge (HUGE!) fan of the original BoutStix magnets and I love the newest wrist corsage magnets as well. And not just for making corsages. I use them for everything. It is a staple in my design bag and it is ideal for putting up Seasonal decorations. They open up so many creative design possibilities and now with the addition of a strap and Velcro… the possibilities are endless!
A shade around there, probably… maybe
4 September 2024
A shade around there, probably… maybe

A dried flower and foliage... flower... disk to help me pretend it is autumn
I'll Go First
21 February 2024
I'll Go First

My Spring/Easter design and the introduction article about my floral journey written by the editor, Nina Tucknott in the latest issue of Flora Magazine.
Even More
25 January 2023
Even More

This orchid developed at the very end of a long stem... right as the rest of the flowers started to die back so I made a special armature to display the cut stem.
Getting the Band Back Together Again
18 January 2023
Getting the Band Back Together Again

Glue a band of snow dusted twigs to create a delicate armature for winter treasures.
Wrong on the right, for a right
27 July 2022
Wrong on the right, for a right

A glued snipped to create a cooling cone for dangling orchids
Pouring
9 February 2022
Pouring

Place a small fishbowl vase at an angle to look like it is pouring out flowers and twigs.
Ship Shape
27 October 2021
Ship Shape

The dry wheat stems are suspended from the outside of the container so that they remain dry and the flower stems can gently rest inside to remain hydrated.
A bit Special... four dimensional designing
11 August 2021
A bit Special... four dimensional designing

Using that little something that is unusual about your flower to make the design stand out.
Picked up some proper Pruning
24 February 2021
Picked up some proper Pruning

An early Spring design with a twist on using an old favourite: composite flowers.
Stick it out… the creative spirit version
14 October 2020
Stick it out… the creative spirit version

Soft minimal Fall armature making it easy to replace the flowers as the season progress.
Getting a head start on all that Fall-ing
23 September 2020
Getting a head start on all that Fall-ing

Floral styling using mostly dried material that will last the entire Autumn.
How to lay a little bit low
25 March 2020
How to lay a little bit low

A flat-lay to celebrate finally finding the perfect way to dry passion fruit flowers... and my book's first birthday but mostly the drying of passion fruit flowers thing.
… and... a bit more... effort… to make it special
17 July 2019
… and... a bit more... effort… to make it special

Instead of just placing a handful of twigs and two stems of sweet peas in a vase... why not...?
Over the rainbow
2 May 2018
Over the rainbow

Craft a radiating design that suspends from the orchid stems
Marcescent
29 November 2017
Marcescent

Glue a delicate autumn room devider
How do squirrels Cache a tree?
22 November 2017
How do squirrels Cache a tree?

Hoard a few acorns in the fork of a twig to show off a single oncidium orchid.
Psithurism
8 November 2017
Psithurism

Craft a three tiered, dried autumn leaf armature
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): Another perspective
23 November 2016
All things Autumn (by which I mean all things chocolate): Another perspective

This was the third design I did in my "All things Autumn (by which I mean all things chocolate)" floral art demonstration
Details
24 August 2016
Details

Glue twigs to create a vase shaped armature
Too Hot!
27 July 2016
Too Hot!

Leaning floral stems to stand on their own in a shallow container
When the wind whisper
8 June 2016
When the wind whisper

Glue a fantasy forest from Popsicle sticks, grape vine tendrils and willow tips
Pour
11 May 2016
Pour

Glue a twig vase and melt some plastic to create a tumbling design
Take your time
9 March 2016
Take your time

My article and Japanese paper flower armature design featured in the March issue of The Academy Leader- Academy of Floral Design, published by the The Floral Art Society of New Zealand
On a Grand Scale
9 December 2015
On a Grand Scale

My article and a floral panel design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine
What a find!
14 October 2015
What a find!

Roll autumn leaves to create a frog to keep flowers upright
A little bit of Art and Soul
24 July 2012
A little bit of Art and Soul

A twig structure with roses
Favourite Flowers
Papaver
Papaver

When Autumn Fall Composite leaf rose with Poppy seed heads