My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

When the pretty eyeballs you back!

At second glance floral art design

Warning! … unusually high amount of eyeball attitude detected!

Ghost pumpkins

Caution! … skeleton(blossoms) scans and ghost(pumpkin) glares at work here!

Skeleton eyeball blossoms

Keep out! … just in sight!

Halloween floral design

Danger! … peeking peepers!

Skeleton blossoms

Beware! oh…they really do stare!

Tendrils and Hydrangeas

Notice! … you see?

Hydrangeas and hydrangea skeleton blossom

Look out! … it’s barely there at all

Weave a Willow paddle

Attention! … keep an eye… or 32 open… next week is Halloween!

Ghostly white pumpkin design

Stop! … and have a feast-your-eye-on kind of Halloween everyone.

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

Tutorials

25 October 2017 Skeleton eyeball blossoms

Hydrangea skeleton blossoms with Eucalyptus eyeballs

25 October 2017 Willow Paddle

Weave willow between the fork in a twig to create a paddle like armature

26 August 2015 Skeleton Hydrangeas

Make skeleton petals from hydrangeas to create blossoms

26 August 2015 Skeleton Hydrangea Petal Blossoms

Use the skeleton petals of hydrangeas to create blossoms

22 September 2012 Skeleton Leaves

Remove the pulp from leaves so that only the vain framework remain

28 February 2011 Paper flowers

You can use any type of paper to make flowers. I use tissue paper, Crêpe paper, cardboard, newsprint and coffee filters (new and used) to make sweet peas, carnations, paper...

19 February 2013 Manipulating stems: Snapping at an angle, Bending, Spiraling, Curling and Straightening

Most stems, twigs and even sturdier branches can be bend into shapes. It takes practice and more than a bit of patience. The main idea is to slowly manipulate the branch without...

22 May 2012 Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.

26 July 2011 Wire Tendrils

Curl the wire at irregular intervals to create a natural wire tendril similar to that of a passion fruit plant

29 September 2011 Twig and skeleton leaf Stick Insect

Made from dried cherry twigs and a skeleton leaf.

3 September 2014 Skeletonize Physalis Pods

Remove the pulp from the papery pod (sepal) covering the little berry of Chinese lantern plant so that only the vain framework remain

5 January 2011 Palm leaf Hopper-flies (grasshoppers and butterflies)

Weave grasshoppers or butterflies (or fireflies) from palm leaves

12 November 2014 Skeleton leaf bowl

Stiffen some skeletonize leaves into a lacy fine floral bowl

12 June 2013 Spiral rattan and skeleton leaf bee

Spiral curl and knot a rattan bee

17 April 2013 Skeleton Leaf Flameless Candle Cocoon

Cover a balloon with skeleton leaves to create a cocoon

25 January 2012 Weaving Willow spheres

I build up the spheres by weaving willow wreaths and then use those to shape the ball

11 February 2015 Stripping foliage from weaving stems

Remove foliage from stems to weave with

11 February 2015 Willow Heart Wand

16 March 2016 Willow Parasol

Weave willow stems into a decorative parasol

3 August 2016 Hanging Willow Nest

Bend and weave a nest shape from fresh willow stems

4 January 2011 Drinking straw "test tubes"

When you need to keep a tiny stem hydrated this is just what you need.

Favourite Flowers

Salix matsudana "Tortuosa"

Curly Willow, Chinese Willow, Tortured Willow, Globe Willow, Dragon's Claw, Hankow Willow

Hydrangea

Hydrangea, when cultivated as a cut flower rather as a plant it is often revered to as Hortensia

Related Designs

28 November 2018 Crafting

The second design I did for my book launch demonstration looking at aspects that influences my effortless style of designing.

16 October 2019 Center Peace

A visual breather from all the bright and festive designs to come when designing for Autumn.

1 September 2021 It’s butter… nuts!

An it's not too early to decorate for Autumn, Autumn design

4 May 2022 Wonderful and Enough

That incredible moment when you realize that one good idea for your design really is enough...

28 September 2022 Inside my world

Cut open a Chinese Lantern to show off that shiny berry inside.

12 October 2022 Ahead

Oh my... a corn leaf mummy head for autumn... looking ahead to Halloween styling.

19 April 2023 Short Cut

A tiny carry basket to gather the shortest stems from your cutting garden... with a place for water and your cutters.

20 September 2023 Did you see that!?!

Take a handful of grass... but then add just enough design to make it interesting.

18 October 2023 Drops do that!

Collecting drops of autumn that makes me smile back.

24 January 2024 I mean… really!?!

Using fresh twigs to bind a little twig platform to suspend the beautiful orchids from.

6 March 2024 A Stay Open

Grow a willow birdcage... with a bit of a Spring flower support to get it started.

9 October 2024 As light as a super thankful pumpkin

Create a almost wreath floral display that is light and airy... looking like it was just harvested.

29 September 2011 Pick-Up Sticks

A twig and stick design with sweet dumpling pumpkins and rosary vine (Ceropegia woodii). I also made a cherry twig and skeleton leaf Stick Insect

31 July 2012 Grown Glamour

Delicate cherry twig, rosary vine and oncidium orchid enchanted forest masquerade masque.

22 September 2012 Turning of the leaves

An Autumn Equinox design that captures the moment before the spectacular colour burst of autumn floats around again

26 August 2015 Bent

Weave a wreath from sweetpea stems and tendrils

4 February 2015 collywobbles!

Fold foliage butterflies

12 November 2014 The Thing Is

Use a glue mixture to shape skeleton leaves into a lacy bowl

12 June 2013 Watching that lazy town bee

Spiral curl tiny bees to zoom around fragrant peonies

17 April 2013 Hide-and-go-peek

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

11 February 2015 Love Spell

Weave willow to create a heart shaped wand design

16 March 2016 Creative Expectations

My article and a floral parasol design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine

3 August 2016 Practice

Weave a willow bird nest

25 January 2012 Three Drops of Floral Chocolate

The design drips down in three tiers each celebrating life, love and connection.