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Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

When the wind whisper

  • 8 June 2016
  • and more

Psithurism:

The

sound

of the

wind

whispering

in

the

Trees

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Tutorials
Popsicle Stick Square Armature
8 June 2016
Popsicle Stick Square Armature

Glue Popsicle sticks to create a double layered, upright armature
Stripping bark from willow sticks
8 June 2016
Stripping bark from willow sticks

Strip the green bark from the stems to expose the smooth wood
Butterfly hairclip claws to hold twigs in place while glue dries
18 January 2012
Butterfly hairclip claws to hold twigs in place while glue dries

Butterfly hair clips are the perfect little claws to help you hold tiny items in place while you wait for glue to dry
Bite and snap a sturdy twig
22 May 2012
Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.
Drinking straw "test tubes"
4 January 2011
Drinking straw "test tubes"

When you need to keep a tiny stem hydrated this is just what you need.
Stir-stick Sunburst
22 September 2012
Stir-stick Sunburst

Glue a radiating armature from stir-sticks.
Making a parasol
19 October 2011
Making a parasol

I glued wooden slats into a frame and then wove flax string to create the floral parasol
Birch wood coffee stir sticks fan
21 September 2011
Birch wood coffee stir sticks fan

I wanted to make a thin and delicate fan with open spaced slats for weaving plant material through.
Scalable twig and Phalaenopsis orchid winterscape panel
9 December 2015
Scalable twig and Phalaenopsis orchid winterscape panel

This design can easily scale up or down by using larger or smaller pieces of wood to create a larger wall panel or make a few of these panels to stack as tiles to create a more easily manageable composite
Weaving a fan
24 September 2025
Weaving a fan

It looks impressive... but... and don't tell anyone... this fan is rather easy to craft. It will just take a while to craft.
Willow and Vine tiny stem Gathering Basket
19 April 2023
Willow and Vine tiny stem Gathering Basket

Tiny stems are often also delicate stems... place your cut flowers directly in a small glass of water. A perfect fit for this basket.
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.
Grass snippet globe with T-connections for a (shaded) second layer
27 April 2022
Grass snippet globe with T-connections for a (shaded) second layer

Craft two snippet half moons to connect... and... then add a second layer of grass snippets here and there to shade the flowers.
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.
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.
Beaded wire Leaf
25 September 2019
Beaded wire Leaf

This week I show you the Tutorial for the wire leaf shown in my book on page 14 ... this time in copper.
Spin a tiny glue bead around a thin stem to secure it at an angle in a design
25 September 2019
Spin a tiny glue bead around a thin stem to secure it at an angle in a design

This is a trick for attaching fine details at exactly the right angle.
Snow puddle armature
6 March 2019
Snow puddle armature

Connect twigs with puddles of artificial snow to craft a winter armature for your flowers.
Winter White Twig Screen
6 February 2019
Winter White Twig Screen

Glue twigs to screen delicate flowers for a wintry design.
Snippet grid
30 May 2018
Snippet grid

Glue grass stem snippets to create a natural grid over a shallow container
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
Contained rose twig stack
6 September 2017
Contained rose twig stack

Glue the twigs in a container to easily follow the round shape
A bark strip and fluffed cotton disk wreath
28 December 2016
A bark strip and fluffed cotton disk wreath

Cover a wreath frame with bark strips and fluffed out cotton
Related Designs
WAFA 10th International Flower Show in Boston USA: This Glorious Earth
21 June 2011
WAFA 10th International Flower Show in Boston USA: This Glorious Earth

I wove my Zipper from just over 300 short, dried rose twigs with tiny thorns on them. The delicate "fabric" at the back of the design is woven rose bush roots. Aranthera and Aranda orchids in tiny test tubes covered with rose stem bark are placed in the Zipper design.
When Autumn Fall
6 September 2011
When Autumn Fall

Autumn leaf composite flower
All things being Equal
21 September 2011
All things being Equal

The fan is made from 18 coffee stir sticks and dressed with a veil of grass, fall leaves and Viburnum berries
Center the more adventurous design ideas on your centerpieces
1 May 2012
Center the more adventurous design ideas on your centerpieces

Designing adventurous Contemporary Floral centerpieces Article in the Canadian Florist Magazine.
Twig-a-tude
3 July 2012
Twig-a-tude

Stack and wire twigs to create a twig mushroom with attitude for summer
Turning of the leaves
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
On a Grand Scale
9 December 2015
On a Grand Scale

My article and a floral panel design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine
Are you a fan?
24 September 2025
Are you a fan?

Weave a fan... and add calligraphy inspired floral details using another fan favourite Tutorial... drying hydrangeas.
Short Cut
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.
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.
Shine Shade
27 April 2022
Shine Shade

Glue snippets of grass into a double layer sphere to create a sheltered floral globe.
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.
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.
It’s one and a half to two times... but to the side
25 September 2019
It’s one and a half to two times... but to the side

Soft minimal... this is exactly the kind of design I place in our apartment. Use a few fall treasures picked up on a walk and add a copper leaf to up the effort and love you add into your designs.
It almost happened today!
6 March 2019
It almost happened today!

Craft snow puddles to keep your flowers upright
Tread softly on winter
6 February 2019
Tread softly on winter

A delicate winter twig armature to show off the delicate beauty of these early spring coloured tulips.
You see... here is the Thing:
30 May 2018
You see... here is the Thing:

Glue a grass snippet grid for shallow container design
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
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
A Jingle Cotton Christmas
28 December 2016
A Jingle Cotton Christmas

Cover a wreath frame with bark and cotton for a textured Christmas wreath design
Favourite Flowers
Phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis orchid detail from my Harnessing the Wind design
Salix matsudana "Tortuosa"
Salix matsudana "Tortuosa"

I wove three willow spheres for my Floral Art design Three Drops of floral chocolate.