My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

While I sing of beauty's treasure

The sounds of Christmas 2017:

While I sing of beauty's treasure floral art design

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Twig Christmas tree

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Twig and baubles floral design

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Snowy twigs

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Paper White

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White winter Christmas

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Vine tendrils

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Paper White on a snowy twig tree

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Winter white twig Christmas tree

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"Deck the Halls" is a traditional Christmas, yuletide, and New Years' carol. The melody is from a Welsh winter carol (Nos Galan) dating back to the sixteenth century and the English lyrics was written by Thomas Oliphant in 1862.

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

Tutorials

6 December 2017 Barely there twig tabletop Christmas tree

Glue curved twig snippets to craft a delicate winter white Christmas tree

6 December 2017 Fluffy pillow filler tree skirt

The fluffy stuffing found in pillows create beautiful, water repellent tree skirts.

29 November 2011 Messy wire lace

I call this “lace” because I use pins to guide the wire sections together- almost like you do when making lace.

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

15 December 2011 Measure the height of a table design from elbow to duck beak.

This is an easy and quick way to make sure your table design is the right hight

15 December 2011 Spiral wire support pressed into a candle

The wire spirals are supported on wire sections pressed into the wax

28 December 2016 Adding snow to twigs

Glue artificial snow to twigs

12 June 2012 Sticky Shooting Star

Glue gypsophila sticks, flowers and dandelion seeds into a star shape

27 November 2012 Winter Woodland Chandelier

Wrap vines and twigs around a wire frame to create a decorative woodland chandelier

27 November 2012 Fluff cotton wool for snow

Cotton balls can be unrolled and fluffed to create long garlands of "snow"

12 December 2012 Piled Pine Needle Tabletop Wreath

Use wood glue to make a light as air table top wreath from pine needles

12 December 2012 Eucalyptus Snow Flakes

Glue seeded eucalyptus snow flakes

4 January 2011 Drinking straw "test tubes"

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

18 December 2012 Fill hollow bark with test tubes

Glue tiny sections of pipe to the bark to fill as a water source for the fresh flower material

4 December 2013 Large wax snowflakes

Artificial snow can be very "chemical" and flowers deteriorate quickly when exposed to it. It also dissolves in water. I use candle wax as "snow"

16 December 2015 Ivy vine Christmas tree mobile

Twist ivy vines around a cardboard shape to create a lace fine Christmas tree mobile.

14 December 2016 Bark and Cotton Candy Cane

Cover a cardboard shape in cotton and bark to create a floral armature

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.

21 December 2016 Bark Christmas Stocking

Cover a wire frame to create a Christmas stocking armature

28 December 2016 A bark strip and fluffed cotton disk wreath

Cover a wreath frame with bark strips and fluffed out cotton

7 January 2015 Securing a kenzan

Temporarily adhere a traditional Ikebana Kenzan or pincushion to a shallow container.

Favourite Flowers

Narcissus

The white variety is referred to as paper white, the yellow is known as a daffodil.

Related Designs

13 December 2017 Just hear those sleigh bells jingling

Craft a bark sleigh that will last for weeks.

20 December 2017 A Very Merry Christmas Star

A wire Christmas star with a secret plan to hide the twinkle

19 December 2018 Oh Florist-tree

Craft an Eucalyptus Christmas tree

27 November 2019 The struggle is real!

Design 3 looking at How to style with artificial plants and branches using quality faux plants and stems. This week: mistletoe! And also .. give your faux a reason for being...

4 December 2019 A Very Merry eucalyptus-collar-candle Christmas!

An easy and naturally fragrant winter white candle decoration to bring nature into your house this Christmas.

11 December 2019 A Very Merry eucalyptus bauble Christmas!

For this year's Christmas tree I wired and glued a wild and wintry twig armature... but... these little eucalyptus baubles are just the cutest!

11 November 2020 What goes around

Display a single stem flower in an Autumn leaf twirl

2 December 2020 Have yourself a Merry Cellulose Fibre Christmas: Lost and Found Snow Mittens

...ok not really that fancy- it’s made from paper pulp. A cardboard box snow mittens… really. In the spirit of 2020- I am inspired by the endless stream of cardboard boxes being...

9 December 2020 Have yourself a Merry Cellulose Fibre Christmas: Gyp flurry Snowman

...ok not really that fancy- it’s paper pulp. Cardboard boxes, really. In the spirit of 2020- I am inspired by the endless stream of cardboard boxes being delivered. My list of...

30 December 2020 All is Calm, All is Bright

An easy to do ahead of time winter wonderland themed design for the calm days just after Christmas but before New Years Eve.

15 December 2021 It’s the most… it’s the most… wonderful Patina Copper Christmas Tree of all!

This is the fourth of my Christmas 2021 series of designs. This year in the form of a mini workshop… my Christmas present to you. Paint copper to add a beautiful patina to a...

29 December 2021 It’s the most… it’s the most... Toast-iest Patina Christmas of all!

This is the sixth of my Christmas 2021 series of designs. This year in the form of a mini workshop… my Christmas present to you. This week I will show you how to go overboard on...

7 December 2022 Making spirits bright

A twig sleigh... to collect your twig Christmas tree, of course!

14 December 2022 Joyf'ly

Table top Christmas tree with a fairy light twig trunk.

21 December 2022 Let it

A happy December Solstice or the Winter Solstice lantern.

28 December 2022 Giving a nod

A scattering of winter decorating for wherever you might need it.

6 December 2023 A Very Merry Dark and Moody and bring it in from the Woods Trendy Christmas Cheer

From now to a bit after New Year's Eve I will show you my take on the trends for Christmas 2023. This week I start with natural styling with a handcrafted twig candy cane.

13 December 2023 A Very Merry Naked Tree and Woodland Woodsy and Oversized Flowers Trendy Christmas Cheer

From now to a bit after New Year's Eve I will show you my take on the trends for Christmas 2023. This week I am continuing with a garland bowl and a cone and twig reindeer.

3 January 2024 A Very Merry Gilded Paper Ornament and Yule Log Trendy Christmas/New Year’s Cheer

Paper snowflakes to display small snippets of Festive flowers on.

20 November 2024 A Very Merry… all elf pass into Santa’s workshop!

A light... and slight start to designing for Christmas... an oversized Finial

27 November 2024 A Very Merry… all elf pass into Santa’s workshop, special department of tinkering together those Soooo Good, for Goodness Sake moments

Long lasting and easy to pick up and place garland to decorate a Festive Platter of… anything, really!

11 December 2024 A Very Merry… all elf pass into Santa’s Workshop for a dash of Having Something To Look Forward To

An on-purpose-not-yet-quite-done design to remind us to enjoy the Christmas moments as they unfold.

18 January 2012 Winter’s Green

This contorted hazel twig reminded me of an ancient and wise bonsai tree. It definitely has a story of its own to tell. I wanted to capture that in my design. All it needed was...

23 November 2011 Earthly Angel

Christmas Flower Trends 2011 starts with a Floral Craft Assignment from the Floral Trends Design Group to make an Earthly Angel garden decoration.

29 November 2011 Jack Frost’s Christmas stocking

I used wire, fishing line (mono-filament) and Phalaenopsis orchid roots to make a messy lace Christmas stocking and dressed the stocking with frost green Cymbidium orchids

7 December 2011 Forest Filigree Christmas Wreath

I wanted my Hazel twig wreath to look like forest filigree: mysteriously overgrown, tangled with age and dappled with moss and lichen. The wreath is also dressed with fresh and...

15 December 2011 Rocking around Three Candle Trees

Wire spirals twisted around candles to make small Christmas trees for the Christmas Eve dinner table

20 December 2011 Our finest gifts we bring,

A small, all natural gift box woven from palm

3 January 2012 Going Cold Twinkle Turkey

Is it better to go Cold Twinkle Turkey and embrace the minimalist living room or rather ease into it?

11 June 2012 Wish Upon a Dandelion Star

A sticky shooting star made with gypsophila stems and fluffy dandelion seeds

27 November 2012 The glories of Christmases long, long ago…

Weave a wire and twig Christmas chandelier

4 December 2012 'Tis the Season

My article looking at contrasts and 6 winter lantern designs featured in the DIY Wedding Magazine

12 December 2012 It's a swell time…

An exceptional moment frozen in time… 12:12:12 12/12/12

18 December 2012 So this is Christmas, I hope you had fun…

Capilano Flower Arranging Club Designing for Christmas Workshop: Yule log

24 December 2012 Please have snow… and presents under the tree

Wire a Tiny Twig Treasure Trunk for small Christmas gifts

25 December 2013 A gift for gifting

Christmas gift design

10 December 2014 Let It Snow

Use floral foam to create a pine needle cube

2 December 2015 Stacking the odds in your favour

Cover a wire frame for a winter kissing bough.

16 December 2015 Christmas Waves

Twist a Kalanchoe and Ivy vine Christmas tree mobile

14 December 2016 A Candy(cane) Cotton Christmas

A floral cotton candy cane

21 December 2016 A Gleaming Cotton Christmas

Glue bark to a wire frame to create a Christmas stocking armature

28 December 2016 A Jingle Cotton Christmas

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