My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Wish Upon a Dandelion Star

This Design Tutorial is featured on The Conna Flower and Garden Club (Ireland) website. It is part of their Floral Art Lessons program that demonstrates new techniques, ideas and principles of Flower Arranging by International Designers.

Star light,

Star bright,

First star

I see tonight...

I wish I may,

I wish I might,

Have this wish

I wish tonight…

We can wish for what we dream of upon a shooting star, keep our fingers crossed or puff a dandelion wish...

Or we could just get on with it and build the dream, one stick at a time...

About the title:

"Star Light, Star Bright" is an English language nursery rhyme

Thank you Conna Flower and Garden Club for featuring my design tutorial.

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Tutorials
Sticky Shooting Star
12 June 2012
Sticky Shooting Star

Glue gypsophila sticks, flowers and dandelion seeds into a star shape
Delicate Decorative Barbed Wire
12 June 2012
Delicate Decorative Barbed Wire

Very thin barbed wire to add contrast to a soft and fluffy design
Twirling New Year’s wish upon a sparkle star
1 January 2025
Twirling New Year’s wish upon a sparkle star

Craft a birch bark star mobile to celebrate the sparkling New Year
Rudolph the red nosed reindeer... the seed cone and twig version
13 December 2023
Rudolph the red nosed reindeer... the seed cone and twig version

Seed cone and Twig Reindeer
Snowy Bead Garland Planter Bowl
13 December 2023
Snowy Bead Garland Planter Bowl

Glue a beaded garland into a coiled bowl
Stack and Glue Needle Trees
13 December 2023
Stack and Glue Needle Trees

I am showing you a few versions of the tree. One with lights, with and without a stand, a pyramid stacked one and one on a wire.
Quick and Easy way to dress up poinsettia plants for Christmas
13 December 2023
Quick and Easy way to dress up poinsettia plants for Christmas

Colour coordinate your tiny plant pots and add a bauble... or three
First Frost Sparkle Wire and Twinkle Vine Wreath
8 November 2023
First Frost Sparkle Wire and Twinkle Vine Wreath

An impossibly delicate wreath shape that will last... and last... all Festive Season long.
The coziest Wool, Holly and Kalanchoe Table Top Candy Cane Snowflake
30 November 2022
The coziest Wool, Holly and Kalanchoe Table Top Candy Cane Snowflake

A fuzzy wool and twig snowflake that starts out as a handful of candy canes.
Twig Christmas Star
8 December 2021
Twig Christmas Star

Make your own twig Christmas stars- the easy way.
Green Patina Copper Bells
8 December 2021
Green Patina Copper Bells

Easiest bell DIY. Add a bit more character by chemically treating the bell to have a lovely green patina.
Baby’s Breath Wave Cascade
9 June 2021
Baby’s Breath Wave Cascade

Easy and quick arrangement to do for summer in a vase... with just enough complexity to make you feel real good about yourself.
Craft a sturdy “that should be impossible” grid to support even heavier flowers
3 June 2020
Craft a sturdy “that should be impossible” grid to support even heavier flowers

Using the same flower stems, only dry, to craft a grid for the same flowers stems, only fresh
Spin a tinsel and eucalyptus Christmas star gift basket
25 December 2019
Spin a tinsel and eucalyptus Christmas star gift basket

Spin and weave and curl and knot delicate strands throughout the gift box for a sustainable gift box that is as pretty as it is meaningful.
How to make a just-picked-it-a-moment-ago snow covered icicle and mistletoe hanging branch bunch
27 November 2019
How to make a just-picked-it-a-moment-ago snow covered icicle and mistletoe hanging branch bunch

Gather a few branches to hang as a magical winter wonderland Christmas decoration.
Fake real stems-ends for real fake branches
27 November 2019
Fake real stems-ends for real fake branches

Add a real stem to shorter artificial branches to incorporate them into a design.
Perk up faux plant material and flowers that are not wired
27 November 2019
Perk up faux plant material and flowers that are not wired

A sprig of wired faux plant material is easy to bend back into a more natural position. Plastic plant material without a wire in their stems need a bit of help to get back into shape.
Twig Snowflake
25 December 2018
Twig Snowflake

Glue twigs into a snowflake twig armature for Christmas trimmings.
Twinkle and Pine Christmas Star
20 December 2017
Twinkle and Pine Christmas Star

Use a cardboard shape to craft a simple wire Christmas star
Secret Battery holder
20 December 2017
Secret Battery holder

Sometimes the best way to hide something in your design is right in the open
Acorn fork
22 November 2017
Acorn fork

Wire and glue a few acorns into the fork of a twig to create an Autumn armature
Half wire half grass tangle to keep stems in place
26 July 2017
Half wire half grass tangle to keep stems in place

Tangle and shape wire to create a half moon for grass and gyp to rest in
A Dandelion Seed Puff that stays just so
17 May 2017
A Dandelion Seed Puff that stays just so

Use a thin wire to puff out dandelion seeds to look like it spilled from a basket
Using sisal and wood glue to make a rigid and versatile foundation for floral art armatures
22 March 2017
Using sisal and wood glue to make a rigid and versatile foundation for floral art armatures

Wrap thin, glue soaked sisal fibers around a balloon or ball to create a barely there armature
Pin Protea foliage into a curl
22 March 2017
Pin Protea foliage into a curl

The sturdy Protea leaves holds it shape even when dried when pinned into place
Skewered Foliage Garland
22 March 2017
Skewered Foliage Garland

Create a garland that dries well with rolled up leaves
Add plant material and a wire support to sisal armatures
22 March 2017
Add plant material and a wire support to sisal armatures

Customize sisal armatures by adding a wire skeleton and interesting bits of plant material
Bleached Gypsophila
4 November 2015
Bleached Gypsophila

Gypsophila dries really well and can be bleached to a stunning winter white
Bleached Baby’s Breath Wreath
4 November 2015
Bleached Baby’s Breath Wreath

Glue a radiating wreath from bleached Gyp
Gypsophila snowball posy
9 November 2011
Gypsophila snowball posy

A Posy made of Gypsophila flowers can look flat. I use a dried Hydrangea or Agapanthus flower head as a flower frog to puff it out
Related Designs
The year is so new it… sparkles!
1 January 2025
The year is so new it… sparkles!

A sparkling star design to celebrate the New Year
A Very Merry Naked Tree and Woodland Woodsy and Oversized Flowers Trendy Christmas Cheer
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.
A warm up
8 November 2023
A warm up

An almost Christmas... Christmas wreath featured in the winter edition of Flora Magazine.
Take a bough… it’s Christmas time!
30 November 2022
Take a bough… it’s Christmas time!

A wool and twig snowflake design (made from candy canes!) that will last the entire Festive Season.
It’s the most… it’s the most... Jingle Patina Christmas of all!
8 December 2021
It’s the most… it’s the most... Jingle Patina Christmas of all!

This is the third of my Christmas 2021 series of designs. This year in the form of a mini workshop… my Christmas present to you. Craft the easiest copper bells to hang in a Christmas star wreath.
Making Waves
9 June 2021
Making Waves

A quick and easy to do cascade design for summer.
As if by magic
3 June 2020
As if by magic

An impossibly delicate looking way to securely keep flowers in place over a clear container.
Wishing you a Light Touched Christmas
25 December 2019
Wishing you a Light Touched Christmas

A naturally fragrant, star shaped gift box basket. Merry Christmas to you.
The struggle is real!
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 there.
A Very Merry Season’s Greetings Holly Jolly Happy Most Wonderful Christmas Time to you!
25 December 2018
A Very Merry Season’s Greetings Holly Jolly Happy Most Wonderful Christmas Time to you!

A Merry Christmas Twig Snowflake
A Very Merry Christmas Star
20 December 2017
A Very Merry Christmas Star

A wire Christmas star with a secret plan to hide the twinkle
While I sing of beauty's treasure
6 December 2017
While I sing of beauty's treasure

Glue the most delicate twig table top Christmas tree
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.
Beat the summer heat
26 July 2017
Beat the summer heat

Tangle some wire to set flowers in water
Nobody move!
17 May 2017
Nobody move!

Weave a small basket with a lid to keep fluffy treasures in
Biomimicry
22 March 2017
Biomimicry

A design demonstration and workshop at the Floral Trends Design group in South Africa exploring how we emulate nature’s best biological ideas to solve our modern day design problems.
So white
25 November 2015
So white

A dried Baby's breath and fresh orchid wreath
Favourite Flowers
Gypsophila
Gypsophila

I used mainly Gypsophila and twigs to create my fantasy Intimate dinner for two competition design.