My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Ceropegia woodii - Rosary vine,  Chain of Hearts, Collar of hearts and String of hearts

Ceropegia woodii

Pompon Chrysanthemum pom-poms and strands of Rosary vine for my floral lariat necklace in the Canadian Florist Magazine

Common name

Rosary vine, Chain of Hearts, Collar of hearts and String of hearts

Origin

South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe

Varieties

New varieties have been selected but mostly for their beauty as houseplants rather than for the cut flower industry.

Colors

Leaves are variegated or either deep green or pale green (underside pinkish to bright purple) depending on the amount of sunlight the plant is exposed to and the flowers are white or purple in colour

Vase life

As a pot plant the trailing stems will continue to grow and develop side shoots. Cut for design work the leaves will last as long as most succulents without water and will root if designed in water over time.

Scent

None

Uses

The leaves look fantastic in detailed work. Long trailing stems add movement and can also be used to bind stems.

Conditioning

Most designers grow the plants and cut the long strings as needed. Water the plant only when dry and do not allow the plant to stand in water. Keep the plant in a warm area (above 15’C) and in partial shade.

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Related Designs

3 July 2024 Creating a perfectly flat leafy surface... with a few gaps to fit some flowers

Shady leaf fenestration raft for easy summer designing

3 July 2024 Oh! my word

A perfectly flat leaf to support tiny floral details in the summer heat.

8 May 2024 I mean… did you!?!

Playing with shapes to frame the light in a dramatic floral design.

20 March 2024 Spring Coil Straw Basket

Coil a straw basket... the easy way.

20 March 2024 the arc of Success

Coil a straw basket for an Easter display

28 February 2024 Tangle a Ceropegia Woodii bud vase nest topper

Hatching an Oncidium orchid from a succulent vine nest... as one does in early Spring.

28 February 2024 When the Super-duper is taking it Easy-peasy

Easy does it design that hints at but is not yet as intensive as the fun basket weaving and crafting that comes with Spring designing.

14 February 2024 Craft a birch bark bud vase topper for a openhearted Valentine's display

Craft a keepsake heart on top of a vase to display special flowers.

14 February 2024 Spoiler Alert: It’s You

A birch bark heart for Valentine's Day

17 January 2024 A birch bark spiral wrap to cradle floral details in a wine glass

Spiral birch bark strips into two mirror images to create a wintery wrap for a bud vase.

17 January 2024 Wave Wrap

Roll birch bark into a double spiral to cradle some perfect flowers to admire all winter.

3 January 2024 Magnetic silverleaf bell and snowy twig clusters to suspend your flowers in a display

An easy to remove and put back bundle of winter twigs to add to a display.

3 January 2024 Succulent and gilded flameless candle yule log display stand

A robust stand with tall dowel sticks to slip your display over.

3 January 2024 Silver leaf Paper Snowflakes to display your winter flowers on

Fold some snowflakes to display your beautiful winter flowers on.

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.

13 September 2023 Traditional book folding craft technique turned into an armature… with a me twist

Fold a book into a floral armature... with tricks there to keep the floral material hydrated and suspended.

13 September 2023 I am a fan!

Giving my book a super fan make-over.

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.

18 January 2023 Getting the Band Back Together Again

Glue a band of snow dusted twigs to create a delicate armature for winter treasures.

20 April 2022 How to position the tiniest Spring stems using the hole in the side of a beaker wall vase

The tiny stems tend to flop about making it difficult to place your design... just so. This is such a great solution!

20 April 2022 Oh this? Yes! it is new

New growth... too cute to resist!

9 March 2022 Lily grid for cradling the first spring sprigs in a small vase

Place a fully opened lily over the opening of your vase to help support more delicate stems

9 March 2022 …. Aaaaaand tick!

Ever wonder how I decide what I share with you? A fun design ticking all the boxes.

22 December 2021 Patina Copper Spiral Bauble and Pinecone Cascade

A beautiful pinecone dressed up for Christmas.

22 December 2021 It’s the most… it’s the most… wonderful Patina Copper Spiral Bauble Christmas of all!

This is the fifth 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 add a mostly...

15 December 2021 Half and Half Copper and Twig Christmas tree

Cut a tree from copper and twigs for a long lasting tabletop Christmas decoration.

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...

24 November 2021 Flameless Patina Copper Lantern

This is the easiest battery operated votive candle lantern to hand craft from a copper sheet... ever! As always with my Tutorials you will not need any special tools or workshop...

24 November 2021 Feather and Twig Wreath to frame a Handcrafted Copper Lantern

Cover a basic wreath with a layer of feathers for a soft and comforting winter wreath

24 November 2021 It’s the most… it’s the most... Glowing-est Patina Christmas of all!

This is the first of my Christmas 2021 series of designs. This year in the form of a mini workshop… my Christmas present to you. We will explore how to patina Copper and use it to...

17 March 2021 Cone shaped leafy puddle for a short stemmed flower

Take all the usual ingredients for a budvase design- a flower, a leafy green something and roll it into something unusual to display.

17 March 2021 A scoop of pretty

A tiny budvase design that rearranges basic ingredients, such as a single leaf and an orchid to create a new design concept.

10 February 2021 Float a swirling vine nest in a small vase to help keep your flowers in place

Turn a flower vase into a bud vase by floating a smaller container inside the larger one.

10 February 2021 My valenVine

An... everything is moving... design. The tulips are growing and the small vine filled vase is bopping around in the water. And if you lean them against each other just right it...

3 February 2021 Weave a Ceropegia Woodii Vine grid to catch your flowers

Suspend flowers over a water filled container by weaving a natural grid.

3 February 2021 here’s the catch

Weave an all natural net to place over a vase to keep your flowers above water.

13 January 2021 Tri-petal (with vines to fill in the gaps) lily flower wand

Pick away petals from a lily to create space for delicate vines to really shine.

13 January 2021 It's in there

Complete the picture by drawing a lily flower with delicate vines.

6 January 2021 Rolled leaf shelter for a lean-in-closer tiny bud vase design

Create a tiny visual tunnel to focus attention.

6 January 2021 I tip my (flower) cap!

An enclosed design that invites the onlooker to lean in closer to explore the pretty orchid.

9 September 2020 Daffodillily

Weave around the stamens of a lily to create a daffodil like inside.

9 September 2020 Weave a daffodil corona inspired sweater for a lily

Knit a corona (as in that inside skirt like part of a daffodil) by weaving a Ceropegia woodii vine around the stamen filament of a lily.

2 September 2020 Wrap a vine around a tiny vase to suspend it from a balanced twig

Using the design elements as mechanics to secure the design elements.

2 September 2020 Last full Moon of summer

All natural design using the design elements as mechanics.

29 July 2020 Foxtail in a bud vase forest floor

Create a sturdy platform from bark to design an entire forest floor on a single foxtail fern frond

29 July 2020 Tail end of the story

Craft a bark platform to design on in a foxtail fern frond.

22 July 2020 Adding flowers to those pretty hand coiled flip flops I made for my book

Step up the flip-flop design by decorating it with some long lasting succulent flowers. It might look delicate... but these flowers are robust and long lasting.

22 July 2020 Step It Up

Dress up a pair of hand coiled flip-flops with succulents.

24 June 2020 Building up a wreath panel

Connect six wreaths to build up a hanging panel to display your flowers on.

24 June 2020 End Up

Connect small wreaths to create a pretty summer armature to arrange your flowers on.

29 April 2020 Craft a spinning diamond shape to frame your small design

A fun hanging design that spins in the slightest breeze.

29 April 2020 Seeing a Diamond in the Stuff

A fun design to create a spinning diamond frame using minimal plant material for maximum effect.

4 March 2020 Balancing a fishbowl vase on its side for a floating design

Give new life to an old vase by turning and balancing it on it's side. It's actually easier than it looks... and it looks super impressive!

4 March 2020 All Aboard!

Ooooh! Am I excited to show you this design. It is an ordinary fishbowl vase... balanced on it's side.

30 October 2019 Levitating Halloween tree with roots

Cut a slit in the branches, at the root side to suspend it over the vases rather than in the vases.

30 October 2019 There once was a bat called Tequila, a Halloween story

An all plant zero waste, levitating, twig (with just a splatter of autumn leaves, a breath of spiderweb and float of roots) Halloween decoration with an eerie bat skeleton made...

2 July 2019 Grass Spiral Wind Spinner

Thread grass into flexi grass to create a spinner that gently turns in the wind.

3 July 2019 Taking a Breather

A relaxing summer design that spins gently in the wind

6 March 2019 Snow puddle armature

Connect twigs with puddles of artificial snow to craft a winter armature for your flowers.

6 March 2019 It almost happened today!

Craft snow puddles to keep your flowers upright

9 January 2019 Winter white Tulle bridal basket

Craft a delicate bridal basket from twigs and tulle.

9 January 2019 Magical Craftsmanship

My article and winter white Tulle bridal basket design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine.

3 October 2018 Inside Pod Designing

Snip open a Physalis pod to create a cavity for delicate floral details.

20 June 2018 A Bundle of Pretty

A dried bundle of ripped flax hides a secret water source for the orchids

23 May 2018 Tumbling sun-flakes

Craft radiating sun-flakes from dried petals.

23 May 2018 Trailing Ceropegia woodii vines from a Heliconia flower

Set the rosary vines into the natural cavity of the flower head.

23 May 2018 In Summer!

A contemporary cascade of rosary vine and dried petals.

25 April 2018 Get in line!

Line up a few pussy willow twigs for a hanging armature

21 March 2018 Craft a Spring basket from a wreath

A wide gap nearly basket for nearly spring

21 March 2018 Bring some Spring

Just like the weather is only hinting at spring, so is this design only hinting at being a basket

14 March 2018 Willow birdcage

Weave a willow birdcage to use as a wedding ring box

14 March 2018 Old, new trends

My article and willow birdcage design for wedding rings featured in DIY Weddings Magazine.

31 January 2018 Rock Rest for a heavy Protea Flower Head

Create a contrasting base to lift the heavy flower-head to design in

31 January 2018 Rock, don't Roll

Balance the heavy Protea flower head to lean against a rock.

17 January 2018 Creating contrasts in shallow containers with pebbles and water

Such a peaceful design with just enough float and "stay put" elements

17 January 2018 Flowering Between a Rock and a Hard place

Create a subtle contrast by floating or anchoring some of your design elements.

22 November 2017 Acorn fork

Wire and glue a few acorns into the fork of a twig to create an Autumn armature

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.

20 September 2017 Hand Corsage

Inspired by Hath panjas or Indian hand jewelry an easy and comfortable alternative to a corsage

20 September 2017 You Wear It Well

My article and body flowers design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine

16 August 2017 Water tube bridge

Glue two thin sticks across a gap to support a water tube

16 August 2017 Criss-cross Monstera lace-up

Glue short sections of rosary vine into the natural gaps in the Monstera deliciosa leaf

16 August 2017 Making Ends Meet

Criss-cross corset style connect the gaps in a Monstera deliciosa leaf

14 June 2017 Things are looking up!

My article and Bamboo Lantern design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine

11 January 2017 Potted bark pod for a flowering plant

Cover a Styrofoam shape with bark to create a bowl for a potted design

11 January 2017 As special as an almost never find

Sometimes you find such a beautiful plant that you just can't bring yourself to cut it. This design explores using the entire plant, pot and all, in a design

21 September 2016 I found it this way: Spiderweb design

This was the first design I did in my "I found it this way" floral art demonstration

17 August 2016 Hanging Tillandsia

There are many ways to hang your air plants in a design. In this Tutorial I explore three

17 August 2016 Strangeness

Weave a wreath to display air plants on

3 August 2016 Practice

Weave a willow bird nest

20 July 2016 A Shade of Summer

Twist and weave a lily grass summer hat

29 June 2016 Reed Cradle Armature

Glue reeds on a wire frame to create a dimensional armature to suspend orchids in

29 June 2016 Make the design

Weave a reed cradle to suspend orchids from

25 May 2016 Sliced Grassy Cabbage

Slicing a cabbage to create an armature for a vegetable design.

25 May 2016 Half the Fun

Cut a cabbage to create a design platform

6 January 2016 Moss Colombina inspired mask

Cover a mask shape with moss and succulents for a long wearing mask

6 January 2016 Hey there

Moss and succulents cover a mask shape to create a woodland inspired mask

16 September 2015 Pointing In

wrap and glue a ring armature to create a decorative wreath

15 July 2015 Floating transparent ripples to support delicate floral material

Cut circles out of transparencies to make ripples in the water

15 July 2015 So Fine

Use transparencies to create floating devices for the flower material

3 December 2014 Finding Common Ground

My article and twig boutonniere design featured in the Winter issue of DIY Weddings Magazine

25 June 2014 Fine Tune

Thread cane through sticks to make a music inspired armature

11 June 2014 To

Make a quick and easy twig disk armature

4 June 2014 All white, just not quite

My article and woven ring basket design featured in the summer issue of DIY Weddings Magazine

2 April 2014 Turning the sellotape over the vase trick up-side-down for a sticky side out frog

Tape a grid over a vase to keep the floral details in place

2 April 2014 Apricity

Turning a stand-by floral technique sticky side out

26 March 2014 Foliage doughnut corsage with a hidden Boutstix Floral Magnet

Wrap a foliage circle to9 create a base for a magnetized corsage

26 March 2014 You are not done

Retail florists and wholesalers are already designing, ordering and preparing their product range for prom. This is my article that I wrote for the Prom Design Issue of Canadian...

5 March 2014 From Something Old, Something New

My article and succulent floral crown design featured in the spring issue of DIY Weddings Magazine

26 February 2014 Hatching a plan

Early spring floral nest design

11 September 2013 Making it last

Split and spiral a few gladiolus flowers in a way that the stems remain intact, to spiral in a water filled filled vase for a long lasting composite flower

7 August 2013 Over the Blue

Glue a twig rainbow to sit over a vase

24 July 2013 Getting into the competitive spirit of things

Retail florists and wholesalers are already designing, ordering and preparing their product range for Christmas. This is my article that I wrote for the Christmas Design Issue of...

3 July 2013 Of trust… and belief… and stars…

Weave and wrap and twirl and knot a summer floral nest

19 June 2013 This Moment

Create an armature design outside the vase

5 June 2013 Just not Flowers!

My article and woven ring-box design featured in the DIY Wedding Magazine

29 May 2013 The day came

Weave a tiny rattan basket

6 March 2013 Carry the comfort of winter textures with you into spring

My article and bridal bouquet designs featured in the DIY Wedding Magazine

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

Capilano Flower Arranging Club Designing for Christmas Workshop: Yule log

4 December 2012 'Tis the Season

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

23 October 2012 Everlasting

Design Inspiration Video: Take a few twigs, snippets of air plants and succulents and combine both traditional wire and tape techniques with more contemporary methods to embed a...

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

27 August 2012 Just Right! Floral Art demonstration: Too Hard!

My second design in my demonstration at the BC Floral Art Society meeting

12 August 2012 A Twist on Tradition

August is the month for retail florists and wholesalers to start designing, ordering and preparing their product range for the Christmas and Festive Season. This is my article...

31 July 2012 Delicate twig and rosary vine garland

Spiral stems around a Ceropegia woodii or Rosary vine.

31 July 2012 Grown Glamour

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

26 June 2012 Diamond Jubilee Waterfall

To commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee and the 20th Anniversary of Friends of Government House Gardens Society a Horticultural event was hosted in the gardens and...

19 June 2012 Designing a Feeling

The emotions your designs inspire give real meaning to your work. My article in the Canadian Florist Magazine

16 May 2012 On the first warm day in May

A ripped flax, Ranunculus and Mikado Reed drop shaped nest

19 April 2012 In a nutshell

Sunday April 22 is Earth day and a tiny floral fridge magnet is a wonderful reminder of just how beautiful our planet is.

7 April 2012 Spring Clean

A clean Easter design. The tiny blossoms are Kalanchoe 'Calandiva Pink'. Tucked low in the paper eggs are a few Cymbidium orchids and the twigs are contorted hazel. The...

3 April 2012 Designing Body Blooms

Designing Contemporary Floral Accessories and Body Flowers Article in the Canadian Florist Magazine

7 February 2012 Grow Love

Love grows!

1 February 2012 Steeling yourself against stealing creativity

I wrote this article for Wedding Business Success (an online meeting place for the wedding industry) exploring a positive way of looking at creativity and... stealing!

25 January 2012 Three Drops of Floral Chocolate

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

28 December 2011 Bubbly New Year’s Sparklers

Delicate glass bubbles filled with the midnight blue African violet flowers, purple ornamental capsicum and spilling down the design are a few stems of rosary vine

9 November 2011 A snowball’s chance

I designed my posy to be light and feathery but also earthly, like a fresh snowball gathered from a forest floor.

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

24 November 2021 Patina Copper

The colour and the effect will vary due to application, temperature and humidity.