My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

A bark strip and fluffed cotton disk wreath

Rip the bark into long strips

Rip the bark into long strips

Pour out some wood glue

Pour out some wood glue over the strips

Thin the glue with hot water

Thin the glue with hot water

Push the bark into the warm glue and water to soak

Push the bark down into the warm glue and water to soak

Wrap silver wire around a foam wreath frame and add a loop to make it easier to hang the wreath

Wrap silver wire around a foam wreath frame and add a loop to make it easier to hang the wreath

Wrap a bark strip around the wreath frame

Wrap a soaked bark strip around the wreath frame

And secure it with the decorative wire

... and secure it with the decorative wire

Add another strip next to the first

Keep adding strips of bark. Each time let the bark slightly overlap the previous strip. Secure it by wrapping decorative wire around the frame

Wrap about half of the frame in bark strips and secure the wire with a twist.

Wrap about half of the frame in bark strips and secure the wire with a twist.

Set the wreath aside to dry overnight

Set the wreath aside to dry overnight

Pull the cotton from the pods

Pull the cotton from the pods

It comes out easily leaving the pods cleanly

It comes out easily leaving the pods cleanly

Gently fluff out the cotton to find the seed

Gently fluff out the cotton to find the seed.

Feel around in the fluff until you find the seed is in the middle of the bit of fluff

Feel around in the fluff until you find the seed is in the middle of the bit of fluff

Gently pull the fluff from the seed without ripping it

Gently pull the fluff from the seed without ripping it

This creates a flat disk of cotton fluff.

This creates a flat disk of cotton fluff that radiates outward from the seed

Fluff out all the cotton you will need to cover the rest of the wreath frame

Fluff out all the cotton you will need to cover the rest of the wreath frame

Soak some torn newsprint paper in a warm water and wood glue mixture

Soak some torn newsprint paper in a warm water and wood glue mixture

and cover the foam wreath frame

and cover the foam wreath frame

Set aside to dry

Set aside to dry

Glue the cotton disks to the wreath frame

Glue the cotton disks to the wreath frame by adding a small drop of hot glue to the back of the disk right where the seed is. Overlap the disks slightly

Turn the frame around and cover the back with cotton

Turn the frame around and cover the back with cotton

The wreath frame is now ready to design with

The wreath frame is now ready to design with

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

Tutorials

2 June 2011 Papier Mache

I save all the thin tissue paper or un-printed newsprint papers that are wrapped around the flowers that are delivered to me to make batches of Papier Mache with. These sheets...

19 August 2015 Bark pod for growing a Pearl Oyster mushroom mini farm

Glue bark to a Papier Maché and wire frame to create a pod shaped armature

10 July 2012 Bark covered heart

Cover cardboard with bark to create a heart shaped log

Related Designs

28 December 2016 A Jingle Cotton Christmas

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

6 December 2017 While I sing of beauty's treasure

Glue the most delicate twig table top Christmas tree

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...

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!

18 December 2019 A Happy, Merry, Jolly (easy as that!) Eucalyptus Christmas wreath

Now this is quite a discovery! And it honestly is the easiest and quickest way to go from "I still want to decorate for Christmas" to "... aaand I am done, I made our wreath"

25 November 2020 Have yourself a Merry Cellulose Fibre Christmas: Santa’s gift bag wreath

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

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.

21 December 2022 Let it

A happy December Solstice or the Winter Solstice lantern.

20 December 2023 A Very Merry Dark chocolate Velvet Texture of Yore, Tall and Trendy Christmas Cheer

Tall and velvety Christmas tree... with a starlight garland

17 January 2024 Wave Wrap

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

13 March 2024 In All Ways

A birch bark basket... perfect for some new Spring floral details.

21 December 2016 A Gleaming Cotton Christmas

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

14 December 2016 A Candy(cane) Cotton Christmas

A floral cotton candy cane

8 June 2016 When the wind whisper

Glue a fantasy forest from Popsicle sticks, grape vine tendrils and willow tips

19 August 2015 Growth Medium

Design a bark and moss pod for a mushroom mini farm

26 June 2013 All it needed

Clean, simple and restrained elegance: a single jasmine stem in a wine glass. All it needed was just a few extra blades of grass to tie it all together. And wings, of course!

4 December 2012 'Tis the Season

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