My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Acorn fork

Choose a fresh, green twig with a nice fork in the branches

Choose a fresh, green twig with a nice fork in the branches.

You can also use a dried twig but then you would need to drill guide holes into the wood for the wire support.

Press a pin into the wood to make a hole

Press a pin into the wood to make a hole.

Replace the pin with a thin wire and press a hole into the opposite side

Replace the pin with a thin length wire and press a hole into the opposite side

You can also use pins instead of wire if your fork in the twig is not as wide as this one. I used wire because I wanted to adjust the length of the wires before gluing the acorns in.

Overlap the wires where the twig split

Overlap the wires where the twig split to offer additional support.

Place the twig in your container and cut it to size

Place the twig in your container and cut it to size

Glue in the acorns to build up the armature

Glue in the acorns to build up the armature

Glue in a tiny water tube

Glue in a tiny water tube.

I make water tubes from drinking straws. See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions

Finish the acorn armature around the water tube

Finish the acorn armature around the water tube

Fill the water tube with water and add the fresh floral material

Fill the water tube with water and add the fresh floral material

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

Tutorials

4 January 2011 Drinking straw "test tubes"

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

11 February 2015 Stripping foliage from weaving stems

Remove foliage from stems to weave with

22 May 2012 Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.

25 October 2017 Willow Paddle

Weave willow between the fork in a twig to create a paddle like armature

11 February 2015 Willow Heart Wand

26 April 2011 Natural stem hook to hang plant material from

Side stems of branches can be used as hooks to hang floral material in a design.

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

12 June 2012 Sticky Shooting Star

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

5 November 2014 Acorn inspired Autumn leaf armature

Dry fall leaves to create a ball shape structure

28 January 2015 Well Rooted Sprouting Willow Weave

Weave a sprouting armature

25 February 2015 Balancing a Twirled Willow Armature

Twirl twigs to create a balanced nest to display the beautiful orchids on

Favourite Flowers

Salix matsudana "Tortuosa"

Curly Willow, Chinese Willow, Tortured Willow, Globe Willow, Dragon's Claw, Hankow Willow

Oncidium

Dancing lady

Phormium

Flax, New Zealand flax

Ceropegia woodii

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

Related Designs

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.

10 January 2018 Let some magic find you

My article and floral wand design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine

31 January 2018 Rock, don't Roll

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

7 March 2018 Twist of its own

... a quick an easy design. Curl a few flax leaves to frame orchids

23 May 2018 In Summer!

A contemporary cascade of rosary vine and dried petals.

13 January 2021 It's in there

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

21 April 2021 All A-flutter

Adding a few fluttering petals to a design.

5 July 2023 The Wiggle Is Part Of The Plan

A easy going summer design that makes full use of the imperfections you harvest from your cut garden.

11 February 2015 Love Spell

Weave willow to create a heart shaped wand design

1 November 2011 On The Street Where You Live

A floral design snapshot of what it looks like when walking down the streets of Vancouver this week.

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

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...

11 June 2012 Wish Upon a Dandelion Star

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

5 November 2014 All In One

dry autumn leaves into an acorn shape

28 January 2015 In a State of Flow

weave some willow to use as an armature

25 February 2015 Just So

Twirl a few willow twigs to create a balanced armature to display orchids