My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Bamboo frog for a shallow container design

Cut bamboo shorter and set it standing upright in a shallow container

For this design I sawed the bamboo to remove the closed stem wall and node on each piece

Fill the container with water

Stand the flowers, grass and vine upright in the stem cavity of the bamboo in the shallow container

Keep the pieces in place by sliding it into any split parts of the bamboo

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Tutorials
Spiral twig frog
22 May 2012
Spiral twig frog

Multiple tiny twigs create a flower frog to keep the delicate buds and leaves in the exact spot you want.
Filling a vase with water without disturbing the design details
22 May 2012
Filling a vase with water without disturbing the design details

Break the water flow when you fill a vase with details in that can move with the stream of water
Hiding a secret water source in a twig frog
27 April 2016
Hiding a secret water source in a twig frog

New growth is really difficult to design with and definitely needs to be conditioned and placed in a water source
Roll hundreds (yes! hundreds) of autumn leaves so create a natural, upright flower frog
14 October 2015
Roll hundreds (yes! hundreds) of autumn leaves so create a natural, upright flower frog

Rolled leaves offer support for floral stems
Rethinking the traditional Komiwara technique
7 May 2014
Rethinking the traditional Komiwara technique

Komiwara is a classic and traditional Ikebana technique used in a Rikka design. Designers would usually bundle straw to keep the flowers in place.
Rolling leaf tubes
23 March 2013
Rolling leaf tubes

Roll foliage to create tubes
Bamboo scaffold armature
28 May 2014
Bamboo scaffold armature

Latch a few bamboo pieces together to create a scaffold for the flowers to hang from
Bamboo panel
28 May 2014
Bamboo panel

Create a panel for the flowers to hang on
Bamboo and Sisal String
17 June 2015
Bamboo and Sisal String

Combine sisal string and flexible bamboo to weave with
Knot willow twigs around a shallow container to keep tiny orchid stems upright
7 February 2024
Knot willow twigs around a shallow container to keep tiny orchid stems upright

An all natural flower frog that adds to the design feel.
Tap in support for horizontal placement of your top heavy flowers
9 August 2023
Tap in support for horizontal placement of your top heavy flowers

Placing gladiolus stems horizontally so that the stems... disappear.
Frond Support for short stemmed flowers
12 July 2023
Frond Support for short stemmed flowers

Create an all natural fern grid to arrange your flowers for a summer display.
Standing flower stems upright In Perlite
3 May 2023
Standing flower stems upright In Perlite

I use perlite to root my cuttings... and to support flower stems in an upright position in designs without using floral foam.
Loop and Twist a Wire and Twig Tangle Grid
25 August 2021
Loop and Twist a Wire and Twig Tangle Grid

Wire twigs and wire around a shallow container to keep your floral details suspended in water in a shallow container.
A radiating, gradient carnation design in a shallow container
12 May 2021
A radiating, gradient carnation design in a shallow container

A bit of Kenzan support for a floating shallow container design
Stack a Stack of Stems to create a sturdy grid Armature... with some height
5 June 2019
Stack a Stack of Stems to create a sturdy grid Armature... with some height

Stack green lily stems to create an upright mechanic to keep shorter stems in place.
Gently peel leaves from the stalk to create a twisted stem end
22 May 2019
Gently peel leaves from the stalk to create a twisted stem end

Roll leaves to create a stopper to keep flowers in place in a bud vase
Bundle Support
4 July 2018
Bundle Support

Tie a bundle of lily grass in a bundle to offer support for your flowers.
Incise waxy Gardenia foliage to decorate the edge of a container
9 May 2018
Incise waxy Gardenia foliage to decorate the edge of a container

Cut a small wedge out of a stack of waxy leaves to keep the flower and twig in place.
Stacked eggshell containers that won't topple over.
28 March 2018
Stacked eggshell containers that won't topple over.

Balance a stack of eggshells with a magnet for a tiny Easter design
Stem line-up
21 February 2018
Stem line-up

Line up stems to create a base for the heavy Hanging Heliconia stems
Using a fork in a twig to “peg” a stem in place
3 January 2018
Using a fork in a twig to “peg” a stem in place

A easy to use Hana Kubari technique
Two vase, two level Phormium snippets
2 August 2017
Two vase, two level Phormium snippets

Design in two levels by using two vases, the smaller slipped into a bigger one.
Skewer leaf rolls to support a tiny water source for fresh flowers
28 June 2017
Skewer leaf rolls to support a tiny water source for fresh flowers

Hide the water source in a rolled leaf
Related Designs
Lean
22 May 2012
Lean

Place short twigs, leaning to one side to create a flower frog
Sprout
27 April 2016
Sprout

A sneaky way to condition new growth to add into your Spring design
What a find!
14 October 2015
What a find!

Roll autumn leaves to create a frog to keep flowers upright
Serendipity
7 May 2014
Serendipity

Be inspired by traditional Ikebana techniques
Well, I'll be
27 January 2016
Well, I'll be

Manipulate fresh willow stems to create a sprouting armature for long tulip stems
Happy Dance
2 September 2015
Happy Dance

Split a few bamboo sections to create a happy water source for miniature orchids
The Space Between
1 April 2015
The Space Between

Traditional Hana-Kubari flower mechanic
Be Silent And Listen
28 May 2014
Be Silent And Listen

Lash a few bamboo pieces together to create a scaffold armature
Knot... that easy
7 February 2024
Knot... that easy

An all natural shallow container design solution...
Look at me… doing math!
9 August 2023
Look at me… doing math!

Adding our own "bit" to our floral design work.
Standing in frond
12 July 2023
Standing in frond

Standing your delicate flower stems in a fern frond.
Spring Row
3 May 2023
Spring Row

Viola and chives cleverly dancing upright in a row.
Doing a loop tangle twist
25 August 2021
Doing a loop tangle twist

oh yes, a light an airy design showing off those very first autumn leaves.
It’s up there
12 May 2021
It’s up there

Whether it’s a solid foot for floating flowers, the tips of new growth or the curve of a dried twig your design needs help to stay upright.
Add up!
5 June 2019
Add up!

Stacking green stems to create an armature for short stemmed flowers.
Putting your own spin on it
22 May 2019
Putting your own spin on it

I would definitely describe my own personal style as minimalist classic... but with an edgy twist.
Wonder
4 July 2018
Wonder

Tie a bundle of grass to support your floral details
What is the meaning of this?
9 May 2018
What is the meaning of this?

Create a minimal design with a few leaves to keep is all upright.
Walking on eggshells
28 March 2018
Walking on eggshells

Fill eggshells with moss to create an upright container... with a surprising balancing trick.
Impossible things
21 February 2018
Impossible things

A cut stem flower frog for the heavy Hanging Heliconia flowers
Happy Coincidence!
3 January 2018
Happy Coincidence!

Some designs really do just make themselves. I received this tiny vase for Christmas from Marius (thank you, Marius!) and while cleaning out my design room I found this little twig with a fork in it. Add a ranunculus with a ridiculously gorgeous curve in it's stem... done.
Grace
2 August 2017
Grace

Use snips and snippets and leftovers to create a design of it's own
Just A Bit
5 July 2017
Just A Bit

Glue a bit of grass snippets to suspend over the design
Somewhere in the Middle
28 June 2017
Somewhere in the Middle

Skewer Dracaena leaves into a roll that supports a tiny water source for the Oncidium orchids
Saved up
10 August 2016
Saved up

Cut lengths of bamboo to place in a shallow container as a flower frog