My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Bamboo frog for a shallow container design

Cut bamboo shorter

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

Fill the container with water

Stand the flowers upright in the stem cavity of the bamboo in the shallow container

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

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

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

Tutorials

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.

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

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

14 October 2015 Roll hundreds (yes! hundreds) of autumn leaves so create a natural, upright flower frog

Rolled leaves offer support for floral stems

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.

23 March 2013 Rolling leaf tubes

Roll foliage to create tubes

28 May 2014 Bamboo scaffold armature

Latch a few bamboo pieces together to create a scaffold for the flowers to hang from

28 May 2014 Bamboo panel

Create a panel for the flowers to hang on

17 June 2015 Bamboo and Sisal String

Combine sisal string and flexible bamboo to weave with

Related Designs

10 August 2016 Saved up

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

28 June 2017 Somewhere in the Middle

Skewer Dracaena leaves into a roll that supports a tiny water source for the Oncidium orchids

5 July 2017 Just A Bit

Glue a bit of grass snippets to suspend over the design

2 August 2017 Grace

Use snips and snippets and leftovers to create a design of it's own

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...

21 February 2018 Impossible things

A cut stem flower frog for the heavy Hanging Heliconia flowers

28 March 2018 Walking on eggshells

Fill eggshells with moss to create an upright container... with a surprising balancing trick.

9 May 2018 What is the meaning of this?

Create a minimal design with a few leaves to keep is all upright.

4 July 2018 Wonder

Tie a bundle of grass to support your floral details

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.

5 June 2019 Add up!

Stacking green stems to create an armature for short stemmed flowers.

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.

25 August 2021 Doing a loop tangle twist

oh yes, a light an airy design showing off those very first autumn leaves.

3 May 2023 Spring Row

Viola and chives cleverly dancing upright in a row.

12 July 2023 Standing in frond

Standing your delicate flower stems in a fern frond.

9 August 2023 Look at me… doing math!

Adding our own "bit" to our floral design work.

7 February 2024 Knot... that easy

An all natural shallow container design solution...

22 May 2012 Lean

Place short twigs, leaning to one side to create a flower frog

27 April 2016 Sprout

A sneaky way to condition new growth to add into your Spring design

14 October 2015 What a find!

Roll autumn leaves to create a frog to keep flowers upright

7 May 2014 Serendipity

Be inspired by traditional Ikebana techniques

27 January 2016 Well, I'll be

Manipulate fresh willow stems to create a sprouting armature for long tulip stems

2 September 2015 Happy Dance

Split a few bamboo sections to create a happy water source for miniature orchids

1 April 2015 The Space Between

Traditional Hana-Kubari flower mechanic

28 May 2014 Be Silent And Listen

Lash a few bamboo pieces together to create a scaffold armature