Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
But because it is a Dahlia 'Café au Lait' … we can have a whip of grass and hint of Autumn to sprinkle on top, right?
- 9 September 2026
I am pouring water into a fishbowl vase for my soft minimal autumn display...
I am building my grid from curved (the ones that were hanging over my pot in my balcony garden) dried grass.
Use two tiny drops of hot glue to secure the grass from one end to the other over the glass bowl.
So that the curved grass licks up on top of the bowl like a cozy autumn fire.
Remove all the glue strands that inevitably pulls along as you secure the grass to make it easier for you to secure the grass upright.
This week in our design note email I tell you WHY I say you have to remove the sticky glue strands to make it easier to keep the delicate dried grass standing upright... and if the sticky spider web thin glue strands gets in the way, why then do I still use hot glue to secure it..?
Every Wednesday morning (Vancouver time), I send out a design note as an early glimpse at the newest Design and a few notes that I picked up creating the Tutorial that might be useful to you.
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Turn the fishbowl vase so that you have cut ends and sharp ends of grass radiating all around the container.
Creating a barely there cup shape grid (secured twice, each on opposite sides) for your fresh flower details to rest on...
Book readers turn to page 160 for design inspiration on how to re-use this shape for a completely different looking design! One bit of effort, two original designs!
For more information about my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman
Glue three grasses with seeds or flowers on into the grid (let them dangle for now, we will drape them into the design later.
Trim the dahlia flower stem short so that it can dissapear into the design.
Dahlia 'Café au Lait' fits snugly onto the fishbowl container so that it securely nestles on top of the grid with the stem hydrating below in the water
Awww... let's just take a moment here: Dahlia 'Café au Lait' pretty, pretty, pretty!
I am adding a few barely ripe firethorn berries...
... cut into smaller bunches of miniature pumpkins...
Place a small drop of floral glue on an "unlikely" spot...
to add a bit of "nature designed it like this" spontaneous and surprise to the design...
Drape the grass seedheads over to shelter the dahlia flower..
And glue in a few more grasses to fill any gaps in the shelter that's over the design. Add in a few dew drop crystals for extra sparkle. See below for a link if you are curious where I find these.
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