My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

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

Butterfly hairclip claws

Clip out the inside pins from small butterfly hair clips to create small claws to help you hold tiny objects in place while you wait for glue to dry

Butterfly hairclip claws.

I also claw the objects just the way I need them and then glue.

Butterfly hairclip claws.

Slip twigs or wire in between the claws to be held upright

I use these bright glittered pink claws so that they really stand out and I wont accidentally forget one in the design. I also have a few brown, green and sap green claws for designs where I want to leave the claws as support. These butterfly claws are also great to support creeping plants and orchid flower spikes

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

Related Designs

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...

7 December 2011 Forest Filigree Christmas Wreath

I wanted my Hazel twig wreath to look like forest filigree: mysteriously overgrown, tangled with age and dappled with moss and lichen. The wreath is also dressed with fresh and...

28 February 2012 Design-time saving tip sheet for a demanding Mother’s Day

Time Saving Tips and Article in the Canadian Florist Magazine

3 July 2012 Twig-a-tude

Stack and wire twigs to create a twig mushroom with attitude for summer

10 July 2012 Sticktoitness

Glue a heart shaped design made from bark and wood.

4 December 2012 'Tis the Season

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

18 December 2012 So this is Christmas, I hope you had fun…

Capilano Flower Arranging Club Designing for Christmas Workshop: Yule log

29 May 2013 The day came

Weave a tiny rattan basket

3 September 2014 What's done is done

My article and lace fine wreath design featured in the Autumn issue of DIY Weddings Magazine

5 November 2014 All In One

dry autumn leaves into an acorn shape

26 November 2014 Late Autumn Early Christmas.

Glue a ground foundation for a late autumn design

11 February 2015 Love Spell

Weave willow to create a heart shaped wand design

25 November 2015 So white

A dried Baby's breath and fresh orchid wreath

8 June 2016 When the wind whisper

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

19 October 2016 There are Octobers

Autumn wreath

26 October 2016 Harvest Moon

Fold a fine twig wreath in half to create a moon shaped armature

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.

6 December 2017 While I sing of beauty's treasure

Glue the most delicate twig table top Christmas tree

13 December 2017 Just hear those sleigh bells jingling

Craft a bark sleigh that will last for weeks.

7 February 2018 Up around the bend

Bend Equisetum into curves to wire into an open wreath shape

14 February 2018 Two Are

Equisetum Valentine's hearts

13 February 2019 Pick Love

Craft a willow heart to display 12 red roses to celebrate Valentine's Day.

15 May 2019 Heard it through the grapevine?

Have you heard? I have wonderful news this week. Oh! and I also have this pretty grapevine armature shaped like the petals of an open rose to show you. But... Have you heard...

25 September 2019 It’s one and a half to two times... but to the side

Soft minimal... this is exactly the kind of design I place in our apartment. Use a few fall treasures picked up on a walk and add a copper leaf to up the effort and love you add...

16 October 2019 Center Peace

A visual breather from all the bright and festive designs to come when designing for Autumn.

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!

25 March 2020 How to lay a little bit low

A flat-lay to celebrate finally finding the perfect way to dry passion fruit flowers... and my book's first birthday but mostly the drying of passion fruit flowers thing.

21 April 2021 All A-flutter

Adding a few fluttering petals to a design.

3 November 2021 Coppepeppepepper wreath

Wire dried pepper berries to a wreath with super fancy flat wire (okay... it's the humble wire from a copper pot scrubber but it still looks fancy!)

10 November 2021 … any day now

Using dried floral material is so trendy right now. But the longer lasting the design elements the more effort you have to put in to stop it from looking lifeless.

21 September 2022 Balanced Attitude

Getting the balance just so... so that you lean into the first sights of Autumn.

11 October 2023 Plenty Glow to Harvest

Glow and sparkle bark armature to celebrate the first signs of Autumn

13 March 2024 In All Ways

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