My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Creating contrasts in shallow containers with pebbles and water

Fill a shallow container with water and float a few rosary vine leaves on the water

Fill a shallow container with water and float a few rosary vine leaves on the water

Place a few smooth river pebbles in the container

Place a few smooth river pebbles in the container

Add the rosary vine

Anchor the rosary vines by slipping them under the pebble. Make sure it is just anchored and not squished.

Place the oncidium orchids.

Place the oncidium orchids to be anchored by the rock. I used two ways: the first is to hook the lip of the orchid over the small pebble so that it is kept in place and looks like it is leaning over the pebble. The second way is the slip the curve of the orchid stem slightly under the pebble so that the weight of the pebble keeps the stem in place without constricting it..

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

Tutorials

25 August 2011 Placing orchids in test tubes

Cut the Phalaenopsis orchid with a bit of green stem attached. This will make them last longer.

30 August 2011 Suspending and positioning a Phalaenopsis orchid under water

Flowers naturally float and you will need some kind of sinker to keep them suspended under water.

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

3 January 2012 Bubble raft to float flowers

Flowers naturally float in water. They just don’t always naturally float on water. For that they sometimes need a bit of help.

3 January 2012 Cellophane wrap cracked ice

Cellophane and plastic wrap in a clear vase, filled with water, creates a cracked ice effect

28 January 2015 Well Rooted Sprouting Willow Weave

Weave a sprouting armature

27 July 2016 Leaning Sunflowers to stay just so

The trick to any freestanding design is to get your first three stems standing stable and secure in the water. Once you have that you can build the design around it.

19 February 2011 Pebbles

Cut and smooth pebbles out of Rainbow Oasis

2 November 2016 Driftwood base for a floral foam pebble design

The flat surface of a piece of driftwood creates a base to design on

Favourite Flowers

Oncidium

Dancing lady

Ceropegia woodii

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

Related Designs

17 January 2018 Flowering Between a Rock and a Hard place

Create a subtle contrast by floating or anchoring some of your design elements.

26 August 2020 It starts with WHY

Add design elements that serves a purpose for a minimal summer inspired floral design.

7 February 2024 Knot... that easy

An all natural shallow container design solution...

28 February 2024 When the Super-duper is taking it Easy-peasy

Easy does it design that hints at but is not yet as intensive as the fun basket weaving and crafting that comes with Spring designing.

26 June 2024 It’s leaps of faith, grasshoppers

A sunny rock to make your design... not rock

30 August 2011 Ichi-go, ichi-e

Freely translated it means Each Moment, Only Once. It is a saying associated with Japanese tea ceremonies.

7 October 2015 Down-bubble

Add grass "bubbles" that can be repositioned to your design

3 January 2012 Going Cold Twinkle Turkey

Is it better to go Cold Twinkle Turkey and embrace the minimalist living room or rather ease into it?

1 March 2017 Gumusservi

To celebrate the 6th year anniversary of My Creative Workbook I am looking at the most popular Tutorial I have done to date:

24 September 2014 Leapfrog

Fold and weave a frog from grass

8 May 2012 Skipping stone

Weave a grass pebble for the orchid to nestle in.

7 January 2015 Any Which Way

Using a traditional Ikabana Kenzan to place flowers in a shallow container

28 January 2015 In a State of Flow

weave some willow to use as an armature

27 January 2016 Well, I'll be

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

27 July 2016 Too Hot!

Leaning floral stems to stand on their own in a shallow container

25 February 2011 A Rock by any other Name...

It's not really what we call things that matter but what they are made of- in this design, it's made of all three types of Oasis and wool.

3 April 2011 One Singular Sensation

Three Lilies plaited to create a sensational, singular flower "growing" out of a Equisetum dome filled with Rainbow Oasis pebbles.

2 November 2016 Pick your poison

A Fun Halloween design with "poisonous mushrooms" tucked between the moss and petals