My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Curving Calla Lilies

Let the Calla lilies rest out of water for about 30 minutes to slightly dehydrate. Gently message the stem to curve

I like to follow the flower's natural curve but you can also curve only sections to create an elegant crescent or a curve at the tip of the stem. Place the stem back into water and condition as normal. The stem will become firm but the curve will remain.

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Tutorials
Cover a headband with a whole lot of little floral details for a contemporary fascinator
29 May 2024
Cover a headband with a whole lot of little floral details for a contemporary fascinator

Add the tiniest of floral details below calla lilies to craft a dramatic but still easy to wear fascinator.
Use the pull tab of a can to keep your floral details in place
16 August 2023
Use the pull tab of a can to keep your floral details in place

Love anchovies cans. And if you fold over the pull tab just so it is perfect for keeping even longer stem flowers upright.
Counterbalance elegantly leaning Calla lilies with dressed up Dried Autumn Details
21 September 2022
Counterbalance elegantly leaning Calla lilies with dressed up Dried Autumn Details

Using those much treasured dried autumn details to bridge the gap between the bright green of summer and the brightness that is yet to come.
No Foam pave design
19 June 2019
No Foam pave design

Here it is: my take on the one design that people argue is "tricky" to design without floral foam. A low pave design. Not tricky at all! It's actually easier to do without foam. And yes, you can pick it up and place it on a wall for a foam free floral wall.
Adjusting the curve in plant material
16 May 2018
Adjusting the curve in plant material

It is possible to curve or adjust a curve in plant material
Standing a water tube at an angle in lumber
30 August 2017
Standing a water tube at an angle in lumber

Create a minimal design by placing a single flower on a platform
Stretching leaves and foliage into a ringlet curl
15 April 2015
Stretching leaves and foliage into a ringlet curl

Most leaves and foliage can be slightly manipulated to curve or curl.
Related Designs
Fascinating!
29 May 2024
Fascinating!

Trendy fascinator design using long lasting (read can be designed ahead of time) floral details.
Canned right after harvest
16 August 2023
Canned right after harvest

Pull tab support for "canned" Calla lilies and bunny-tail grass.
Balanced Attitude
21 September 2022
Balanced Attitude

Getting the balance just so... so that you lean into the first sights of Autumn.
It goes like this...
16 May 2018
It goes like this...

Gently curve plant material.
If
30 August 2017
If

Place a water tube at an angle in lumber so that the Zantedeschia float just above the base to show off the delicate grass snippets scattered up the stem
New Year's Wreath
4 January 2017
New Year's Wreath

Decorate an artificial wreath with fresh flowers and frosted twigs
See you around
30 July 2014
See you around

Weave a few spheres to create a simple design
Treasured Time
5 February 2014
Treasured Time

This is my article that I wrote for the Mother's Day Design Issue of Canadian Florist Magazine
Something Like This
14 August 2013
Something Like This

Stack and glue a large twig rectangle to hang as room divider
Designing with Mother Nature
20 February 2013
Designing with Mother Nature

Retail florists and wholesalers are already designing, ordering and preparing their product range for Mother's Day. This is my article that I wrote for the Mother's Day Design Issue of Canadian Florist Magazine
Design-time saving tip sheet for a demanding Mother’s Day
28 February 2012
Design-time saving tip sheet for a demanding Mother’s Day

Time Saving Tips and Article in the Canadian Florist Magazine
Direct Contrasts
13 October 2011
Direct Contrasts

I have always been fascinated, as a designer, by the idea that there is a point when extremes or direct contrasts flip into its opposite.
Ichi-go, ichi-e
30 August 2011
Ichi-go, ichi-e

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

Calla lilies in my Direct Contrast design for the Floral Trends Design Group