My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Fork In the Twig Tree

Drill a small hole in an off cut piece of wood

Drill a small hole in an off cut piece of wood.

Cover the top of the wood with wood glue

Cover the top of the wood with wood glue...

And sprinkle on some artificial snow to cover the top of the disk.

And sprinkle on some artificial snow to cover the top of the disk.

Cut the side branches from a twig

Cut the side branches from a twig...

Push the twig into the hole in the wood so that the branches point down

Push the twig into the hole in the wood so that the branches point down.

Yes! finding the twig with the right kind of side branches is absolutely the hardest part of making this design. But... there's a trick. You can add your own side branches by cleverly cutting the twig.

Cut a twig at a sharp angle

Here's how: Cut a twig at a sharp angle...

So that it fits against the side of the branch

So that it seamlessly fits against the side of the branch. Secure the twig with hot glue.

Cover the base with wrapping paper, foam or fabric.

Cover the base with wrapping paper, foam or fabric. I save up the foam my orchids are shipped in for just this. You can also use the foam that you get inside pillow cases- they make great artificial snow!

Secure the covering with an elastic band

Secure the covering with an elastic band. You can cover the band with a ribbon, if you prefer. I wanted my tree to be as minimal as possible so that they sleigh attracts all the attention (see the Tutorial for the sleigh below) so I merely teased the foam over to conceal the elastic band.

Glue a few berries to the base of the tree

Glue a few berries (I used green cherry tomatoes. pretty, right?) to the base of the tree.

And fill in the gaps with kalanchoe flowers

And fill in the gaps with kalanchoe flowers. Kalanchoe flowers last a remarkably long time without a water source and is ideal for dainty designs like this.

Scatter a dusting of snow so that it settles between the design details

Scatter a dusting of snow so that it settles between the design details...

For a neatly packaged twig tree ready to be transported with the sleigh

For a neatly packaged twig tree...

To sit in the winter wonderland ready to be tranported with the sleigh

... that sits in the winter wonderland ready to be transported with the sleigh.

... back to the sleigh Tutorial, then.

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

Tutorials

7 December 2022 A berry and kalanchoe sleigh… to carry your twig tree home, of course

A snowy Christmas scene crafted from a handful of twigs... and a few kalanchoe flowers.

28 December 2016 Adding snow to twigs

Glue artificial snow to twigs

13 December 2017 Long lasting bark and Kalanchoe sleigh

Kalanchoe flowers last weeks without a water source and is the perfect way to dress up a bark and silver bell sleigh

5 January 2022 Double vase Snow Glow Winter Centerpiece

Add warmth to a space with a softly glowing winter white arrangement

27 November 2012 Fluff cotton wool for snow

Cotton balls can be unrolled and fluffed to create long garlands of "snow"

8 July 2015 Using a pin to place tiny dew drop crystals

It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.

23 December 2015 Barely There Skeleton Leaf Gift Box

Skeleton leaves create a light and ethereal gift box

22 May 2012 Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.

24 December 2012 Tiny Twig Christmas Treasure Trunk

Wire a small twig gift-box for Christmas presents

20 December 2011 Weaving a gift box with a lid from palm leaves

A great all natural gift decorating alternative

25 December 2013 Leaf snippet gift cube

Cover Styrofoam with leaf snippets to create a gift box design

16 December 2020 Weave a tiny gift box from grass

Talk about quick and easy! This takes almost no time... the hard part is to find something small enough to put inside... Chocolates... perhaps?

4 December 2019 Eucalyptus collar for a snow-covered Christmas candle

Not only will your home smell wonderful while crafting this design you will also have a ethereal and long lasting design to enjoy.

30 November 2022 The coziest Wool, Holly and Kalanchoe Table Top Candy Cane Snowflake

A fuzzy wool and twig snowflake that starts out as a handful of candy canes.

25 December 2018 Twig Snowflake

Glue twigs into a snowflake twig armature for Christmas trimmings.

6 December 2017 Barely there twig tabletop Christmas tree

Glue curved twig snippets to craft a delicate winter white Christmas tree

Favourite Flowers

Kalanchoe

Christmas Kalanchoe, Kalanchöe or Kalanchoë

Related Designs

7 December 2022 Making spirits bright

A twig sleigh... to collect your twig Christmas tree, of course!

3 January 2024 A Very Merry Gilded Paper Ornament and Yule Log Trendy Christmas/New Year’s Cheer

Paper snowflakes to display small snippets of Festive flowers on.

5 January 2022 Slow Glow

A slow but glowing start to the New Year and the new design season

23 December 2015 Dear Santa,

Gift boxes from skeleton leaves

24 December 2012 Please have snow… and presents under the tree

Wire a Tiny Twig Treasure Trunk for small Christmas gifts

20 December 2011 Our finest gifts we bring,

A small, all natural gift box woven from palm

25 December 2013 A gift for gifting

Christmas gift design

16 December 2020 Have yourself a Merry Cellulose Fibre Christmas: Snow Globe

...ok not really that fancy- it’s paper pulp. Cardboard boxes, really. In the spirit of 2020- I am inspired by the endless stream of cardboard boxes being delivered. This week...

9 December 2020 Have yourself a Merry Cellulose Fibre Christmas: Gyp flurry Snowman

...ok not really that fancy- it’s paper pulp. Cardboard boxes, really. In the spirit of 2020- I am inspired by the endless stream of cardboard boxes being delivered. My list of...

2 December 2020 Have yourself a Merry Cellulose Fibre Christmas: Lost and Found Snow Mittens

...ok not really that fancy- it’s made from paper pulp. A cardboard box snow mittens… really. In the spirit of 2020- I am inspired by the endless stream of cardboard boxes being...

4 December 2019 A Very Merry eucalyptus-collar-candle Christmas!

An easy and naturally fragrant winter white candle decoration to bring nature into your house this Christmas.

30 November 2022 Take a bough… it’s Christmas time!

A wool and twig snowflake design (made from candy canes!) that will last the entire Festive Season.

6 March 2019 It almost happened today!

Craft snow puddles to keep your flowers upright

25 November 2015 So white

A dried Baby's breath and fresh orchid wreath

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.