My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Letting grass kick against the side of the vase to create a neat and minimal line

Plant material float about in water. To keep it in place it is best to wedge it slightly to touch the sides of the container. I have a few more tricks in my book for how to place flowers under water if you are looking for inspiration.

Test the flexibility of the blade of grass

Test the flexibility of the blade of grass... the white part is quite difficult to bend without snapping.

The tip of the grass rolls over without offering any resistance

The tip of the grass rolls over without offering any resistance.

The part of the grass that you need for this design is somewhere in between

The part of the grass that you need for this design is somewhere in between. It should be flexible enough to bend and fit in the vase but strong enough to offer resistance so that the blade of grass kicks against the side of the container and stays where placed in the design.

Design note: I am using tiny magnets to keep the flowers in place under water.

Tiny magnets keep the flowers in place under the water.

See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions on how to use magnets to place...

Re-position the flowers once submerged

and move the flowers once submerged into position.

Place the first blade of grass to loop in the bottom of the container

Place the first blade of grass to loop in the bottom of the container.

Gently press down on the rigid white part of the grass

Once the container is filled with water all the plant material will start to float. The trick is to press the grass down hard enough so that it folds to the contour of the container without breaking.

Curl a blade of grass over the container

Curl a blade of grass over the container. Again make sure it fits tightly in the container to remain upright and in line with the bottom blade of grass once you fill it with water

Design note: I added curls to my grass so that they almost... almost touch. See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how to curl grass.

Slowly fill the container with water

Slowly fill the container with water. If all went well everything should stay perfectly in place.

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

Tutorials

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.

7 October 2015 Magnetic grass bubbles to reposition under water

When suspending items under water it is convenient to add a tiny magnet so that you can reposition it if the water distorts the lines of your design

30 August 2011 Removing Oasis Floral Adhesive glue spills

The finish of every design should be flawless. Make sure there are no bits of glue visible in your design by carefully removing all traces of spills.

7 October 2015 Keeping design details submerged in water

Flowers tend to float in water. To keep them submerged you need to add a bit of weight

15 April 2015 Stretching leaves and foliage into a ringlet curl

Most leaves and foliage can be slightly manipulated to curve or curl.

22 January 2014 That good old double vase trick

Create a dry layer by placing a smaller vase inside the larger vase

17 July 2012 Prevent scratches, rust and water stains on display surfaces

This is a great, non permanent way to protect surfaces from damage

11 April 2018 Pick up any bits of plant material floating in the water

Use a wet brush to lift any tiny bits of plant material floating on and in the water to keep your container clear.

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.

7 October 2015 Magnetic grass bubbles to reposition under water

When suspending items under water it is convenient to add a tiny magnet so that you can reposition it if the water distorts the lines of your design

Favourite Flowers

Gerbera

Transvaal Daisy, Gerbera Daisy, Germini

Related Designs

10 July 2019 These are my favourite summer things:

A submerged design... perfect for summertime designing... and enjoying!

27 January 2021 Knot how it was supposed to go

When you figure out the "how to" tricks of manipulating plant material it is possible to respectfully set them into seemingly impossible new directions.

11 May 2022 Is this new…?

Giving old ideas a new twist to refresh it for Spring

3 August 2022 It's a Heatwave!

Deep water design for extremely warm weather.

22 February 2023 Jump out at you

Early iris flowers in a bud vase.

15 May 2024 Well, well, well, if it isn’t the design solution I have been procrasti-crafting on

Beautiful Bletilla striata (Chinese Ground Orchid) deserves it's own elaborate frilly skirt display.

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

6 February 2013 Swimmingly

Fold a grass fish for an easy going underwater design detail

11 April 2018 Follow the line

Stack a few glass containers and fill each with water to a different level.

11 July 2018 Stay-a-Float

Snip florets from a hydrangea mop head to float on water

22 January 2014 How do you do?

Snow and twigs winter design

23 March 2013 Today I'll be

Silhouette design using glasses filled with water

22 May 2019 Putting your own spin on it

I would definitely describe my own personal style as minimalist classic... but with an edgy twist.