My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

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.

Thin wood glue with water to soak some mulberry bark in

To cover my box I thinned wood glue with water to soak some bleached mulberry bark in.

Smooth the soaked bark around the outside of the box

Smooth the soaked bark around the outside of the box.

Create some dimension by allowing some of the bark pieces to bubble up and extend over the edge of the box

Create some dimension by allowing some of the bark pieces to bubble up and extend over the edge of the box.

Set the bark covered box aside to dry completely

Set the bark covered box aside to dry completely.

Place a sheet of the bark inside the box and glue it every here and there.

Place a sheet of the bark inside the box and glue it every here and there so that it is secure but not flat to help keep the water tubes in place.

Place the flowers in water filled water tubes and glue the tubes to the bottom of the box

Place the flowers in water filled water tubes and glue the tubes to the bottom of the box.

Glue in a grid of woven grass to keep everything upright and in place

Glue in a grid of woven grass to keep everything upright and in place

For my design I added grass grid snippets that only cover some areas. See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on creating a secure grass snippet here and there grid.

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

Tutorials

8 June 2011 Foliage Weaving

For this tutorial I focus on a simple weave pattern that does not require you to soften or prepare the leaves to be more durable or flexible. This is the starting point in...

19 June 2019 Creating a secure grass snippet here and there grid

This grid helps secure flowers in place... and add visual interest by being over rather than under the flowers.

14 January 2011 Ripping Flax

Flax can be ripped into fibres creating long and versatile strips

29 August 2018 Coil slip on sandals

Braid ripped flax and coil it into shaped slip on sandals.

25 April 2012 A plait, a braid or a French knot grass collar

"Plaid" and "braid" are synonyms, and where you are from will most likely dictate whether you use plait (British) or braid (American or Celtic). Some people also refer to...

1 May 2013 Weaving a Straight Edged Strip

A beautiful woven strip that is quite easy to make

17 June 2015 Weaving Zori-inspired slip-on Sandals

Sandals made from bamboo, grass and sisal and a bit of satin ribbon for luxury

10 July 2012 Bark covered heart

Cover cardboard with bark to create a heart shaped log

10 July 2012 Stabilizing sticks for dried or fresh flowers

Create a full design without the weight by stabilizing the flowers with glued sticks. This is a great alternative to floral foam.

30 August 2011 Curving Calla Lilies

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

Favourite Flowers

Lilium

Lily

Related Designs

19 June 2019 Club together

Last Wednesday I had such a flowery fun evening teaching a collaborative floral carpet workshop focusing on braiding and weaving ideas from my book the effortless floral craftsman...

5 April 2011 Floral Carpet

Durbanville Flower Club: Nature's Treasures, A Floral Art Exhibition at D'Ville Shopping Center Durbanville, Western Cape, South Africa

17 June 2015 This Summer

Weave slip on summer sandals

20 July 2016 A Shade of Summer

Twist and weave a lily grass summer hat

26 September 2018 Cover Story

The design for the cover of my book, the effortless floral craftsman, crafted from Fiddlehead Fern and Red Lipstick Hanging Heliconia.

10 January 2013 A quirky kind of Love

Retail florists and wholesalers are already designing, ordering and preparing their product range for Valentine's Day. This is my article that I wrote for the December 2012...