My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Overgrown vine tangle to suspend flowers in a clear vase

Strip away the foliage from Wisteria vines

Strip away the foliage from Wisteria vines.

See the Tutorial below for a quick and easy way to remove foliage from weaving stems.

Loop the first weaving stem to begin weaving a wreath

Loop the first weaving stem to begin weaving a wreath.

Again, I have a detailed Tutorial for you below if you want more information about weaving wreaths.

Tuck the end of the stem into the wreath to secure it

Tuck the end of the stem into the wreath to secure it.

This way the end is concealed and the wreath will stay intact as you wiggle stems through it

This way the end is concealed and the wreath will stay intact as you wiggle stems through it.

Wiggle another vine through the wreath

Wiggle another vine through the wreath...

Loop it around under the wreath as if you are crafting a basket

Loop it around under the wreath as if you are crafting a basket.

You just know that I have a Tutorial for you on how to craft a basket like this... I am adding it below... but back to this Tutorial...

Loop in another weaving stem

Loop in another weaving stem...

And a third weaving stem

And a third weaving stem.

To brush up on how to manipulate twigs so that they bend and not break see the Tutorial below.

Tuck the looped stems into a vase

Tuck the looped stems into a vase so that the stems make an inverted grid to keep the flowers in place.

Place the flower stem in the vase

Measure out the stem before cutting. For my design I am cutting a bit shorter than what it should be because I am using the weaving stems to prop up the stem out of the vase. My mechanics give the design height.

Bend the first weaving stem towards the flower

Bend the first weaving stem towards the flower. Twirl it around the lily stem.

Bend the second stem in from the opposite side

Bend the second stem in from the opposite side and twirl it around the flower stem.

Go around the wreath and bend and twirl all the weaving stems

Go around the wreath and bend and twirl all the weaving stems. Make sure you support the flower stem with the weaving stems so that it is not only securely in place in the vase and will not flop over when you move the vase but also lifted slightly out of the water so that the stem is not resting on the bottom. This is a subtle detail but it will make the more observant onlooker come a bit closer to see just how this is done... and notice the gorgeous weaving stems twirling around the flowers.

Newsletter subscribers: I have a tip for you about adding these supporting weaving stems. These tips are only in my newsletter... make sure you are subscribed so that you do not miss out.

Tuck in another lily low into the vase at the back

Tuck in another lily low into the vase at the back.

Fill the container with water

Fill the container with water.

And weave any stem ends back into the vine tangle

And weave any distracting stem ends back into the vine tangle.

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

Tutorials

19 February 2013 Manipulating stems: Snapping at an angle, Bending, Spiraling, Curling and Straightening

Most stems, twigs and even sturdier branches can be bend into shapes. It takes practice and more than a bit of patience. The main idea is to slowly manipulate the branch without...

1 November 2011 Weaving a twig wreath

For my design I wanted the wreath to look wind blown so I added a few loosely woven twigs into the weave. I also wanted to emphasize the autumn colours so I added a twirling...

24 July 2019 Grass Twirling Up to Dress a Stem of Lilies

A single stem of lilies turned into a celebration just by twirling a handful of lily grass around it.

13 June 2018 Lily grass and cane bubble for a Pitcher plant

Craft a dried cane globe for the armature of the design and then add lily grass to dry in place.

27 February 2019 Weave a floral trap

Keep your flowers in place with an all natural woven trap.

7 February 2018 Bend Wired Equisetum into a Hollow Wreath

Craft a wreath with a hollow cavity inside to use as an armature for your flowers

12 June 2019 Loop-over grass veil for a cool summer design

A cool and minimal floral design for summer.

30 March 2012 Keep pod shaped flowers in bud for longer

Sometimes you want to keep flowers in tight bud for as long as possible to suit your design

2 January 2011 Lilies

How to keep Lilies in bud for longer. Removing the pollen. Stringing a Lily Garland.

28 January 2015 Well Rooted Sprouting Willow Weave

Weave a sprouting armature

11 February 2015 Stripping foliage from weaving stems

Remove foliage from stems to weave with

18 April 2018 Clematis Vine Swing

Weave a delicate nest for a small spring design.

21 March 2018 Craft a Spring basket from a wreath

A wide gap nearly basket for nearly spring

9 January 2019 Winter white Tulle bridal basket

Craft a delicate bridal basket from twigs and tulle.

Favourite Flowers

Lilium

Lily

Related Designs

10 June 2020 All Out

An all out effective way of keeping a flower stem in the exact spot you want it to be in a clear water vase design.

1 July 2020 Oh yes, The Hornet of Tranquility

A minimal... but then with a tiny bug detail... design that is perfect for warm summer designing.

19 August 2020 All round pretty sweet and short

Frame a passion flower in a vine wreath for a short lived but so pretty arrangement.

12 May 2021 It’s up there

Whether it’s a solid foot for floating flowers, the tips of new growth or the curve of a dried twig your design needs help to stay upright.

23 June 2021 Over Easy

A cooling design to celebrate the summer solstice.

13 October 2021 Gratitude

A minimal Thanks Giving design that is a modern take on a wreath

2 August 2023 here… from … my little corner… of the world wide web

Weave a web of jasmine vine to support orchid stems

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.

31 July 2024 Have a floral adventure, really

Creating a larger sustainable floral design by clustering the floral details into bunches.

18 September 2024 Finding balance

Balancing dried ribbons of foliage to craft a wind twisted floral display.

6 November 2013 This is the Fragrance of November

Weave a wreath to thread a dome for an Autumn leaf design

24 July 2019 Up to much?

Dress up a single lily stem with a few blades of grass.

27 February 2019 It’s a trap!

Weave a trap to keep your floral details suspended in a square container.

8 May 2019 It takes more than one person to invent a trumpet!

Filling a trumpet flower cup... with more flowers!

6 June 2018 Hi-Lo

Perfect stems, perfect flowers. Needs nothing more.

7 February 2018 Up around the bend

Bend Equisetum into curves to wire into an open wreath shape

10 June 2015 Gotcha!

Hana Kubari lily stems

12 June 2019 Almost... all over!

Loop a grass veil over a lily stem to create a minimalist summer design.

28 January 2015 In a State of Flow

weave some willow to use as an armature

18 April 2018 Swing Vine

Weave a delicate vine swing to nestle a small vase with spring flowers in

9 January 2019 Magical Craftsmanship

My article and winter white Tulle bridal basket design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine.