My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Tutorials

26 July 2011 Copper Wire Ring

Bend and curl a adjustable copper wire ring

26 July 2011 Wire Tendrils

Curl the wire at irregular intervals to create a natural wire tendril similar to that of a passion fruit plant

26 July 2011 Create a flat base to glue small florets securely

Make a small loop the size of your ring to create a flat surface to glue your tiny plant material on.

21 July 2011 Weaving a fan basket

Dark and dramatic burgundy lilies are tucked in low to line a fan shaped basket that unravels into an unruly nest

21 July 2011 Weaving a bird

I wove my bird from shaved wood but you can also use flax, coconut palm (more traditional) or paper or ribbon

11 July 2011 Paper Foundation for Kyogi paper wood curls

Gently curl and tuck strips of Kyogi paper to form a tangle of curls and scatter a few orchids to create the impression that a gust of wind just blew it that way

5 July 2011 Tie an Iris leaf tassel

A tassel (also called a tuft) consist of: A suspending cord, the body, a fringed or ornamental skirt

29 June 2011 Cover the drinking straw test tube with bark

I made about 100 rose stem test tubes for my Zipper Design

29 June 2011 Twig Zipper

I wanted my Zipper to be "edgy" rather than "peaceful", so using bamboo or reeds or willow would not be appropriate.

19 June 2011 Making wire roots for the "fabric" at the back of the design

I wanted a delicate, yet rough "fabric" to back my edgy Zipper. Something that will stand up to the thorns and rose twigs but not over power them. It definitely had to...

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...

2 June 2011 Papier Mache

I save all the thin tissue paper or un-printed newsprint papers that are wrapped around the flowers that are delivered to me to make batches of Papier Mache with. These sheets...