My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Prevent scratches, rust and water stains on display surfaces

17 July 2012
click to send Christine a smile
and more

Polyethylene (PE) foam sheets are spongy and non-abrasive. You can save and up-cycle the foam you get as protective packaging or purchase it from electronic component or packaging supply stores.

Cut the foam to exactly fit the base of your vase. I also use this under concrete, stone or metal cans or containers.

Smooth the foam flat over the surface. The foam will stick and create a crush proof layer between the vase and the surface that you want to protect.

The foam is almost invisible and if you look carefully it looks like sandblasted glass

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Tutorials

17 February 2021

Controlled breaking a thin reed to create a grass spiral armature

Carefully break... but don't snap a reed to create a curved base for a fanned out grass armature.

27 January 2021

Loop a Monstera leaf stem to craft an underwater hold for a knotted orchid stem

Use the unique qualities of each stem to create a submerged design in a water filled glass vase.

10 July 2019

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.

$Designing with refraction$

11 April 2018

Designing with refraction

Only a few stems create an impressive display if you allow the water to design with you.

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.

4 April 2018

Tap in a Twig Support

Wedge snipped twigs into a glass vase to act as a support for your flowers

24 January 2018

Stack two glass vases to keep a leaf upright in water

Slip a leaf into the gap between two glass containers to keep it upright... and add a plastic lining to support the flowers nestled into it.

Related Designs

30 August 2011

Ichi-go, ichi-e

Freely translated it means Each Moment, Only Once. It is a saying associated with Japanese tea ceremonies.

22 May 2012

Lean

Place short twigs, leaning to one side to create a flower frog

24 April 2012

Words Matter.

Braiding and plaiting and knotting hair is a huge trend in hairdressing at the moment. Intricate little plaits are draped over long flowing hair to add complexity and quirk. It’s a lovely design trend to add to floral art.

28 February 2012

Design-time saving tip sheet for a demanding Mother’s Day

Time Saving Tips and Article in the Canadian Florist Magazine

18 January 2012

Winter’s Green

This contorted hazel twig reminded me of an ancient and wise bonsai tree. It definitely has a story of its own to tell. I wanted to capture that in my design. All it needed was to be aged with a beard of lichen and moss. And I couldn’t resist adding a lighter touch of fragrant paper white snowflakes to swing gently on its bare winter branches in the chilly breeze.

1 November 2011

On The Street Where You Live

A floral design snapshot of what it looks like when walking down the streets of Vancouver this week.

20 January 2011

The last Vine Wreath

Every designer knows how to stretch their supplies. We use and re-use our dried plant material until our fellow designers feel like hiding it from us. I formed such an attachment to my vine wreaths. This post features four designs using the same wreaths.

17 February 2021

From here in out

An all natural, zero waste design using only plant material.

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.