My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Skewer leaf rolls to support a tiny water source for fresh flowers

Cut a few sturdy sticks at a very sharp angle

Cut a few sturdy sticks at a very sharp angle

This makes it easier to pierce the leaf with our ripping it.

This makes it easier to pierce the leaf without ripping it.

Roll the leaf

Roll the leaf. I used Dracaena leaves for my design

Skewer the leaf with the sharp stick

Skewer the leaf with the sharp stick

Skewer the leaf with another sharp stick

Skewer the leaf with another sharp stick

Place a tiny test tube to sit upright between the two sticks

Place a tiny test tube to sit upright between the two sticks. Fill with water and add fresh flowers

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

Tutorials

4 January 2011 Drinking straw "test tubes"

When you need to keep a tiny stem hydrated this is just what you need.

11 November 2012 Autumn Leaf Rosette

Great way to use all the autumn leaves you collect on walks during the season. Slowly build up the leaf rosette and let the leaves dry before adding a few more.

23 March 2013 Rolling leaf tubes

Roll foliage to create tubes

11 November 2015 Balancing the curved stems of dried Autumn leaf tubes

Long stemmed autumn leave tubes as a floral armature

16 August 2011 Cut spiked flower stems and foliage into short sections

Orchids grow in long flower spikes. It is great to use the entire stem but sometimes you need shorter section. There is a trick to cutting the stems without leaving a visible...

14 October 2015 Roll hundreds (yes! hundreds) of autumn leaves so create a natural, upright flower frog

Rolled leaves offer support for floral stems

10 August 2016 Bamboo frog for a shallow container design

Cut short bamboo lengths to keep your flower material upright in a shallow and narrow container

6 September 2011 Autumn leaf Roses

I used to make baskets full of these when I was a little girl. We had a big Acasia thorn tree and I used to spear my “roses” onto the tree pretending I was the fairy responsible...

Related Designs

28 June 2017 Somewhere in the Middle

Skewer Dracaena leaves into a roll that supports a tiny water source for the Oncidium orchids

28 March 2018 Walking on eggshells

Fill eggshells with moss to create an upright container... with a surprising balancing trick.

27 June 2018 Look deep

Curl foliage to use as a natural armature for delicate buds.

10 October 2018 From A... for Acer to Z… for Zantedeschia

This week we look at the design featured in the Flower Guide Chapter at the very end of my book

24 October 2018 It all stacks up

Quick and easy: Stack autumn leaves onto a wire for a... tiny table top Christmas tree.

8 January 2020 Rest a bit here

Gently curve a shallow area with a leaf to showcase a gorgeous flower with a short stem in a water filled vase

27 May 2020 Take a Stab at it

Skewer a few leaves to turn a single carnation in a bud vase... into an occasion... all by itself!

6 January 2021 I tip my (flower) cap!

An enclosed design that invites the onlooker to lean in closer to explore the pretty orchid.

30 March 2022 Cone of Gratitude

Sweet spring design to hold some buds

20 April 2022 Oh this? Yes! it is new

New growth... too cute to resist!

18 May 2022 Because Why

Adding the smallest details to absolutely make the design.

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.

14 August 2024 everything in one

Connect a unit of leaves... and a pretty floppy stem with thorns.

28 August 2024 Soft Serve Swirl

A nod to a summer filled with flowers... and the quite possibly the last of the season flowers still there to be picked.

12 April 2011 Intimate Dinner For Two- Table Setting Competition Class

Floral Sushi Dinner, for two

21 April 2011 Happy Easter!

Spring "Ice cream" posy with a Banana Leaf "cone"

11 November 2012 Leaves by Hundreds came

A rosette of fall leaves to celebrate the beauty of autumn

23 March 2013 Today I'll be

Silhouette design using glasses filled with water

14 October 2015 What a find!

Roll autumn leaves to create a frog to keep flowers upright

11 November 2015 Balancing Act

Bend dried fall leaves to balance on the edge of a glass container

10 August 2016 Saved up

Cut lengths of bamboo to place in a shallow container as a flower frog

1 April 2011 A Floral Art Demonstration by Floral Trends Design Group

A Floral Art Demonstration by Floral Trends Design Group with music, narration and pictorial presentation.