My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Spiral twig frog

Place the vase on its side. Start adding dried twigs.

Add another handful of twigs

and more twigs...

and more twigs. I used willow, dogwood, rose, hydrangea stems, dried chrysanthemum (dyed pink) and Mikado Reeds

Fill just over 3/4 of the vase with twigs

Keep the twigs in place with your hand and set the vase upright.

Let the twigs settle but not fall over. Gently brush the twigs with your hand guiding them to fall into the spiral shape.

Softly pat the twigs to settle in a spiral. Pat the outer twigs first to press them deeper than the twigs in the middle to create a slight dome.

When perfect, pour in a bit of warm water to let the twigs swell into place.

Add a bit more water for the leaves and flower buds after the warm water is absorbed.

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Tutorials
Bring out the pretty spots on the lip of this tiny orchid with a dotted twig stump armature
22 January 2025
Bring out the pretty spots on the lip of this tiny orchid with a dotted twig stump armature

Create a delicate floating and natural display without using floral foam with a twig frog armature.
New growth Spring frog
26 April 2023
New growth Spring frog

Willow cutting left in water will root and sprout... perfect for a all natural flower frog to admire as is or to keep long stem flowers upright.
Easy twist to a tulip spiral to nestle a “we are still building this” bird’s nest in
22 March 2023
Easy twist to a tulip spiral to nestle a “we are still building this” bird’s nest in

The easiest unfinished nest idea... simply shaped from roots discovered while Spring cleaning and preparing to plant.
Magnolia Rose Bowl with the brightest Holly berries and Kalanchoe flowers
16 November 2022
Magnolia Rose Bowl with the brightest Holly berries and Kalanchoe flowers

Long lasting berries, magnolia leaves and succulent (kalanchoe) flowers that can remain without any water or maintenance for... well... all the way to Christmas!
Racked up dried Twig Snippets to display a few flower buds
18 August 2021
Racked up dried Twig Snippets to display a few flower buds

Combining dried and fresh floral details for a easy breezy summer design.
Pour glue over a stick Bundle to craft a Poke Out Spring stick Armature
5 February 2020
Pour glue over a stick Bundle to craft a Poke Out Spring stick Armature

Fake an early Spring by crafting a long lasting stick bundle that has a blossoming branch of succulent flowers.
A round, around a round foliage… spiral in a vase
30 January 2019
A round, around a round foliage… spiral in a vase

Stack foliage to create a rose spiral in a container.
Bundled Phormium with a secret water source
20 June 2018
Bundled Phormium with a secret water source

Rip Phormium to create a freestanding bundle armature design.
Stem line-up
21 February 2018
Stem line-up

Line up stems to create a base for the heavy Hanging Heliconia stems
Two vase, two level Phormium snippets
2 August 2017
Two vase, two level Phormium snippets

Design in two levels by using two vases, the smaller slipped into a bigger one.
Coil wire and grass to create a spring frog
1 February 2017
Coil wire and grass to create a spring frog

Twirl and wrap wire and lily grass around a dowel stick to create a spring frog
Bamboo frog for a shallow container design
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
Hiding a secret water source in a twig frog
27 April 2016
Hiding a secret water source in a twig frog

New growth is really difficult to design with and definitely needs to be conditioned and placed in a water source
Rethinking the traditional Komiwara technique
7 May 2014
Rethinking the traditional Komiwara technique

Komiwara is a classic and traditional Ikebana technique used in a Rikka design. Designers would usually bundle straw to keep the flowers in place.
Zig-Zag leaf flower frog
27 November 2013
Zig-Zag leaf flower frog

Wire and fold a flat leaf to create a support to rest flowers on in a flat container
Roll spiral blossoms
8 October 2011
Roll spiral blossoms

Cut leaves and petals and roll a spiral blossom
Related Designs
Spot on!
22 January 2025
Spot on!

Connect the dots with round willow cuts and the spotted lip of the tiniest mini miniature Phalaenopsis orchids
Oh So Me
26 April 2023
Oh So Me

Snip and grow willow to create a Spring new growth support for your tall flower stems.
... and just like that we spiral back to... Spring!
22 March 2023
... and just like that we spiral back to... Spring!

A spring spiral design... with a hint of a root nest. Easy to do
All your Christmases…
16 November 2022
All your Christmases…

A little bit of effort... that will last for weeks design to roll us in to the Festive Season.
At Play
18 August 2021
At Play

A quick-to-do-but-looks-impressive way to display a beautiful cut garden vine for an effortless summer design.
What it’s all about
5 February 2020
What it’s all about

A bundle of twigs armature to create a pretend Spring design for a snowy morning.
Around Here
30 January 2019
Around Here

Wind lily leaves to spiral around in a water filled container.
Wonder
4 July 2018
Wonder

Tie a bundle of grass to support your floral details
A Bundle of Pretty
20 June 2018
A Bundle of Pretty

A dried bundle of ripped flax hides a secret water source for the orchids
Impossible things
21 February 2018
Impossible things

A cut stem flower frog for the heavy Hanging Heliconia flowers
Grace
2 August 2017
Grace

Use snips and snippets and leftovers to create a design of it's own
Dream, Job
7 June 2017
Dream, Job

Create a grid to rest some plant material so that it floats and some with their stems to rest in the water below
Not yet Spring, Spring but a spring
1 February 2017
Not yet Spring, Spring but a spring

Coil wire and grass to create a spring
Saved up
10 August 2016
Saved up

Cut lengths of bamboo to place in a shallow container as a flower frog
Sprout
27 April 2016
Sprout

A sneaky way to condition new growth to add into your Spring design
Lean
22 May 2012
Lean

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