Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Turning a pumpkin to hover for a sway in the lightest autumn breeze display
- 1 October 2025
Match a small pumpkin so that it rests comfortable in the opening of a clear vase. Turn it slightly at a casual angle so that it sits in the vase but is not wedged into the vase. It really is important that the entire design remains light and airy. Nothing gets wedged into position.
Fill the container with clear water just to below where the pumpkin rests.
Measure out a papyrus flower so that you cut the stem just long enough for the papyrus to rest in the opening of the vase.
The papyrus culm should rest comfortable to prevent the papyrus from slipping into the vase when you add the pumpkin.
... which is great for stability and will make your design so much easier to position... but what to do with this giant green stem that is now threatening to spoil the entire ethereal feel of the design? Well... turn it! This week in our Floral Design Preview Email I show you exactly how we make the stem disappear in plain sight. The magic of craftsmanship. I send out an email each Wednesday morning (Vancouver time) to notify you when the latest design is ready for you to view. And I include a small detail, that "special something" that makes the design remarkable for you to take notice of so that you can make the most of each week's inspiration even before looking at the design. The sign up is below this post.
Move the papyrus into position and split it open so that you can rest the pumpkin into a natural position without distorting the petal-less flower
Gently nestle the pumpkin into position.
Do not just drop the pumpkin in though. Scootch the petal-less flower to the back so that the papyrus remains intact and the water is as clear and clutter free as possible.
This allows the papyrus umbel to fan out around the pumpkin without looking shoved down into the vase. the goal is to design in as much "lift" as possible.
Test each fuchsia stem to add as much lift into the spilling stem as possible...
Hold each stem at different places to test the natural angle it droops in.
Thread the stem into the container at that exact place to make use of the natural droop to add lightness to the design. The idea is that the flower stem should have an uptilt so that it looks light and airy in the display.
Glue in a few maple seed pods... see how they exactly match the stems of the fuchsia?
And glue in a few dried maple leaves to look like they simply fluttered down to rest on the display.
This is where your glue skills really is helpful. You need the smallest amount of floral glue possible. Any other kind of glue is too heavy and will weigh down the dried foliage. Add the foliage only where they have some support. They really should be weightless not to weigh the strand fine papyrus down. Crossing stems are ideal.
Book readers turn to page 126 for a cooling summer version of this design. For more information about my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman
And as always I add a few sparkling dew drops to the design to finish it off.
See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions on how to (and why) I add the crystals with a pin.
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