My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Two leaf lining your container to shelter your orchids

2 June 2021
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Slip a mostera leaf into a elongated vase...

Let the stem curve to line the bottom of the container to add a bit of drama.

Add a second leaf to create a cup...

Fill the container with water so that it pools between the leaves making a secure puddle for the floral material.

Place the orchid stem into the leaf puddle so that it sits comfortable. For my design this meant the flowering tip of the spike poked through the hole in the leaf...

Book readers turn to page: 273 where I talk about manipulating plant material to create an illusion.

Gently manipulate the stem to wedge into the container... but take care not to snap the stem.... but if you do...

This week I added an alternative to help you craft this design if your stem is maybe not long enough... or you want to substitute the orchids with flowers that are not strong enough to wedge into position... or you are not yet comfortable with manipulating stems in this way. See this weeks email for more details. If you are not yet signed up for our once a week email tip make sure to do so before next Wednesday. These tips only appear in the emails and are not added to the Tutorial.

Add in a few vines to curve over the flowers.

And finish the design with a few dew drop crystals.

See the Tutorial below for more information on how I add the crystals with a pin.

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Tutorials

8 July 2015

Using a pin to place tiny dew drop crystals

It's sometimes difficult to place a tiny crystal or bead exactly where you want it.

8 January 2020

Leaf-puddle for a short stem in a big vase

Add a leaf to a large-ish vase to create a small puddle of water for your short flower stem to rest in.

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.

25 August 2011

Placing orchids in test tubes

Cut the Phalaenopsis orchid with a bit of green stem attached. This will make them last longer.

30 January 2019

A round, around a round foliage… spiral in a vase

Stack foliage to create a rose spiral in a container.

27 June 2018

Foliage tube armature for long stemmed freesia buds

Curl and pin a few leaves into a tube to create an armature for those "left over" freesiabuds.

16 August 2017

Criss-cross Monstera lace-up

Glue short sections of rosary vine into the natural gaps in the Monstera deliciosa leaf

5 October 2016

Folded leaf nest

Leaf armature made of rolled mini Monstera leaves

4 February 2015

Fold over a tropical leaf cocoon

Fold and glue a Monstera deliciosa (delicious monster) leaf

3 July 2024

Creating a perfectly flat leafy surface... with a few gaps to fit some flowers

Shady leaf fenestration raft for easy summer designing

12 June 2024

Narrow twin leaf spacer for keeping a tiny stem bouquet upright

A pretty way of taming wonderfully wild thin stemmed floral details... without loosing the light and airy feel.

8 May 2024

Use a glue stick to position a Kenzan… just so… so that you can place the blackest of flowers to be framed by gaps of light

Play up contrasts to allow near black flowers to shine.

24 April 2024

Slot together Monstera Twin Leaves to create a design gap

A small bundle of Spring floral treasures framed with lush monstera foliage.

31 January 2024

Frosted Glass Chip Edge for a glass container

Glue glass chips into a half moon to help keep the floral details in place.

2 August 2023

Tangle a wild wide web of Jasmine vine to suspend your flowers

My summer design strategy: the warmer the weather the deeper the water. A vine frog is just the thing!

19 July 2023

Knot a dragonfly

The easiest critter ever. All you need to do is make a few knots...

11 January 2023

Unfurl winter’s potential in a snow filled monstera leaf shelter

Capture a bit of winter magic by placing delicate flower buds in the middle of two large leaves.

20 April 2022

How to position the tiniest Spring stems using the hole in the side of a beaker wall vase

The tiny stems tend to flop about making it difficult to place your design... just so. This is such a great solution!

6 April 2022

Create a design gap with two leaves to create shivering whiskers for your Spring design

Adding design details to create tiny gaps for more design details.

Related Designs

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

24 January 2018

How to make a stack of just enough:

Stack two vases to create a small gap at the side to keep a leaf upright

22 May 2019

Putting your own spin on it

I would definitely describe my own personal style as minimalist classic... but with an edgy twist.

30 January 2019

Around Here

Wind lily leaves to spiral around in a water filled container.

22 August 2018

FreestyleFreesia

Dutch floral designer Pim van den Akker, from Flower Factor invited me to participate in a FloraHolland initiative promoting the versatility of Freesias entitled #FreestyleFreesia Here is the extended version of my video.

27 June 2018

Look deep

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

16 August 2017

Making Ends Meet

Criss-cross corset style connect the gaps in a Monstera deliciosa leaf

5 October 2016

I found it this way: Leaf nest design

This was the third design I did in my "I found it this way" floral art demonstration

13 January 2016

Once Upon A Time

Stack and glue a Grass Pyramid Armature

4 February 2015

collywobbles!

Fold foliage butterflies

7 June 2011

Floating Boat Orchid

The name Cymbidium or boat Orchid is derived from the Greek word Kumbos meaning "hole or cavity", referring to the hollowness in the base of the lip of the flowers.