My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Unravel Sisal string to get Sisal Fibers

I purchase a huge roll of sisal string to use... sometimes as string, but mostly I unravel it for the fibers

Cut a length of sisal string... Look carefully at the string to see which way the fibers are wound

Twist the fibers in the opposite direction to loosen

Work your way down the length of the string

Fluff out the fibers

Sign up for my weekly newsletter

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

Sign Up Now
Tutorials
Berry dye for sisal fibers
26 June 2012
Berry dye for sisal fibers

Soak sisal fibres in strawberry and black berry juice to stain it purple
Sisal Disk
19 June 2013
Sisal Disk

Create a inflexible circle armature to hang flowers from
Glue a Sisal Fiber Bubble
8 May 2013
Glue a Sisal Fiber Bubble

Mix Sisal fibers and glue to make a bubble
Using sisal and wood glue to make a rigid and versatile foundation for floral art armatures
22 March 2017
Using sisal and wood glue to make a rigid and versatile foundation for floral art armatures

Wrap thin, glue soaked sisal fibers around a balloon or ball to create a barely there armature
Using sisal and wood glue to make a rigid and versatile foundation for floral art armatures
22 March 2017
Using sisal and wood glue to make a rigid and versatile foundation for floral art armatures

Wrap thin, glue soaked sisal fibers around a balloon or ball to create a barely there armature
Pin Protea foliage into a curl
22 March 2017
Pin Protea foliage into a curl

The sturdy Protea leaves holds it shape even when dried when pinned into place
Skewered Foliage Garland
22 March 2017
Skewered Foliage Garland

Create a garland that dries well with rolled up leaves
Add plant material and a wire support to sisal armatures
22 March 2017
Add plant material and a wire support to sisal armatures

Customize sisal armatures by adding a wire skeleton and interesting bits of plant material
Cane, Ti leaves and Sisal Disk Armature
23 November 2016
Cane, Ti leaves and Sisal Disk Armature

create a cookie shaped armature for the chocolate cosmos flowers
Skeleton Hydrangeas
26 August 2015
Skeleton Hydrangeas

Make skeleton petals from hydrangeas to create blossoms
Skeleton Hydrangea Petal Blossoms
26 August 2015
Skeleton Hydrangea Petal Blossoms

Use the skeleton petals of hydrangeas to create blossoms
Skeleton leaf bowl
12 November 2014
Skeleton leaf bowl

Stiffen some skeletonize leaves into a lacy fine floral bowl
Barely there Mad Hatter's Top Hat
28 August 2013
Barely there Mad Hatter's Top Hat

Glue sisal fibers to create a floral top hat
Autumn Leaf Rosette
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.
Related Designs
Floral Hurricane
21 June 2023
Floral Hurricane

My Floral Hurricane design entry for the BC Floral Art Society mini show competition
Biomimicry
22 March 2017
Biomimicry

A design demonstration and workshop at the Floral Trends Design group in South Africa exploring how we emulate nature’s best biological ideas to solve our modern day design problems.
All things Autumn (by which I mean all things chocolate): Another perspective
23 November 2016
All things Autumn (by which I mean all things chocolate): Another perspective

This was the third design I did in my "All things Autumn (by which I mean all things chocolate)" floral art demonstration
Fall Treasures
9 September 2015
Fall Treasures

A sisal mat armature for fall twigs flowers and leaves
Limelight
27 May 2015
Limelight

My RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2015 Limelight Floral Art Design. My Limelight design was inspired by a slice of lime. But I wanted it to look like it was spun by a butterfly. I used Sisal, silk and loads of Lisianthus flowers and 9 grapevine plants. Each tiny stem was placed in a water filled glass seahorse or test tube to keep it hydrated.
Forest Floor
19 November 2014
Forest Floor

Glue a autumn leaf rosette armature
The Thing Is
12 November 2014
The Thing Is

Use a glue mixture to shape skeleton leaves into a lacy bowl
as COOL as a (ornamental) cucumber
25 September 2013
as COOL as a (ornamental) cucumber

A play on colour.
Losing some of that Muchness
28 August 2013
Losing some of that Muchness

A barely there sisal Mad Hatter's floral hat