Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Using a pin to place tiny dew drop crystals
- 8 July 2015
- click to send Christine a smile
- and more
Pick the crystal up with a pin
Simply press the pin under the crystal so that the glue part sticks to the pin
Making it easy to lift away from the packaging
Carefully place it in the design
Without bruising even the most delicate petals
Adhering the tiny crystal exactly where you want it
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Tutorials
I wanted my beads to softly float above my snowball posy. If I glued the beads to some of the flowers it would just disappear in the mass of twigs and flowers.
Related Designs
Take inspiration from a traditional Dream-catcher design to create a floral armature
My article and a floral panel design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine
My article and Willow Crown design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine
Glue bark to a wire frame to create a Christmas stocking armature
Glue the most delicate twig table top Christmas tree
My article and floral wand design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine
The design for the cover of my book, the effortless floral craftsman, crafted from Fiddlehead Fern and Red Lipstick Hanging Heliconia.
This week we are looking at the contents pages of my book... but more specifically at the sweet little pod design on the content page of my book.
The last design I did for my book launch demonstration looking at aspects that influences my effortless style of designing... this week: often when we see a design element...
Wire a sparkling tinsel garland to dress up a single, elegant Arum lily.
My article and winter white Tulle bridal basket design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine.
My article and grass wedding basket design.
Urgh… my glass cake stand broke leaving me with a still beautiful, but now mismatched and extremely inspirational lid...
I left the grass to mature so that the tips mirror the sun bleached yellow of the orchids.
A creative way to keep foliage hydrated for a cool, water filled summer design.
Fold open a lily bud to conceal a clever little BoutStix floral magnet for an unusual corsage.
A perfectly imperfect wild willow wreath to display the first Autumn treasures of the year.
A visual breather from all the bright and festive designs to come when designing for Autumn.
Hanging pumpkins and tiny vases to create a Autumn mobile floral design.
Now this is quite a discovery! And it honestly is the easiest and quickest way to go from "I still want to decorate for Christmas" to "... aaand I am done, I made our wreath"
Create a long lasting winter inspired floral design that looks like it is frozen in time.
A creative design that has some height to it without blocking the view. This can easily be scaled up or down to match the environment you want to display it in.
This is a great "space-keeper" design. The tulip will continue to grow into the vase height as they open... but until then the grass platform part of the design diverts your...
This is one of my best known and still my go-to core techniques for floating flowers.
Connect small wreaths to create a pretty summer armature to arrange your flowers on.
A minimal... but then with a tiny bug detail... design that is perfect for warm summer designing.
A tranquil design that just takes a moment to do... when you need to take a moment to... breathe.
Frame a passion flower in a vine wreath for a short lived but so pretty arrangement.
All natural design using the design elements as mechanics.
Soft minimal Fall armature making it easy to replace the flowers as the season progress.
A hint of a wreath table top design for pre-Halloween decorating.
...ok not really that fancy- it’s made from paper pulp. A cardboard box snow mittens… really. In the spirit of 2020- I am inspired by the endless stream of cardboard boxes being...
...ok not really that fancy- it’s made from paper pulp. Some cardboard to wrap the string around… really. In the spirit of 2020- I am inspired by the endless stream of cardboard...
An easy to do ahead of time winter wonderland themed design for the calm days just after Christmas but before New Years Eve.
An enclosed design that invites the onlooker to lean in closer to explore the pretty orchid.
Weave an all natural net to place over a vase to keep your flowers above water.
An... everything is moving... design. The tulips are growing and the small vine filled vase is bopping around in the water. And if you lean them against each other just right it...
An early Spring design with a twist on using an old favourite: composite flowers.
Hide an egg inside a interwoven nest for a dainty Easter decoration design.
Whipped up to be light in the Spring breeze wreath design.
Whether it’s a solid foot for floating flowers, the tips of new growth or the curve of a dried twig your design needs help to stay upright.
Use the petals of your flower to cleverly keep all the other floral details of your design firmly in place.
Position foliage to create a smaller, shallow pond for your floral details to shelter in.
Grass crisscross that makes you want to lean in closer to count the late summer raindrops around these gorgeous roses.
A quick-to-do-but-looks-impressive way to display a beautiful cut garden vine for an effortless summer design.
Exploring two soaking techniques for a subtle early autumn design
A more than just a hint of Christmas tradition design... in a pre-Christmas design.
This is the first of my Christmas 2021 series of designs. This year in the form of a mini workshop… my Christmas present to you. We will explore how to patina Copper and use it to...
This is the second of my Christmas 2021 series of designs. This year in the form of a mini workshop… my Christmas present to you. Craft a three twig sphere snow man to proudly...
This is the third of my Christmas 2021 series of designs. This year in the form of a mini workshop… my Christmas present to you. Craft the easiest copper bells to hang in a...
Place a small fishbowl vase at an angle to look like it is pouring out flowers and twigs.
A design that visually plays with good proportions to allow the sheltered flower to be the focal point.
Ever wonder how I decide what I share with you? A fun design ticking all the boxes.
Luxuriously filled design... filled with flowers... filled with grass. But most fun, for us as designers filled with hidden techniques
Give a minimal design a few grass "whiskers" to feel that Spring breeze.
That incredible moment when you realize that one good idea for your design really is enough...
Weave a spherical support to place long stemmed flowers into a bud vase.
A glued snipped to create a cooling cone for dangling orchids
Managed to find an utterly gorgeous branch... perfect contrast to the minimal orchids.
When life hands you dyed flowers you make... well creatively speaking it turned out to be not such a bad thing after all!
This design requires a bit of prep-time so it is perfect to make while waiting for the first autumn leaf to appear…
Designing for somewhere not still summer not yet autumn weather...
Getting the balance just so... so that you lean into the first sights of Autumn.
A little bit of effort... that will last for weeks design to roll us in to the Festive Season.
A twig sleigh... to collect your twig Christmas tree, of course!
... a something to look forward to design that makes you lean in closer to see what might still be.
Glue a band of snow dusted twigs to create a delicate armature for winter treasures.
This orchid developed at the very end of a long stem... right as the rest of the flowers started to die back so I made a special armature to display the cut stem.
A blossom frame to display the prettiest anthurium of the whole bunch!
A spring spiral design... with a hint of a root nest. Easy to do
I am launching something new this month. I am teaming up with Plant Something BC, our local government and the landscape and nursery societies here in British Columbia, Canada and...
A leaning twig armature with both the first signs of Spring and the last signs of winter.
A tiny carry basket to gather the shortest stems from your cutting garden... with a place for water and your cutters.
A small design to display those last Spring snippets from your garden...
Softest Wisteria colour to cool things down on an unexpectedly warm day.
A lush wreath that remains green so that you can design once... and cut and cut and place your violas to make sure you have flowers all season long.
Light and airy... like a wonderful breeze on a hot summer day grass and erigeron display.
Oh my! Picked from my balcony garden... after I thought I completely missed it blooming.
It deserves a bowl all of it's own... right? I am (of course!) talking about these spectacular little sweet peas called King Tut. Not much else is needed. But add a cute little...
Ah... yes summer time designing. Anyone else seeing more insects hiding between the petals this year?
A bottom to the top... top to the bottom support to help keep your summer flowers hydrated.
Weave a web of jasmine vine to support orchid stems
Pull tab support for "canned" Calla lilies and bunny-tail grass.
A bit of a rethink as the season is getting ready to change. How can I give my design idea a fresh twist?
It's the little sun-washed coloured hints that makes you look again to see if you really saw what you thought you saw... yes! There really are signs of autumn everywhere!
Take a handful of grass... but then add just enough design to make it interesting.
Autumn bud vase collar made from gladiolus foliage.
Keep you fresh plant material hydrated in water... and your dried plant material suspended to keep it from falling into the water.
Glow and sparkle bark armature to celebrate the first signs of Autumn
Mixing permanent and fresh design ingredients to celebrate just how clever the glow of Autumn is.
Time to cut down vines... and enjoy them a bit longer in a Halloween display.
Not quite winter but also a bit late for autumn design that is somewhere between sparkle and flying leaves.
There's no need to rush the seasons. Take it slow and enjoy the plant material that are still available even if you are excited about what is to come...
From now to a bit after New Year's Eve I will show you my take on the trends for Christmas 2023. This week I start with natural styling with a handcrafted twig candy cane.
Tall and velvety Christmas tree... with a starlight garland
Paper snowflakes to display small snippets of Festive flowers on.
A glimmer is the opposite of a trigger... a little uplift. For this design I am lifting up my happiness by starting a tiny mossarium... but enjoying it as a design while it is in...
Using fresh twigs to bind a little twig platform to suspend the beautiful orchids from.
My Spring/Easter design and the introduction article about my floral journey written by the editor, Nina Tucknott in the latest issue of Flora Magazine.
Easy does it design that hints at but is not yet as intensive as the fun basket weaving and crafting that comes with Spring designing.
Grow a willow birdcage... with a bit of a Spring flower support to get it started.
Gorgeous Aquilegia vulgaris spring flower... with it's own springy thing!
Tangle jasmine vines outside a vase for a transparent screen to display floral details on and around a sea horse vase to display floral details in.
Ideal design for those flowers that needs a deep soak to remain hydrated.
Support a small bundle of spring florals to stand upright in water with two Monstera leaves.
Beautiful Bletilla striata (Chinese Ground Orchid) deserves it's own elaborate frilly skirt display.
Trendy fascinator design using long lasting (read can be designed ahead of time) floral details.
Making what makes your floral details unique the focal point of a design
Create a little bit of space to keep a few thin stemmed floral treasures upright in your design
A bark armature standing on pointe for some gorgeous blue King Tut sweet peas
Craft a haze of green around a log for a sweet pea swirl effect.
Perfect for summer designing with some space for the vines to continue to grow in your design.
Creating a larger sustainable floral design by clustering the floral details into bunches.
Design drops of grass to dangle down a hydrangea flower for an effortless summer floral display.
... a hint of a pumpkin late summer floral display to show off the elegant curve of a gladiolus flower stem.
A nod to a summer filled with flowers... and the quite possibly the last of the season flowers still there to be picked.
Adding more to an autumn design... but leaving everything out that you don't need.
Balancing dried ribbons of foliage to craft a wind twisted floral display.
Autumn harvest willow for a double the pretty plaited flower support
Create a almost wreath floral display that is light and airy... looking like it was just harvested.
Add something dark and suspicious to your petunias for a fun Halloween display
A light... and slight start to designing for Christmas... an oversized Finial
Long lasting and easy to pick up and place garland to decorate a Festive Platter of… anything, really!
An on-purpose-not-yet-quite-done design to remind us to enjoy the Christmas moments as they unfold.
Bark ice skates on a snow covered pond... perfect for capturing Christmas memories!