My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Using your seriously cool hot glue skills to glue a wire support for a tulip stem

Cut a thin wire and bend it to spiral around a pretty glass container

Cut a thin wire and bend it to spiral around a pretty glass container.

Glue the wire to the container using hot glue

Glue the wire to the container using hot glue.

Glue the smallest amount required to secure the wire

Glue the smallest amount required to secure the wire.

Slowly turn the container and glue the wire to the edge of the rim

Slowly turn the container and glue the wire to the edge of the rim.

Bend the left over wire up

Bend the left over wire up where the two ends meet.

Cut away any visible glue with a sharp knife

Cut away any visible glue with a sharp knife.

The glue conceals the wire if it is not too visible in the first place.

If the glue is not too visible it also conceals the wire.

Measure the tulip against the wire to see where to bend it

Measure the tulip against the wire to see where to bend it

Newsletter subscribers: I have a bonus tip for you this week on how to make sure the tulip won't snap. Make sure to subscribe so that you don't miss out on these free design specific tips each week.

Bend the wire in over the container

Bend the wire in over the container.

And back out into a hairpin hook

... And back out into a hairpin hook

Bend the wire back down at the back and cut it short

Bend the wire back down at the back and cut it short.

Hook the wire around the tulip

Hook the wire around the tulip...

Remember the tip from your newsletter.

And secure the end of the wire with a drop of hot glue

And secure the end of the wire with a drop of hot glue.

Position the tulip

Position the tulip. Firstly to hide the wire from the front... but then also for when someone peaks around to see the "magic" it should look neat and pretty to get a smile.

Fill the container with water

Fill the container with water.

Book readers: Turn to page 264 for a similar type of design... only no wires this time. It's all natural!

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

Tutorials

21 March 2012 Where to cut Tulips to condition

Here is a trick to make sure your tulips will condition thoroughly

26 February 2020 Weave a grass Platform for an opening Tulip bud

Tulips continue to grow as they open. This means you not only have to be mindful of their proportions as they are now... but also as they will be once open.

24 July 2018 Lemon Aid Container Stopper

Keep flowers in place by placing a lemon on the narrow rim of the container.

1 April 2015 Hana-kubari Bamboo

Hana-Kubari is an Ikebana flower mechanic. Only natural materials such as pebbles, sticks and branches can be seen to support the flowers. Traditionally no twine or wire, nails,...

3 January 2018 Using a fork in a twig to “peg” a stem in place

A easy to use Hana Kubari technique

4 April 2018 Tap in a Twig Support

Wedge snipped twigs into a glass vase to act as a support for your flowers

Favourite Flowers

Tulipa

Tulip

Related Designs

1 April 2020 Hang in there!

Keeping this tulip upright requires less magic and more hot glue skills... but it looks magical never the less.

20 January 2021 Hope Bubble

That good old double vase trick... but this time I deliberately added a bubble between the two layers to create a third circle in the design.

24 March 2021 To two too!

A Spring Tulip celebration design... with a special message

1 February 2023 Why When

An old tulip trick in a new way to keep the flowers fanned out

26 February 2020 To top it all off

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...

25 July 2018 Lemon Aid

Use a lemon as a stopper to keep floral material in place

24 July 2019 Up to much?

Dress up a single lily stem with a few blades of grass.

18 February 2015 Snail Away

Spiral roll a snail to add to this sunny design

16 January 2019 Every. Single. Week.

Stand tulips upright in a shallow container with a suspended twig armature.

1 April 2015 The Space Between

Traditional Hana-Kubari flower mechanic

3 January 2018 Happy Coincidence!

Some designs really do just make themselves. I received this tiny vase for Christmas from Marius (thank you, Marius!) and while cleaning out my design room I found this little...

26 April 2017 In no time at all

Hana-Kubari twig armature

4 April 2018 Grow on it

Wedge twigs into a vase to create a grid.