My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Leaf Swirls

Cut into the leaf from the tip

Cut into the leaf from the tip.

Follow the shape of the leaf

Follow the shape of the leaf, spiralling in

Continue to cut the leaf smaller

Continue to cut the leaf smaller, follow the shape but do not cut through the edge.

Long continues leaf swirl

Long continues leaf swirl ready to design with

Design note:

Gently wrap the leaf swirl around the wreath

Gently wrap the leaf swirl around the wreath

Hook the inside of the leaf spiral around a twig and start to wrap

Hook the inside (the bit you cut last, in the middle of the leaf) spiral around a twig and start to wrap

Keep adding leave swirls

Keep adding leave swirls...

Overlap the swirls to secure the previous strand

Overlap the swirls to secure the previous strand

Loosely wrap the swirls to leave space to nestle the fresh flowers in

Loosely wrap the swirls to leave space to nestle the fresh flowers in

Place the orchids in small test tubes and nestle them between the leaf swirls

Place the orchids in small test tubes and nestle them between the leaf swirls. The swirls dry beautifully

Set aside the leaf swirls to shrink and dry.

or set aside the leaf swirls to shrink and dry...

Before adding the flowers

Before adding the flowers

See Tutorial below for more information on how to make tiny test tubes from drinking straws

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Tutorials

Drinking straw "test tubes"
4 January 2011 Drinking straw "test tubes"

When you need to keep a tiny stem hydrated this is just what you need.

Weaving a twig wreath
1 November 2011 Weaving a twig wreath

For my design I wanted the wreath to look wind blown so I added a few loosely woven twigs into the weave. I also wanted to emphasize the autumn colours so I added a twirling...

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The last Vine Wreath
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Every designer knows how to stretch their supplies. We use and re-use our dried plant material until our fellow designers feel like hiding it from us. I formed such an...