My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Mud!!! Floral Art Demonstration at the Rondebosch Flower Club

where does mud come from?
from dancing in the rain
dancing and singing and splashing in the rain-
that's how you get great mud
so, next time it rains and rains and rains...
get out there
and make some MUD!!!


For my Mud!!! demonstration, I wanted to create a fantasy design that captures the imagination. I wanted to introduce the concept of using growing plants as design elements and explore as many as possible ways to use mud in my design.

A very emotional morning, indeed! The demonstration was held as a "fare-well-for-now" on my birthday, just 3 days before we moved from South Africa to Canada.

Spreading mud on the bark wreath to anchor mushrooms

Spreading mud on the bark wreath to anchor mushrooms

Mud protects the surface of the design

Mud protects the surface of the design

Draping a passion fruit vine over the wood wreath

Draping a passion fruit vine over the wood wreath

Anchoring the passion fruit vine to the bark wreath.

Anchoring the passion fruit vine to the bark wreath.

I made a monkey rope from bark and sisal to anchor the orchid plants

I made a monkey rope from bark and sisal to anchor the orchid plants

The orchid plants were conditioned to be able to last when used as plants in the design.

The orchid plants were conditioned over night to be able to last when used as plants in the design with their roots exposed.

Orchid plants with dangling roots hang from the design

I clumped a few plants together to get a large amount of roots to hang dangling down the design

Securing the vine and orchid plants to the monkey vine.

Securing the vine and orchid plants to the monkey vine.

Orchid plant to drape over the front of the design.

Orchid plant to drape over the front of the design.

A few orchids hang from test tubes covered in willow

A few orchids hang down the design in test tubes covered in willow

I also used a glue gun to add a spider web to the design

I also used a glue gun to add a spider web to the design

Spreading the spider web over the design

Spreading the spider web over the design.

I then sprayed the web with water to add glistening rain drops

I then sprayed the web with water to add glistening rain drops.

The bark wreath hanged from a single wire rod

The bark wreath hanged from a single wire rod that would gently bob up and down as if it is dancing in the rain.

Mud!!! Floral Art demonstration

Thank you to the members of the Rondebosch Flower Club, Cape Town, South Africa for inviting me to demonstrate.

Mud!!! Floral Art Demonstration at the Rondebosch Flower Club, Cape Town, South Africa

Mud!!! Floral Art Demonstration at the Rondebosch Flower Club, Cape Town, South Africa

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

Favourite Flowers

Passiflora

Granadilla, passionflower, passion vines

Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis, Moth orchid

Related Designs

23 March 2011 Mud Pies for my flower friends on my birthday

Mud Pie Baskets, Serviettes in themed Serviette Rings and Booklets

28 March 2011 Spider web covering the design with drops of glittering rain

Weaving hot glue spider webs

3 May 2017 Oh just...

Braid a few twigs to dance around your flowers

15 July 2020 Pass it on

A cascade of orchids growing over a slice of wood. Easy to design... and even easier to maintain!

7 April 2011 Floral Art Demonstrations

When I demonstrate I focus on sharing the art of contemporary floral design, as I see it.

5 April 2011 Mud Proverbs

I prefer not to drape fabric over or hide my designs behind a screen before a demonstration. Instead I create a "diversion" that will capture the audience's interest.

3 April 2011 Bark Wreath

I needed the wreath to be as light as possible to make sure it would "dance in the rain" on the flexible metal stand.

1 April 2011 The Plant Material used in the Demonstration

I wanted my design to feature mostly growing plants- creating a natural display on the supernatural wreath.

30 March 2011 Mud!!!

When I started researching mud as a possible enhancement to contemporary floral art I was thoroughly inspired by the possibilities.

23 March 2011 and to share with your Flower Friends on your birthday?

Because it was my birthday I wanted to give the audience each a slice of birthday cake to celebrate with me. For obvious reasons I settled on dark chocolate Mud Pies.