My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Delicate Twig Hammock Armature to keep tulips upright in a shallow container

Cover a shallow container with plastic wrap

Cover a shallow container with plastic wrap.

Glue small snippets of twigs to overlap slightly

Glue small snippets of twigs to rest on the container. Make sure you glue the twigs to each other and not the container.

Glue the twigs to over the container.

Glue the twigs to over the length of the container with hot glue.

Make sure each twig is connected at at least three places to another twig

Make sure each twig is connected at, at least three places to another twig.

At the edge of the container glue in end pieces of the twigs

At the edge of the container glue in end pieces of the twigs so that it points outward and thins naturally over the edge.

Paint the connection places every here and there with glue thinned with water

Paint the connection places every here and there with glue thinned with water.

And sprinkle on some artificial snow

And sprinkle on some artificial snow.

See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how to add snow to your design.

Set the twig armature aside to completely dry

Set the twig armature aside to completely dry.

To suspend the armature:

Cut a slit into a sturdy twig

Cut a slit into a sturdy twig.

Bend the twig open and slip it over the edge of the container

Bend the twig open and slip it over the edge of the container.

See the designs and Tutorials below for more examples on how I use this technique.

Rest the twig armature on the twigs

Rest the twig armature on the twigs. Secure with a tiny drop of floral glue if needed.

Fill the container with water

Fill the container with water.

Cut the tulip stems flat and stand it upright in the twig armature

Cut the tulip stems flat (so that as much as possible stem area is in water) and stand it upright in the twig armature.

Slip the tulip stem through the twig armature

Support the twig armature from below when you slip the tulip stem through the twig armature. This way the flower stem supports the twig armature as much as it supports the tulips.

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

Tutorials

28 December 2016 Adding snow to twigs

Glue artificial snow to twigs

22 May 2012 Bite and snap a sturdy twig

Break the sturdy twig on the scribe line.

14 November 2018 Create a break in a willow twig to support a flower stem

Break a willow twig at and angle to support your flowers

24 July 2012 Blow away hot glue strands

When you glue a structure with hot glue there are always a few stray strands of glue stuck all over the design. Blow it away with a hairdryer.

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,...

26 April 2017 Hana-Kubari twig

Slip a twig over the side of a container to keep an elegant flower stem upright

18 January 2017 T-connect twigs to shadow a design

Split a twig to create a t connection to hover a twig over the design

Favourite Flowers

Tulipa

Tulip

Related Designs

16 January 2019 Every. Single. Week.

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

6 March 2019 It almost happened today!

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28 April 2021 Here comes the sun...

A minimal design celebrating the new growth on twigs

4 August 2021 Counting Raindrops

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8 September 2021 A good September Soaking

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This is the sixth of my Christmas 2021 series of designs. This year in the form of a mini workshop… my Christmas present to you. This week I will show you how to go overboard on...

19 January 2022 Thaw

It's Tulip Season! Perfect for that "it's still winter ... but is that something green I see...?" mood designs.

23 February 2022 Plan Together

Leaning Muscari flowers in a snow covered twig armature.

9 March 2022 …. Aaaaaand tick!

Ever wonder how I decide what I share with you? A fun design ticking all the boxes.

1 June 2022 Found it!

A very secure thorn branch armature to hold overgrown Tulips in place

28 December 2022 Giving a nod

A scattering of winter decorating for wherever you might need it.

4 January 2023 Around and about the new year

A glowing cranberry ball for frosty evening decorating.

8 February 2023 Snow… drops

A late winter design for minimal floral styling.

7 February 2024 Knot... that easy

An all natural shallow container design solution...

10 April 2024 (if only) I can see you

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.

14 November 2018 For just this moment… let’s take a break

Simplicity to showcase the perfection of the Lisianthus buds

26 April 2017 In no time at all

Hana-Kubari twig armature

5 July 2017 Just A Bit

Glue a bit of grass snippets to suspend over the design

25 June 2014 Fine Tune

Thread cane through sticks to make a music inspired armature

1 April 2015 The Space Between

Traditional Hana-Kubari flower mechanic