My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Foliage tube armature for long stemmed freesia buds

Cut a thin but sturdy twig to a sharp angle

Cut a thin but sturdy twig to a sharp angle. The little twig will be used to spear the leaves to secure. Set it aside within easy reach.

Curl about 4 leaves into a tube

Curl about 4 leaves into a tube.

The one leaf overlapping the next

The one leaf overlapping the next.

Spear the leaves with the twig to secure

Spear the leaves with the twig to secure.

Set the leaf tube on a shallow display container

Set the leaf tube on a shallow display container.

Pour water into the container

Pour water into the container.

Cut the freesia stems long

Cut the freesia stems long enough to be set between the leaves and still stand in the water below.

Wiggle the stems between the layers of leaf.

Wiggle the stems between the layers of leaf.

Making sure they stand firmly in the water

Making sure they stand firmly in the water.

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

Tutorials

28 June 2017 Skewer leaf rolls to support a tiny water source for fresh flowers

Hide the water source in a rolled leaf

23 March 2013 Rolling leaf tubes

Roll foliage to create tubes

4 February 2015 Fold over a tropical leaf cocoon

Fold and glue a Monstera deliciosa (delicious monster) leaf

14 October 2015 Roll hundreds (yes! hundreds) of autumn leaves so create a natural, upright flower frog

Rolled leaves offer support for floral stems

11 November 2015 Balancing the curved stems of dried Autumn leaf tubes

Long stemmed autumn leave tubes as a floral armature

Favourite Flowers

Freesia

Freesia, freesias

Related Designs

27 June 2018 Look deep

Curl foliage to use as a natural armature for delicate buds.

20 May 2020 Whatever floats your boat

This is one of my best known and still my go-to core techniques for floating flowers.

6 January 2021 I tip my (flower) cap!

An enclosed design that invites the onlooker to lean in closer to explore the pretty orchid.

26 May 2021 From all sides

An all on one side design to admire roses from all sides.

2 June 2021 Like an open book

Position foliage to create a smaller, shallow pond for your floral details to shelter in.

30 March 2022 Cone of Gratitude

Sweet spring design to hold some buds

20 April 2022 Oh this? Yes! it is new

New growth... too cute to resist!

18 May 2022 Because Why

Adding the smallest details to absolutely make the design.

11 January 2023 Maybe Still Maybe

... a something to look forward to design that makes you lean in closer to see what might still be.

10 May 2023 By the cone full

A small design to display those last Spring snippets from your garden...

19 July 2023 … And his little flower

Easy support for a single flower... and knot a special secret admirer just to keep it company.

1 May 2013 An invisible line to cross

Weave a strip to slip around a candle

4 April 2011 its a wrap!

Banana leaves used to wrap flowers instead of Tissue paper or Cellophane

21 April 2011 Happy Easter!

Spring "Ice cream" posy with a Banana Leaf "cone"

28 June 2017 Somewhere in the Middle

Skewer Dracaena leaves into a roll that supports a tiny water source for the Oncidium orchids

4 February 2015 collywobbles!

Fold foliage butterflies

14 October 2015 What a find!

Roll autumn leaves to create a frog to keep flowers upright

11 November 2015 Balancing Act

Bend dried fall leaves to balance on the edge of a glass container