My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Stack two glass vases to keep a leaf upright in water

Rinse out an empty soda bottle

Rinse out an empty soda bottle and cut four long strips of plastic.

Connect two strips with hot glue

Connect two strips with hot glue to craft two longer plastic strips.

Connect the plastic at the top and the bottom to mimic the shape of a leaf

Connect the plastic at the top and the bottom to mimic the shape of a leaf

Taper the top and the bottom slightly

Taper the top and the bottom slightly

Set the plastic inside a leaf

Set the plastic inside a leaf

And tack the plastic to the leaf with floral glue.

And tack the plastic to the leaf with floral glue.

Place the leaf in a vase

Place the leaf in a vase and carefully stack a slightly smaller vase in the first one the keep the leaf in place

Add water to the bottom vase

Pour water into the bottom vase to keep the leaf hydrated

For more instructions on how to make a syringe with a tube see the Tutorials below

Glue water tubes to the plastic

Glue water tubes to the plastic

See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how I make my own water tubes from drinking straws

Fill the tubes with water and add the flowers

Fill the tubes with water and add the flowers

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

Tutorials

25 August 2011 Placing orchids in test tubes

Cut the Phalaenopsis orchid with a bit of green stem attached. This will make them last longer.

29 March 2017 Three Tier Wire Ring Chandelier

Bend and weave three wire wreaths to string up as an air plant chandelier

7 December 2016 Flat wire and grass bridal basket

Wrap grass around a flat wire shape to create a delicate bridal basket design

15 December 2011 Spiral wire support pressed into a candle

The wire spirals are supported on wire sections pressed into the wax

14 October 2013 Paperback Book Pumpkin

Cut and stain paperback books to make a pumpkin armature

7 October 2015 Magnetic grass bubbles to reposition under water

When suspending items under water it is convenient to add a tiny magnet so that you can reposition it if the water distorts the lines of your design

17 July 2012 Prevent scratches, rust and water stains on display surfaces

This is a great, non permanent way to protect surfaces from damage

30 August 2011 Suspending and positioning a Phalaenopsis orchid under water

Flowers naturally float and you will need some kind of sinker to keep them suspended under water.

30 August 2017 Standing a water tube at an angle in lumber

Create a minimal design by placing a single flower on a platform

12 February 2014 Lightly sprinkled foliage frog

Light as air ripped foliage flower frog

10 May 2017 Skewered Eucalyptus leaf line-up armature

Thread leaves through wire

3 January 2011 Syringe with tube

Easy way to fill test tubes and easiest way to remove water from a vase

4 January 2011 Drinking straw "test tubes"

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

29 January 2011 Melt plastic Soda Bottles into the "water" shapes

Heat makes the plastic distort creating fantastic shapes

Favourite Flowers

Cymbidium

Cymbidium, Boat Orchid

Related Designs

24 January 2018 How to make a stack of just enough:

Stack two vases to create a small gap at the side to keep a leaf upright

11 April 2018 Follow the line

Stack a few glass containers and fill each with water to a different level.

20 February 2019 Inna...

Stack bowls to keep your flower stems in place.

24 April 2019 Put aside

Urgh… my glass cake stand broke leaving me with a still beautiful, but now mismatched and extremely inspirational lid...

8 January 2020 Rest a bit here

Gently curve a shallow area with a leaf to showcase a gorgeous flower with a short stem in a water filled vase

12 August 2020 A lesson in letting be

Deceptively simple. A design that relies on you working with not against what is already there.

2 June 2021 Like an open book

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

11 August 2021 A bit Special... four dimensional designing

Using that little something that is unusual about your flower to make the design stand out.

5 January 2022 Slow Glow

A slow but glowing start to the New Year and the new design season

14 June 2023 Because I am beautiful!

It deserves a bowl all of it's own... right? I am (of course!) talking about these spectacular little sweet peas called King Tut. Not much else is needed. But add a cute little...

20 January 2011 The last Vine Wreath

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...

14 September 2016 Hang on!

Macrame inspired handing seahorse vases

29 March 2017 A Twirl

Suspend a wire chandelier design to twirl

31 May 2017 Let's hang out

Skewer some Eucalyptus to suspend between the orchids

7 December 2016 Oh! So clever

My article and Bridal basket design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine

25 February 2015 Just So

Twirl a few willow twigs to create a balanced armature to display orchids

15 December 2011 Rocking around Three Candle Trees

Wire spirals twisted around candles to make small Christmas trees for the Christmas Eve dinner table

14 October 2013 All To Myself

Cut and stain old books to create a paperback nook pumpkin armature

6 February 2013 Swimmingly

Fold a grass fish for an easy going underwater design detail

7 October 2015 Down-bubble

Add grass "bubbles" that can be repositioned to your design

30 August 2011 Ichi-go, ichi-e

Freely translated it means Each Moment, Only Once. It is a saying associated with Japanese tea ceremonies.

30 August 2017 If

Place a water tube at an angle in lumber so that the Zantedeschia float just above the base to show off the delicate grass snippets scattered up the stem

12 February 2014 Easy does it

Rip foliage to sprinkle as a light as air flower frog

10 May 2017 About a line

Skewer and line up leaves to create an armature

11 May 2016 Pour

Glue a twig vase and melt some plastic to create a tumbling design