The Spring Equinox is a time for new beginnings and renewal time to grow your… floral craft pantry!
During lockdown many people described growing something, or even expanding on the something they were already growing, as a lifeline. For Christine de Beer it was also a “creative line” and she has been inspiring others to craft along to discover the creative potential of plants.
Meet Christine
Christine is well known in the floral design world as an innovative floral artist who believes that arranging flowers is a meaningful form of selfcare. Her designs are viewed and shared by thousands of flower enthusiasts from around the world through in-person and online training programs.
Her floral journey ventured deeper into growing flowers and plant material when there was a flower shortage in 2020, and she could no longer find the cut flowers needed for her weekly floral design training offered on her website.
Christine said: “So many people wrote to me saying how much the weekly design that I share means to them, and probably the most touching of all… how much they looked forward to it. There was no way I could let people down! At first I was just growing a few vines in pots to craft my designs with but I soon discovered that, with just a bit more planning, I could grow exactly what I needed to design in exactly my own style. My cut garden grew from there. I discovered that you really don’t need a lot of space to have your own cut garden, you just need to know yourself as a designer.”
Design with what you grow!
Each week she shares a new floral design as inspiration, using only flowers and plant material that were easy to find or grow and well within everyone’s budget so that readers could design along. She expanded on the idea by ensuring flower enthusiasts who are eager to learn flower arranging do not need special equipment nor a large dedicated working space, to create beautiful floral objects.
The idea was a huge success, as Christine explains: “Designing with what you grow is a great way to further explore the creative potential of plant material. It’s not just about the flowers though. We also use the foliage, the stems and even the roots. It is a more sustainable way of flower arranging with low to no waste, earth friendly, and cuts down on the amount of imported flowers needed to make arrangements. Growing what you craft with is an affordable and creative way to spend a little more time with nature. This approach to flower arranging was in line with my own design philosophy and I soon discovered this way of designing really resonates with flower enthusiasts from all around the world.”
The Craft Pantry
Christine is teaming up with Plant Something BC to produce a monthly article on growing your own floral craft pantry in order to inspire more flower enthusiasts to grow plant material for their creative crafting potential.
“It is not just for flower arrangers with huge gardens. We are growing a “crafting pantry” filled with what you need for your arrangements that suits your own individual style. This way, what we create becomes deeply personal and connects us with nature in a unique and creative way.”
She will be sharing how to grow your own cut garden, or garden in a pot, so that you can start crafting like a master floral designer. In the monthly article she will share what she is growing to design with and give her recommendations for tools and suppliers. She will show you how to grow a more sustainable floral patch that also gives back to nature, and how to be mindful and respectful when designing with nature so that you can fully enjoy the benefits of gardening for wellbeing. And of course how to craft beautiful floral objects with what you grow to enjoy inside your home or to share with friends and family.
Christine is a trained florist and an internationally award winning floral artist who is inspired to expand the concept of flower arranging beyond simply putting flowers in a vase. People have been crafting with nature and expressing their feelings with flowers, even when words fail us, for a long, long time. Christine is passionate about teaching flower enthusiasts how to truly develop a style of speaking with flowers that is their own.
How can I learn more and join in?
Explore more and get to know Christine better on her website christinedebeer.ca/growafloralcraftpantry or to read more about her book, The Effortless Floral Craftsman or say hi on instagram @chris10debeer
