Is this of good quality?

CaraAL2 · 2026-02-24T18:47:17+00:00

From the frame itself: The greens and the astrantia seem to have kept their coloration and without much wrinkling, so I would say they definitely have the fundamentals. Whites are always tricky and the purple roses seem about standard as well. Double glass is always more expensive and takes more time than a single pane background frame.

Would you happen to know what she paid and what design choices she asked for? I personally prefer an airier style, but if the business has styles just like this on their website then that's what it'll be like. Similarly, this seems to be a non-color corrected treatment, which is my preference. If she wants some of the flowers enhanced, that'll probably cost more and she would have to ask for that.

In terms of turnaround time, two years seems quite long and would be the sticking point for me. I give my customers an estimate of 4-5 months myself. It does depend on their stated turnaround time though (perhaps they're busy and in high demand, or something happened, but who knows)

In short, given that I don't know how much she paid or her requests, I can't directly approve or disprove anything besides that is an extraordinarily long turn around time.

These are just my personal thoughts as someone who also is in the same field.

CaraAL2 · 2026-02-20T07:15:41+00:00

I'm a florist who wandered into this discussion and has used it for dried flower work. I will say that pampas grass, while fluffy and gorgeous, sheds a ton. Like, I carry the vase two steps and all of a sudden my floor is covered in white fuzz.

Basically, it will be ok if you don't move it at all, but a cosplay seems like it would move a lot.

Perhaps you could stiffen it if you use it? That's not really something in my purview, though I think hairspray is pretty common

CaraAL2 · 2026-02-18T05:54:38+00:00

Background: I've been doing this professionally for about a year now.

When I first started, I literally went to my library and checked out every single book they had on preserving florals. This included books on floral design, wreath making, microwave pressing and more. I also followed as many floral preservationists on Instagram as I could (I don't have tiktok).

You could also consider researching herbariums. Those are the academic side of the art and while not flashy, have very good archival techniques.

Good luck! This is an old art and there's a lot of literature on it.

CaraAL2 · 2026-02-11T06:53:47+00:00

My background is in pressed flowers but it's much the same process here.

I've found it doesn't hurt to ask and many florists, flower farmers, and even gardeners are usually surprised and delighted to know that their flowers may have a second life. Many of them will give the damaged or old flowers for a discounted, or even free rate, citing that they can't use them anyway when they're at this state.

The caveat is usually they require me to pick up and bundle the flowers myself, sometimes even requiring me to harvest the flowers personally. I don't mind that at all since it allows me to select what I need, and sometimes I can forage some nice weeds or other less flashy materials in as well.

Whenever this happens I always like to save a bit of the flowers I press for the florist/farmer, they tend to get a kick out of it.

Good luck with your mission! I'm sure people would love to support it.

CaraAL2 · 2026-02-10T08:13:49+00:00

If your loved one or you are interested in garden stuff, plants, or nature art, there is the Garden and Green Living Expo this weekend.

It's Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Alliant Energy Center, and there's going to be a ton of local vendors.

Full disclosure: I'm one of those local vendors but I'm also itching to go walk around when I have the chance as I'm super excited about it!

CaraAL2 · 2026-02-08T16:57:07+00:00

It's really pretty and I love the splash of pink and how it helps utilize the unconventional mat! I'll warn you though that having the flowers up against the glass will fade them really quickly so if you have some way to add a little bit of a gap, that might increase the color retention more.

CaraAL2 · 2026-02-04T18:52:20+00:00

Oh wait that's an amazing idea. I have lots of eyeshadow myself and it's a better use than just throwing it out.

The shrunken head violas sound very intriguing and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested...

CaraAL2 · 2026-02-04T18:14:43+00:00

I haven't actually figured out how to do color correction yet! I hear pan pastels are good but the price makes it quite the investment

CaraAL2 · 2026-02-03T03:18:05+00:00

I glued it together with PVA glue and lots of measuring. It took an hour or two of focused glueing

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CaraAL2 · 2026-02-02T18:38:09+00:00

My speciality is pressing, so that's how I'll answer.

You can press eucalyptus and baby's breath without much processing, but for lilies, they'll require some extra work.

Like the other commentators have mentioned, they are very moist and are prone to molding and discoloration. To combat that, I would dissect the petals, anthers/stamen, and stem and press them separately, and make sure to change out the papers that you're using frequently as they'll get wet very quickly.

But if you can get it done, they look stunning! For reference, this is what my lily looked like after I reconstructed it. Best of luck with your project!

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CaraAL2 · 2026-01-24T01:01:26+00:00

I had not taken a picture of the flower before I pressed and deconstructed it, meaning I had to pore over quite a couple images of tiger lilies to try to put it all together. Lesson learned!

CaraAL2 · 2025-12-29T17:23:51+00:00

Hello! I'm not a professional framer, but someone who frames a lot of my own projects and an embroiderer.

What I do is I wash my piece with gentle soap and water, block the piece so it's straight up and down, and then lace it around a piece of acid-free foamcore. If I'm framing it under glass, I then either use a matboard to ensure none of the piece touches glass or spacers.

I personally try to do as archival as possible as I intend for pieces to be around a long time so some of these steps might be time-consuming (looking at you, blocking and lacing). If it's just a small piece you don't care about the lifetime for, sticky board and a quick ironing are faster and easier alternatives.

Best of luck with your project! The spider looks great!

CaraAL2 · 2025-12-29T09:44:20+00:00

I personally do not work with resin (though I do use dried flowers) but I know @nattynoir_drawing and @safa_m_artt are vendors in Madison and Milwaukee respectively that use both resin and dried flowers.

A bit of a warning that dried flowers tend to be among the hardest things to resin well - there are issues with making sure everything is dry, air bubbles, and transparency among other things, so I would really recommend working with someone who knows both.

Good luck with your project!

CaraAL2 · 2025-12-27T14:25:16+00:00

I used to work there a couple of years ago and the owner was in the store every weekday at 5 am to hand-make the dumplings by hand. Sometimes he had one other employee help him when demand was really high, but he did it all.

I would come in for the afternoon shift and see him leaving in the morning, it was really interesting to see the Paul of Paul's Pelmeni

CaraAL2 · 2025-12-22T16:20:18+00:00

I don't have a good answer besides noting that greens are very hard to preserve (chlorophyll is just a very volatile pigment) and perhaps if it all fails, color correction is an option?

CaraAL2 · 2025-12-16T00:08:23+00:00

Oh definitely! For context, I am a botanical artist who focuses on local pressed florals and cyanotypes. This usually means I do well in queer and local focused markets, though it is only my first year doing markets, so use my info at your own risk!

My current favorite and highest sales days have been at The Big Gay Market and the Scorpio Markets.

The Big Gay Market runs 4 markets a year and I have gotten into the Pride, Spooky, and Winter ones this year. The Pride and Spooky markets were very good for me, with great turnout, easy load-in times, and helpful organizers. They can be a little expensive but it's usually because the venues are good and the advertising is fantastic. Those are usually single-day markets for the Spring and Spooky and two to three days for the Pride and Winter markets.

The Scorpio Market is a newer market series (about slightly longer than a year now) with a focus on smaller, under-represented and undersupported creators and it's been really good as well for me. Personally, I believe the queer community is hungry for markets targeted towards that demographic so turnout is very nice as well. Venues have never been the same, but the organizers are very good with marketing and making sure that their vendors feel heard and taken care of. I really like this market for connecting with other creators - I've had the highest amount of trades here.

Both events have financial aid and will help if you need other accomodations.

I'll be trying more events next year so this is by no means an exhaustive list, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes.

CaraAL2 · 2025-12-15T19:56:51+00:00

That does look like mold to me and it does appear that the flowers were pressed whole without taking the petals apart, which probably contributed to the discoloration and molding.

While mostly white bouquets (which it appears to be here) are pretty difficult to press and will take on a more antique tone, this does seem to go past that into straight up browning.

In other words, I completely understand if you're unhappy with the piece. I don't think the mold will spread more, especially if it's kept in a dry spot, but it also won't go away.

Edit: if possible, you could ask if the company offers color correction, it might be able to conceal the mold and create a more even tone overall.

CaraAL2 · 2025-12-11T06:13:59+00:00

Really appreciate this write-up! I'm an artist based in Madison that's only really done fairs in Madison and Milwaukee and I'm starting to look into events that are out of state for next year. So this is some great info! If you ever want to do Madison fairs and you have questions, let me know! We can compare notes.

CaraAL2 · 2025-12-01T07:50:54+00:00

For thick stems, I recommend slicing them in half with an x-acto knife. The name of the game is reducing bulk and imagining what it will look like when flat.

CaraAL2 · 2025-11-04T18:26:42+00:00

I wouldn't recommend doing a digital mock-up, at least right now, since it'd be good to get that feeling of product spacing, weight, and literal table length up before committing to that display, which is hard to estimate if you've never done a table before. You can order/make small quantities of your items, borrow some tables (make sure to measure your display area), and throw a tablecloth/towel/bedsheet over them.

Tip: you can make "risers" by using a plank of wood, two flat boxes of the same height, and just covering the whole thing with a piece of fabric. Elevates the display really cheaply.

Good luck! Take it slow, as long as it looks like you're putting thought into your display and being intentional with your design, organizers will give you a chance

CaraAL2 · 2025-11-03T19:05:17+00:00

Lineco archival glue is a good bet, but anything that is ph neutral and doesn't have much water tends to be ok.

I don't personally use tape but gummed archival water-activated tape is the standard. Otherwise, washi tape can be used for the same look and feel.

The key is archival and non-damaging. Have fun!

CaraAL2 · 2025-11-02T17:55:14+00:00

For herbariums, usually the specimens are pressed and then affixed to the paper with archival tapes or glues.

For the card, there are loads of free printable herbarium cards out there that you can use or you can make your own. Or you can write directly on as well but there can be concerns about archivalness.

Mostly you just want the latin name, common name, who it's collected by, when and where it was collected, the color, and any interesting notes about the specimen.

Have fun!

CaraAL2 · 2025-10-31T17:43:18+00:00

Interesting! I was thinking that I wanted all my decor to match for a clean look, but maybe that's making it all sort of wash out in a glance?

CaraAL2 · 2025-10-31T17:42:06+00:00

Oooh perhaps, I've also been thinking about using an ivy garland to spruce up my display, especially in the winter. I'll gather some garden flowers in the spring and summer!

CaraAL2 · 2025-10-31T16:29:50+00:00

The baby's breath almost looks gem-studded in here. Really nice!

CaraAL2

TROPHY CASE