As you may know, I take custom orders through Craft Theory, and I love hearing the stories behind the orders. I recently collaborated with my friend Emery from Pressed In Love to create a custom coaster set for another mutual friend of ours, Scarlet.
It started as many great ideas do, with a conversation about pinterest and decorating. Suddenly we were wandering around like Alice in Wonderland with projects coming out of our ears. As our ideas evolved we settled on pressed flowers encased in resin to create beautiful custom coasters. Scarlet also decided she wanted to include her daughter in the project and it became even cuter than before.
Scarlet and her daughter picked wildflowers from the fields near their house and brought them to Emery from Pressed In Love so she could dry them. Emery started pressing flowers as a way to remember her dog Stryker this year. He passed suddenly during the COVID pandemic and she and her husband were not allowed to be with him during the procedure.
Emery currently uses a combination of pressure pressing, heat pressing, and good ol’ traditional book pressing to dry her flowers. She says, “It has become a stress relieving craft for me and a way to preserve special moments - happy or sad - through the pressing of flowers. It kind of falls right in line with the reason I started my photography business. I wanted to save moments for myself and everyone that I get to work with. Saving their moments in time in a way that will last forever(ish).”
Once the flowers were dry and ready to use, it was my turn. I poured a layer of resin in the coaster molds and removed all the air bubbles using my embossing gun. I then carefully laid the dried and pressed flowers on top of the resin where they floated ever so slightly. Adjustments were made using tweezers. Once the first layer of resin had cured, I poured another layer over the top and once again removed any air bubbles using an embossing gun. Another 24 hours later and we were ready to demold the coasters. A light sanding of the bottom ensures that there are no sharp edges of resin.
I had bunches of extra flowers from this project so I also made a cute little journal for Scarlet and her daughter.
I absolutely love doing commissions like these and seeing the look on customer’s faces when they receive their items (when I’m lucky enough to be there in person). Knowing that I’ve helped somebody preserve memories they cherish is an absolute blessing and something I really enjoy.
If you have a commission you’d like to discuss please send an email to info@craft-theory.com.