Today we are working on a new website that will be finished soon. We are very excited about this new beginning, with great products and photos. My team headed up by Jim Hammack of Nerd Crossing, Winner of the “2014 SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR,” is working hard to showcase my flower-pressing business.
FLOWER PRESSES: My flower presses come in two sizes, and I use what I call a traditional approach. Wood top and bottom, with layers of acid-free paper (flowers go in between) and ventilators (cardboard). Velcro straps to close. Each press comes with instructions that I have worked on for a number of years, and you can always email me with questions. My presses have been sold all over the United States, with great success.
NEW PRODUCT: This year we are adding a new product, a flower-pressing kit with flowers expertly pressed and ready to decorate high quality blank note cards. A surprising and beautiful present for someone or for yourself.
GARDENING: I am an avid gardener, and all flowers come from my gardens, even the wild flowers. Now, I must say, not all flowers press well; that is, some will not keep their color, or are just too bulky, but many are just right. Don’t give up. Always looking for new flowers to press, some new ones I am planting this year are: Butterfly blend delphinium (be aware that some flowers are poisonous, and these might be!); Crocosmia, Emily Mckenzie (orange and red, can’t wait to see them) and Crocosmia, Lucifer, bright red. Oh, the flower catalogs, and trips to nurseries, especially Annie’s Annuals in Richmond, CA, such fun. Annie’s Nursery has many California native wildflowers, and if you cannot make the trip, they will send them to you.
WHAT DO I USE PRESSED-FLOWERS FOR?: A question that I am asked a lot is, “How do I use the flowers that I press?” Well, my first love is creating a small vignette, or bouquet, as it might look in the garden, on a beautiful acid-free note card. Second might be creating that same look on a lamp shade, which is probably more durable and easy then you might think. Some like to create different looks with parts of pressed-flowers, like a mosaic design–fun.
PRESS EXPECTATIONS: Yes, this is what I expect from my presses: good color (some plants/flowers will, some not); fairly tough (some presses will dry out the pressed item so much that it crumples into tiny bits, not mine) and a nice, very flat surface.
QUESTIONS AND ORDERS: I strive to answer questions quickly, and to get orders out in a few days. The new press kit may have a backlog depending on how many orders I get.
Pressers are very nice people, happy pressing!