Pressed flowers under Lucite: Beautiful Jewelry

I would like to introduce you to a pressed flower artist who does things differently!  Her jewelry is really lovely!
http://www.etsy.com/people/enchantedplanet

1. How did you get started working with pressed flowers and your jewelry
I‘ve always Loved “making things”…even as a child.  For as long as I can remember I’ve enjoyed giving one or two of my ‘handmades’ as gifts for family and friends. So every year it’s an enjoyable challenge to come up with something new and different to give. There’s something very special about working on an item and presenting it to a relative or friend as a birthday or holiday gift.
I love Nature, being outdoors, and gardening. I’ve enjoyed pressing flowers for many years so it was a natural progression for me to utilize pressed flowers and greenery from my gardens to create one-of-a-kind Garden Jewelry as well as my Earth Lights and Luminaries (candle holders), Bookmarks, Hang Tags and Note Cards that I sell in my other Etsy shop ’paperplanet’.

2. What are some of the challenges you have encountered with your art
Even flowers have their own  personality and getting to know each flower better has taught me a lot about pressing and using flowers in my work. Some flowers press and dry much better than others. I’m always experimenting…trying different methods and products to press flowers as flat as possible, retain their natural colors and beautiful shapes. I like the pressed flowers I use in my work to look as fresh and graceful as they are in my gardens and containers.

. What advice do you have for beginners working with pressed flower jewelry
Experiment, experiment, experiment!
Press and dry all kinds of flowers, leaves, and greens. When a particular flower doesn’t press as well as you’d like or doesn’t retain its beautiful natural color, keep trying. Try different pressing methods, cut and press flowers at different times of the day, take flowers apart and press the individual pieces then rebuild them once everything is dry and flat. And above all enjoy what you do.

4. What are some of your plans for the future
I love what I’m doing right now so in the future I’m sure I’ll still be working with flowers and handmade papers, discovering new ways to make use of my materials, continuing to experiment, and always learning more. You can’t go wrong when you work with Nature and the possibilities seem endless. I have several notebooks full of ideas and thumbnail sketches of new projects I want to try. I just need many more hours in each day!
http://www.etsy.com/people/enchantedplanet

 Thank you so much:
http://www.etsy.com/people/enchantedplanet


Hint of the day: This hint is from karamae, on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/people/karamae(To protect photos from looking blotched from resin:)
I paint them on both sides with a paintbrush (holding with a popsicle stick), then put them down and put the topcoat of resin on.

I tried this with printed images for a custom order, instead of using mod podge. It worked wonderfully!

Thank you for visiting my blog. I welcome comments. 
Chris