I use a high quality florist grade silica sand to preserve and dry most of my flowers. Using this method allows you to preserve many fragile flowers that might not survive an air drying process, and also retains a lot of the flowers original colour and shape. I do use air drying methods for some flowers such as eucalyptus that naturally dry well on their own.

Most types of flowers can be dried in silica. Some flowers are too delicate and generally perish or die during the process.

It completely depends on the types of flowers - for a bouquet I would usually allow 3-4 weeks to ensure they are completely moisture free. If there is any moisture left in the flowers when casted into resin they will eventually brown and rot over time, which is why this step is so important.

Again this depends on the size of the piece, and which moulds I have available at the time. I am also guided by the weather at times, when the humidity levels are high I avoid doing resin because it can interfere and cause the resin to become cloudy! Small pieces usually take 1-3 weeks, for large pieces I would allow 8-10 weeks.

No I don't. This is due to the limited size of my space, and also due to the PPE needed to handle epoxy resin. ALL epoxy resin is hazardous in it's liquid state and produces vapours, even low VOC types. You should wear gloves, glasses, and a vapour mask when working with resin (yes even the Kmart ones!). For that reason and the equipment required I likely won't be offering workshops in the future. However resin is not toxic once fully cured!

Pale flowers such as white roses are beautiful but will dry with a more yellow/antique-y appearance. 

Some flowers that are super fragile or have a high moisture content or density don't dry very well, and often brown or fall apart. 

These include: 

• Chrysanthemum

• Lily

• Orchid

• Tulip

Flowers that I would recommend due to their colour retention when drying:

• Anemone

• Carnation

• Cosmos

• Dahlia

• Daisy

• Delphinium

• Gypsophila

• Lisianthus

• Snapdragon

• Statice

• Stock

• Sweet Pea

• Zinnia

Most natives are also great, such as Eucalyptus, Banksia, Protea and Tea Tree.

If you do a bouquet toss it can cause superficial bruising to the flowers which often becomes more evident once the flowers are dried (brown marks and patchy appearances). 

Most people don't mind this as we always select the flowers that dry the best to put into their resin pieces. Using flowers from bridesmaids bouquets is also a good alternative when planning on having a bouquet toss.

I would recommend to keep them in fresh water in a cool place out of direct sunlight, replacing the water every 24 hours. Ideally we would start the preservation process within 24-48 hours to ensure your flowers are still looking fresh and beautiful before they start to naturally decompose. 

Pick-up can be pre-arranged.

This is completely up to you, I'm happy to work with your preference. Most brides give me their full bouquet/s and I will pick the best flowers to preserve, or you can take it apart and do this yourself.