[Shannon W.]

Hi, I’m just getting started with resin and I’ve had a few ideas that I’m hoping to work on, but need some advice on a few inclusions that I have in mind to use and really don’t want to mess up.
The first I think might’ve been asked in other threads in different ways, but I’m wanting to try using flowers and plants for some of my pieces; one, in particular, being cherry blossoms. My parents built my childhood house 30-some years ago in the foothills and planted a non-fruiting cherry tree in the yard. The tree never got very big or full and it leans over into the driveway because of the lack of light it had for so long, but every spring it still flowered for about a week after the weather started to warm up. Now, the house is eventually going up for sale and even though I’d already moved out, have some attachment issues regarding the sale and that tree was one of my favorite parts of the property and I had a “lightbulb” moment while I was researching which resins to try, that the next time it blooms this February/March, I can take some of the flowers, dry them, and put them in a resin piece for myself. The kicker is that whenever I’ve tried drying flowers before, the color changed drastically and they didn’t look as nice, and these flowers wilt pretty fast after they’re off the tree. My local craft store has like a silica powder for drying flowers that I’d like to try, but I was wondering if anyone else has successfully dried and preserved cherry blossoms in resin? Also, what flowers/plants have you used that have worked or haven’t worked?
The other inclusions I was wondering about and am currently on the fence for is dried/preserved coral and other ocean life. I have a piece of coral and a pair of preserved seahorses that my dad gave me as a kid and, of course, they’re really fragile and I had the thought of maybe putting the three in a resin piece, but I’m afraid of ruining them. Has anyone used these or similar items for inclusions in their pieces?
Sorry for the rambling; any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Shannon,

What a neat project! We have some articles about drying flowers and using them in your resin here:
https://www.resinobsession.com/tag/drying-flowers

You can use your ocean life as well. Seal it as you would the flowers, then go the extra step of dipping it in resin and allowing it to cure on wax paper before using it in your project. This will seal any air pockets in (or out) before you use it in your project. Once the item is cured, you can peel it away from the wax paper and use as desired.

Good luck!

[Author]

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