Shadow Box Bouquet of Roses

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Julie Walsh

Julie Walsh

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
In Memorium
Rest In Peace

Gone but not forgotten
Joined
May 30, 2007
Posts
988
Loc
Toronto, Canada
What is the best approach to framing a bouquet of long stems? Customer is asking to have it framed while still "fresh". Is is best to dry first then frame or is there a product that can be placed in the frame with fresh flowers?

Im tending to towards hanging them upside down until dry, and then framing.

Some guidance is appreciated.
 
Julie Walsh said:
What is the best approach to framing a bouquet of long stems? Customer is asking to have it framed while still "fresh". Is is best to dry first then frame or is there a product that can be placed in the frame with fresh flowers?

Im tending to towards hanging them upside down until dry, and then framing.

Some guidance is appreciated.
Click to expand...

I prefer framing flowers when dry. I hang them upside down for a long time, until completely dry. There's a product I've seen which preserves flowers after they're dry, but I forget the name.

Also - let your customers know that Pink roses dry red-ish. Red roses dry dark-brown. They may not know that.
 
Haven't had very good luck over the years with dried flowers. They turn brown and fall apart.

Have had great luck substituting them with nice, fresh silk flowers, that, today, look very much like the real thing. It's the thought that counts, and the memory. Otherwise, they end up looking like....well....a framed bunch of dead, tattered, brown flowers, and how romantic is that?
 
My shop is next door to florist and I framed some flowers from my Mothers funeral. Anyways, florist set the flowers in silica crystals to dry them out, available at florist or craft shops or in boxes of stuff you buy they are the little packets in packaging to keep the humidity in ckeck. The crystals help the flowers keep thier shape and color a bit better.
 
I agree about the browning effect of flowers and the customer realizes all of this; but since it has such overpowering sentimental importance she is still wanting it done.

I'm hoping to have some ideas when she comes in tomorrow to make it not so much about the flowers but include some photos/ribbons etc to catch the eye and let the flowers become more of a backdrop.

Can they be sprayed with some clear acrylic to save them longer?
 
Don't know that it's helps at all with the question of framing them or not. As I remember when I was a kid, we used to dry flowers by putting them on a bed of "Ivory Snow Flakes" and then gently covering them a 1" or so past the highest point.

Can you even buy "Ivory Snow Flakes" anymore? You can tell I don't do the shopping in my house, much anymore either.
 
Silica gel works well, but they will never look like the original. What I have seen, but the trick is finding someone who does it, is have the flowers sent as soon as possible to a place that does I believe, freeze drying.

Here are some useful links:

http://www.florage.com/drying_flowers.html

http://www.florage.com/freeze_dried_flowers.html


Personally I prefer the customer handle this end of things...I don't want to be responsible for preserving their flowers...but I will frame them.
 
I'd dry them upside down in a closet. It will take some time, but I do that with the roses I get from the BF and decorate my bedroom with them.

I'd also put some silica gel in the back of the frame when framing them.

I've sprayed dried flowers with matte finish, don't know if it helps or not but I feel better about it before closing up the frame.

I'd also let the customer know that the flowers will have bits fall off and it will be natural to find shmutz at the bottom of the frame, on the mat, etc.

-Sarah
 
I agree with Steph it's the customers responsabiltiy, freeze drying sound too kewl, I would recommend that, they do it with pets too! Freeze drying not framing, although I've had to frame a fish head before, unpreserved too (smelly) and sometimes I call other frame shop and prank call them asking if they frame pets, large bronze sculptures, and things too gross to mention....
 
I know I'll get beat up for mentioning PPFA... BUT a group that showed up at the PPFA convention (considering to become members) was the International Freeze Dried Floral Association www.ifdfa.org

You may see if there is a member near you.... they ARE the trained professional.
 
Wedding flowers can never look 'fresh' forever.
You shouldn't frame fresh flowers, they will put a high amount of moisture in the package, and just deteriorate and rot away quite quickly.

We do a lot of deeper style convex glass and display cases for numerous specialised 'flower ladies', and without a doubt the best options are . . .

Freeze drying. The flowers are sometimes photographed (for reassembly purposes), disassembled, freeze dried (takes up to 2 weeks), reassembled in flat form on mats and backings, framed (in shadow box or under convex glass).
Yes, this is a highly specialised field, but the flowers look great for a long time.
Colours are better retained when freeze dried.

Silica gel drying. Same as above, except drying with silica gel crystals. Usually disassembled posie flowers are covered in crystals inside Tupperware or similar airtight containers for around 2 - 3 weeks.
The flowers usually lose more of their colour with this process, and can be damaged by the crystals when covered.

Another option is drying as they are with stems, and either :

Clamping the stems high, cutting off stems close to clamp, framing in shadow box or under convex glass with short stub of stems held through front hole in a suitable depth double box. A lot more work and still need a box (deep or shallower) either way (flat or convex glass).

OR . . . Use a display case that sits on a table or shelf, with a flower spike rising from the base.
We do these in glass (plain or UV blocking), and UV glue a flower spike into a full glass base, or glue the spike into a stained timber base.
The flowers slide on the spike, a few petals scattered around the base for effect, then the top is placed on, finished.
Sometimes, a glass (or -ugghh- acrylic) display case can be the best way to display anything that is too bulky or impractical to be framed to hang, or that just suits horizontal form better (baseball caps, larger sports balls, model cars, etc etc).

There are generally UV options for all the above.
 
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