Thank you so much for your interest in having us preserve your flowers!
Step 1 is browsing the below options for how you want your flowers to be displayed.
Step 2 is filling out this form.
Step 3 is chatting with me about payment, timing, and details surrounding getting your flowers to us. There is also an additional Google form that needs to be filled out.
Step 4 is getting the flowers to us!
Step 5 is us working our magic and sending photos of the final piece.
Step 6 is arranging pickup or shipping.
Getting your bouquet to Imperfect Clay Co:
Please note that all of these options require swift action, day of the event or left in water and done the morning after, so that the flowers are received in the best condition possible.
*I would recommend getting the flowers to me fresh, as this will yield the best results for your keepsake item(s).*
- Option 1: Schedule to drop them off in water to our address in Sint Albans VT. Prices in image below.
- Option 2: Send the fresh flowers to me to dry. I won’t charge you on top of the carrier charge. This is the most popular option if you are not local, and yields the best results. It is also the least amount of work. Cost to ship (overnight or 1-2 day) $50+.
- Option 3: Press the flowers yourself. This will limit what I can do with them. They won't be able to be in any block pieces, but they can be in charcuterie boards, etc. Pressing flowers is also not as easy as it looks. I would only recommend this if you have a lot of confidence and/or experience doing it. Cost (including shipping) $25+.
- Option 4: Dry in silica gel or hang dry them. Silica gel is a lot of work, and you will need supplies, but will look the best, this is how I dry the flowers when I receive them. Hang drying sometimes doesn’t preserve the color and is a different look. I can work to create something with flowers you dry yourself- but once I get them, that is how they will look in a piece. Cost (including shipping) for silica method $50+. Cost (including shipping) for hang dry method $10+.
Email for shipping and drop off address!
Option 1: Email me or message me on Instagram or Facebook to arrange drop off. Email is imperfectclayco@gmail.com. Instagram and Facebook are @imperfectclayco and www.facebook.com/imperfectclayco.
Option 2: Send the fresh flowers to me to dry. The benefit of me drying the flowers is that they will dry very nicely as I have a lot of flower drying experience. The downside is that the flowers will ideally be shipped overnight which can be costly. The post office is probably the cheapest option. There are also websites that offer discount labels.
Once your event has already taken place, time is of the essence to get your flowers to me in order to preserve their beauty. Packing your flowers for shipping is a very easy process – we’ll walk you through it here. Should you have any questions however, please contact imperfectclayco@gmail.com
Here’s What You’ll Need...
- 1 Cardboard Box
- You’ll need a single box – just a little larger than your actual grouping of flowers, arrangement or bouquet.
- Packing Material- can be newspaper.
- Packing Tape
- A zip lock bag with ice in it. First put water in a zip lock, then put that into another zip lock bag and then freeze it for at least 8 hours!
- Anything that you want included in your piece
Steps to ship
- Remove the ice block from the freezer and tape it securely to the bottom of the empty shipping box with packing tape.
- Make a nest for your flowers in the bottom of the box (right on top of and around the coolant) with your crumpled newspaper or packing peanuts.
- Remove the flowers from the water and place them in that nest. Fill the box to the top with the remainder of packing peanuts or crumpled newspaper, making sure you fill the sides of the box with packing material as well. The goal is to make sure the bouquet inside the box doesn’t bump around in the box, causing damage. The key is to stabilize the bouquet as much as possible so it will not shift during shipment.
- Close the box and seal it with your packing tape.
Best outcome: overnight ship your bouquet to Imperfect Clay Co. It is probably best to plan your trip to the post office toward the end of the day and just right after you’ve placed the bouquet and ice block into the shipping box in order to ensure the flowers and ice don’t have to remain cool any longer than necessary.
You can also use 1-2 day shipping, however the longer the shipping days the more likely the flowers are to deteriorate and look less desirable when preserved.
Either way, they are your wedding flowers- they are special and will be an awesome keepsake even if they aren’t in perfect condition.
Option 3: Press the flowers yourself. This will limit what I can do with them. They won't be able to be in any block pieces, as they won’t keep their 3d shape. They can be in charcuterie boards, jewelry, etc.
- There are lots of different methods to pressing flowers online. Something to note is that not all pressed flowers press well. Flatter flowers and petals do well.
- Here is a method of pressing flowers- https://www.bhg.com/gardening/design/projects/make-pressed-flowers/
- Once flowers are pressed you will want to sandwich them between cardboard to keep them flat and then mail them to me, no rush.
Option 4: Dry in silica gel or hang dry them. Silica gel is a lot of work, and you will need supplies, but will look the best, this is how I dry the flowers when I receive them. Hang drying sometimes doesn’t preserve the color and is a different look. I can work to create something with flowers you dry yourself- but once I get them, that is how they will look in a piece.
Silica gel method:
Here’s what you’ll need..
- A desiccant aka silica gel. Depending on your bouquet size, you may need a 5 or 10 lb bag. You will also need some containers for the silica gel. The container shouldn’t be used for anything else. Here are some options for desiccants:
-https://www.michaels.com/activa-flower-drying-art-silica-gel/10300251.html
For containers I would visit a dollar store and purchase a couple like this:
-https://www.dollartree.com/sure-fresh-rectangular-deep-storage-containers-216oz/236854
Steps to dry your own flowers in silica gel
- After you purchase the desiccant watch a video on how to dry them! Here is a good one https://youtu.be/1dow19x_TiQ. Do not leave the flowers in the gel for too long or else they will become brittle. You will need to check on them starting on day 3.
- Once they are fully dry you can put them all together in a larger sealed container with some more desiccant at the bottom.
- Once you are ready to ship them you will want to wrap them in something soft so that they don’t shake around and do not lose petals or get damaged. They should be wrapped in something soft and placed in a sealable container with desiccant at the bottom.
- You can then ship to me, no rush.
Hang Dry Method:
Steps to dry your own flowers in silica gel
- Remove Leaves and browning petals
- Gather stems in small bunches and trim to desired length
- Secure each bundle with string
- Hang each bunch upside down in a cool and dry place
- Let the flowers completely dry (usually takes 2-3weeks
- Keep dry and away from direct sunlight
- Once they are fully dry and you are ready to ship them you will want to wrap them in something soft so that they don’t shake around and do not lose petals or get damaged. They should be wrapped in something soft and placed in a sealable container with desiccant at the bottom.
- You can then ship to me, no rush.
Some photos of flowers we have preserved:
