Estimated Preservation Timeline
This timeline will give you an idea of the entire flower preservation process. Please keep in mind that this is not an exact timeline, and the turnaround time for each order varies.
***Maha will always communicate actions required, and if you haven’t heard from Maha, she does not have an update to share with you (i.e. we are still working on your order :). Please trust that your precious flowers are safe in her hands.***
Other important things to note:
Please respond to emails from Maha as soon as possible. Taking more than 24 hours to respond to an email from Maha will create a delay in the completion process.
She has limited molds and trays, so a delay could put the next order ahead of yours.
Dried flowers cannot be exposed to the air for too long. To avoid your flowers absorbing any moisture after being taken out of the silica/flower press, if Maha does not receive a response within 72 hours, she will put your flowers back in the silica and move on to the next order.
Maha has designated days for completing specific projects. For example, she has specific days designated for placing flowers in silica/flower press, taking flowers out of silica/flower press, designing, pouring resin, pouring topcoats/flood coats, sanding, color correcting/sealing flowers with UV protectant spray, demolding, polishing keepsakes, photographing keepsakes, packing orders, taking packages to UPS, etc.
If, for example, Maha is working on a designing day and emails you a design to review and approve/make changes, a delay in a response can mean that Maha will not be able to make any changes to the design for another week or so. Or a delay in approving of the design could mean that the resin pouring cannot begin until the next resin-pouring day.
Deposit: Pay the Deposit here to reserve your spot. The sooner, the better as space is limited to 2 weddings/events per day (usually 5-6 weddings/events per week). Maha may be able to take some last-minute bookings, up to 5 days after the event.
Order Form: Fill out the order form, read and sign client agreement, and review shipping instructions (if not local). Either way, keep flowers in fresh water. All forms will be sent to you upon placing deposit.
Drop-off at studio, coordinate for Maha to Pick up, or Ship Flowers: For local brides, Maha will get your flowers either via pick-up or drop-off at her studio in Santa Fe /Ship flowers/items to preserve. Email or text tracking number to Maha at 505-221-6683. If local, arrange day and time for Maha to receive flowers.
Receiving Flowers: Maha will contact you with important information on bouquet’s condition after receipt. Be ready to discuss which flowers you’d like pressed if ordering a pressed flower frame.
Drying/Pressing Process: If flowers are fresh, Maha will immediately place the flowers in silica to dry (or a flower press). This process takes several weeks.
Pay Invoice Remainder: Your invoice is due approximately 8-12 weeks after your event. Please note that paying your invoice on time does not mean that Maha will be able to finish your keepsakes sooner. However, delaying payment will delay in the completion of your keepsakes.
If you opted to have Maha outsource flowers for you to supplement the flowers you provided for her, Maha will either communicate with your florist to gather a list of the flowers and greens that were in your bouquet or start a search for those flowers and greens if that list has already been provided in the order form. Please know that while Maha does have some extra dried flowers in her studio, she most likely will have to purchase more flowers to ensure they are an exact match to yours. This process can be tedious in that certain flowers may only be in season during certain times of the year. Some flowers need to be shipped from outside the country, so delivery times may be long.
Designing Keepsakes: Within several months of receiving your flowers, after your flowers have completely dried/pressed, Maha will begin designing your keepsakes and send pictures with your design(s) for larger keepsakes only for your approval. At this step, if you did not choose color enhancement, you may let Maha know if you’d like to add this upgrade to your order and which flowers you would like to be color enhanced.
Only after receipt of full payment, Maha will begin creating your keepsake(s). Check Instagram stories for monthly updates.
Color Enhancement:
If you ordered a pressed flower frame, Maha will start color correcting the pressed flowers and leaves and/or designing your frame.
If you ordered any resin keepsakes and also selected color correction, Maha will begin the color enhancement process.
Color enhancement is a tedious process, where Maha uses anywhere from 1-5 different color correcting techniques to bring the colors of the dried flowers back to original colors when they were fresh. Depending on the technique, several layers of color will need to be applied, taking time in between for each layer to dry. The last step in color enhancement is to seal each flower with a UV protectant to minimize the color fading over time and to minimize the amount of color the resin may pull out from the flower while in the mold/tray.
Please note that color correcting is weather-permitting as a majority of the color enhancement procedures must be done outdoors. This may delay your order completion.
Maha does her best to match the colors as accurately as possible.
Resin: Maha will begin pouring resin to create your resin keepsakes. The resin process can take 1-4 weeks, depending on the size and shape of the piece. Resin must be poured in thin layers with at least 24 hours hours of curing time in between each layer.
Demold: After all of the resin is poured, Maha will then demold the pieces created in either a silicone or HDPE mold.
Sometimes, the piece is perfect right out of the mold. Most of the time, the resin block needs to be sanded.
Sanding and Back coat/Flood coat: The sanding and back coat/flood coat processes can be an unpredictable one. If it is taking Maha while to finish your pieces, it is most likely due to being “stuck” in this stage, so thank you for your patience!
Sanding: After demolding the resin block, the block will most likely need to be sanded.
Back coat: To add clarity back to the sanded pieces, Maha will then prepare the piece for a back coat first, and then a flood coat. To do a back coat, Maha tapes the sides appropriately so that the resin only goes on the back side of the block.
If the back coat is uneven or if something like a speck of dust cured in the resin, then Maha will go back and sand the back side again (once the “bad” coat has completely cured), then re-tape, then pour another layer of resin on the back side. This process can take awhile, as Maha strives to make the block as amazing as she knows it can be.
Flood coat: Once the back coat is cured and as clear as it can be, she will then tape the block appropriately to cover the top and sides with resin. Just like with the back coat, if the flood coat needs work, Maha will go back to the sanding phase, and do it all over again until the flood coat looks great!
Edges: Once the back coats and flood coats are cured, she will then clean up the sharp edges.
Polishing: Before photographing, Maha likes to polish each piece.
Photos: Then, the pieces are ready to be photographed. Maha does all the photography and videography herself right out the front door of her studio.
Ready! When your keepsakes are finished, Maha will get in touch with you.
Enjoy your keepsakes forever!
Patience: The production process of this custom fine art keepsake can take several months to create. Kindly be patient and wait to hear from Maha. Please trust Maha during this process as she’s been doing this for years :). If you don’t hear from Maha, it just means that she is still working diligently on your pieces to ensure you really love them.