Introducing Judy from Beautiful Blooms by Judy. Where every item is handmade!! From her home in Melbourne, Judy hand creates unique pieces featuring real flowers picked, pressed and preserved in resin.
Find out why Judy started creating and why she is so passionate about the value of handmade.
Tell us about your creations and your handmade process.
I create Botanical jewellery and accessories using real flowers. I pick and press the flowers then preserve them in resin. Since starting Beautiful Blooms my garden has become part of my work space, full of cottage flowers - daisies, fuchsias and Queen Anne's Lace everywhere. I'm always foraging for Australian natives including colourful flowering gums and wattle. Nature strips and flowers overhanging over fences are always fair game.
Road trips take on a new meaning and I'm forever saying to my husband, "Stop the car!"
I press and dry the flowers in my full set of encyclopedias and flower presses and also use Silica Gel to absorb the moisture more quickly and retain the vibrant colours. Silicone moulds and fine metal frames give my creations their shape, and I encase the flowers in at least two layers of resin. After sanding I transform the flowers into jewellery, bookmarks, hair accessories, keychains and trinket bowls.
Tell us a bit about your journey to becoming a handmade artist.
Over the years I've dabbled in a variety of different crafts. So many phases and crazes! But it was when I was gifted a pair of resin flower earrings that I found my true calling! I began laminating dried flowers to create earrings but in order to use thicker flowers like Australian natives I progressed to using resin….. and I fell in love with every part of the process.
I started taking my creations to markets and putting them online and before I knew it I was a 'handmade artist' and my primary school teaching days were a thing of the past. To be able to work with flowers and create my Beautiful Blooms is an absolute joy. I wish I'd started years ago.
What is your inspiration or where do you find inspiration?
My inspiration is really the flowers. Preserving them in resin showcases their beauty and being able to transform them into wearable art makes me so happy. And of course, my wonderful customers. Every like, follow, kind word and purchase encourages me to continue to create my Beautiful Blooms.
Where did you learn your craft?
Google was my best friend when I began. There are so many wonderful resources available online. There was so much to learn - how to best dry different types of flowers, finding the best resin for making different products, how to avoid the dreaded bubbles that often occur and then how to use moulds, frames and then create the final product.
Why is handmade artistry so important to you?
It may sound a bit dramatic to say that my Beautiful Blooms have changed my life, but they really have. To be able to create my Beautiful Blooms from flowers I have grown myself, each piece showcasing the beauty of flowers brings me so much satisfaction and joy. Just as every flower in nature is unique, so is each piece I make. Only through handmade artistry can you create something so original.
Judy is a much loved member of the Madeit Collective, posting regularly in our Facebook Group ~ The Handmade Marketplace of Australia ~ and sharing their new creations as they are released. If you haven't connected with Beautiful Blooms by Judy, make sure you join our FB Group and say hi !
