Capture the feeling of spring with a clear resin coaster filled with silk flowers.



You'll need
Tin of polyester resin
Bottle of hardener
Round takeaway food containers
Silk gerberas or flowers of your choice
Scissors
Latex gloves
Measuring cups
Empty ice-cream container
Ice-cream sticks

Here's how
1. To determine the depth of the coasters, mark the sides of the takeaway food containers 5mm and 10mm from the bottom.
2. Wearing the gloves and working in a well-ventilated area, pour 200ml of resin into the ice-cream container and add 3ml of hardener. Stir well and carefully with an ice-cream stick. Pour the solution into a takeaway container, up to the 5mm mark.
3. Pull a flower head apart, leaving only one layer of petals and the centre of the flower. Trim the back of the flower if necessary. Gently place the flower on top of the resin, replace the lid on the container or cover it with plastic wrap to avoid dust settling on the resin. Allow it to harden for 12 hours, or longer if the weather is cold.
4. Mix another batch of resin and hardener using the same proportions as in Step 2. Pour this mixture into the container on top of the flower and hardened resin. The mixture should reach the 10mm mark and cover the flower completely.
5. Cover the container and leave to harden. Try not to move the container about as this will cause ripples. When set hard, gently stretch the sides of the container and pop out the coaster.

You can find out about the resin from Daystar. Phone (02) 9567 3328 for your nearest stockist.