Today we’d like to introduce you to Justine Olsen.
Justine, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Around 2016, I started my own “side gig” making hand-made coasters and sealing them with resin. It was more of a craft at that time than a “business”. I had never worked with resin before, but I needed something to seal my final product without becoming tacky or turning yellow like some glues would. My husband actually recommended resin and I was slightly hesitant as it seemed messy, haha. But now I am quite literally obsessed with it!
I have always had some kind of calling to create art and I really enjoy how therapeutic it has always been for me. As time went on, I had a lot of requests to buy some of my products after sharing some on social media. Before I knew it I was making quite a lot of orders for local customers and really expanding my knowledge of resin, along with other aspects of a growing business.
I started making resin wall art, side tables, and charcuterie boards. It was a great way for me to stay busy and make some extra income. I was self-taught of course. So there were a lot of failures, successes, and small victories along the way. Many failures nearly stopped me from continuing in my tracks, but I still had that drive to create. I am very happy I kept on applying lessons learned from all those failures and really using that knowledge to grow in my art.
My start with floral preservation in particular happened when I was trying to think of a unique 1-year anniversary gift for my brother and sister-in-law. I took their old bouquet and preserved it in resin for them since it was falling apart in a shadow box. It wasn’t my best work, but it made them really happy. Once I completed their gift and received their reaction, I knew I had a passion for floral preservation.
Since, I have created my own business preserving flowers for wedding bouquets & memorials. Every single piece I make reaffirms my love for what I do. Seeing someone’s reaction to their final piece is just so gratifying.
Black Sheep Boutique has been an amazing outlet for me. Since the covid shutdown, I stopped bartending at our families bar and ended up staying home with our kids during the closures. I had to homeschool 3 kids & I stopped working (which I did a lot). It was a tough couple of years. I actually took time to seek help with some health struggles that surfaced during that time and was diagnosed with ADHD along with other anxiety disorders. This was something that had surfaced once I was forced to really sit still and not work as much as I was in the past. It is a blessing and a curse, but I do feel that these tendencies I found I had with ADHD really did help me start my own business and explore entrepreneurship.
Although I still do manage our family’s bar at this time along with my preservation business, creating a business I have a passion for was a HUGE deal for me. It really drove me to dig deep, value all my failures over the years and use them to really create the business I have today.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
No road worth traveling is smooth if you ask me. If it is, it’s probably not going to bring you where you want to be. I have failed many times and had a very bumpy road along the way. I’ve always had a great amount of self-doubt. But I have realized that if I cannot push forward and advocate for myself, no one else will, either. It has been a ride!
With the support of my husband and kids over these last few years, I turned my workaholic tendencies and passion for art into a nearly full-time business that I could not be any more grateful for. I truly do feel as though this was what I was made to do!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a one person show at the moment. I preserve flowers locally and from all over the country for weddings, memorials, & even pet memorials! I take into consideration my customers’ wants & wishes all while being honest and truthful about my capabilities with their floral type and condition.
I professionally dry all the flowers that are overnighted to me before casting them in resin which is a lengthy process. I work with fresh flowers, dried flowers, even dried bouquets that have been sitting for many, many years! I have also incorporated items such as photos, jewelry, and pet collars/ashes into work. The options are endless, and that’s what makes each piece so unique. I currently make an assortment of resin blocks, trays, coasters, tables, and more!
Connecting with my customers & learning their stories is one of my favorite things about this job.
I believe I am set apart from other preservation artists because I have SO much time along with trial and error into resin work and I really feel confident going into each order. The first time I took apart someone’s bouquet I was a mess! All those “what if” moments. Now it is like second nature to me! And I have learned SO much about flowers, too!
I strive to make my customers happy, first and foremost. But I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work from home with my family all while doing what I love most. I am in the process of creating my own studio and being able to dive into floral preservation full time. That will be a BIG day for our family.
I have a booking app on my website and typically need customers to book in advance and save your date for preservation. I am taking reservations for 2022-2023 at this time, but will be opening up my calendar in the near future! Memorials can obviously be more last minute, so I do make sure to be as accommodating for those pieces as I can be.
I also have some “off the shelf” pieces that I make and sell on my site. Maybe you don’t have a wedding coming up but really want some floral coasters or wine stoppers – check that out as well!
How do you define success?
I define success in my business with the testimonials I get from customers! The messages like “we cried happy tears when we got our memorial” or “I will forever treasure these pieces!”. What’s better than that?
Typically, any order I receive has a lot of meaning to it, and being able to preserve flowers from a memorable time (happy or sad) carries a lot of emotion. Being able to capture these emotions/memories for someone is beyond monetary success. It always will be, to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://
blacksheepboutique.square. site/ - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/_black.sheep. boutique_/ - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/ BlackSheepBoutique8
Image Credits:
Justine Olsen
