Hello my name is Yasmeen in Arabic. My father named me after the Yasmina flower which is also known as the Jasmine flower in English. I called my business “Jasmine” Lane because my father always used to tell me, your name means the flower that blooms. So I wanted Jasmine Lane to be that place where flowers never lose their bloom and are remembered for how beautiful they are.
Click on the images in this blog to view the actual projects through the artists page.
I’m originally an Architectural Engineer but have always been crafty at heart. I finished a 5 year major that was made up of constantly creating and designing things. We used to have 5 hour design studios where we would turn 2D floor plans into 3D models from whatever material was with us. I studied what I studied because I always wanted to take part in bringing ideas to life. Turning thoughts, into concepts and eventually turning those concepts into the places we now live or work in. You’re probably wondering, how does a person who designs buildings go to a person dealing with resin? Well to me, resin is just another one of those materials I never came across in that studio. It’s definitely used for everything and the opposite of what I studied, but it’s a creative epoxy I couldn’t wait to experiment with. I value handmade things more than anything. Nothing yells “made with love” more than something that you took the time and effort to put together. Using resin, helped me bring back to life the things that would have died.
When I first started doing resin I struggled. You’d think it’s easy because you only need to mix your resin and hardener ratios and you’re good to go. Then with time you realize, there are micro bubble issues, not curing properly issues, your flowers moving around, the resin drying too fast and oh my god the mess behind it all ! I remember buying so many batches of resin that went to waste in the beginning. But it’s okay, because everything is a learning process. You never get it right the first time or every time either. Patience is key has been my motive through it all. When I first launched, I was nervous because I didn’t know if people would love my work or if it would even sell. I gave it a go and trusted my gut that things will work out. Three days later I got my first sale and that was the beginning of where we are at today.
I love anything nature related, particularly flowers. My favorite thing to make are coasters made from pressed flowers. My love for resin emerged from my love for flowers. I got engaged to my husband in the Summer of 2021. Never has a man ever bought me as many flowers as he has. I would be so happy and so sad at the same time because I knew that those beautiful flowers would eventually wither and die. It wasn’t until the end of the summer that I told my mom, if he sends me flowers on my birthday I’m saving them. I don’t know how or in what way, but I’m not going to let them die. My birthday came around and these gorgeous flowers show up at my door. This time I didn’t let them just sit there, I took them to a local resin shop who only sell resin. I told the owner, I’m going to ask you a question no one has ever asked you before and that was “can you teach me how to press and preserve these flowers”? The shop owner was very kind and agreed. He showed me the step by step process and it was in his little shop that I made my first ever resin tray. It wasn’t until I got married a couple months later that I did my second tray with my wedding bouquet. I decided to keep practicing after that and little did I know I’d be starting my own start up a month following that. If it wasn’t for my husband buying me all those flowers, Jasmine Lane would have never existed. If he’s reading this, I hope he never stops buying me flowers because he only lets my love for the whole process grow in doing so.
Luckily I didn’t struggle starting my business. The only thing I struggle with from time to time is not getting it as perfect as I want, which is normal. At the end of the day it is a handmade product, and there is a beauty in imperfectly perfect things. Resin has given me the opportunity to make beautiful things last. To me, it has helped me turn something sentimental into something functional. My whole business has made me believe in myself and made me believe that anything is possible, so as long as we never give up. I look forward to growing Jasmine Lane and making sure it always preserves its bloom.
Yasmeen
