Berlin, New Jersey — It all started with a Facebook video and an idea.
Gina Zeck came across a stunningly crafted wooden flower bouquet online and was inspired to create her own version. The positive feedback she received for her initial flower creations transformed her pastime into a thriving business venture.
They’re called wood flowers, and they look like the real thing!
She established Creative Twists Wood Flowers, running her budding enterprise from her home and garage located in Berlin, New Jersey. Every corner of her kitchen and garage is utilized as workspace, with both her and her husband’s vehicles parked outside on the driveway.
“The most special thing about wooden flowers are that they never die!” Gina laughs while working on her latest bouquet.
The concept is straightforward. She begins by sourcing sola wood, which originates from the swampy regions of Southeast Asia. Upon arrival, she meticulously hand paints, primes, and crafts each petal and plant, arranging them into her unique designs.
Zeck studied make up and has a steady hand for miniature painting. Attributes she says help her in the delicate process.
She hand-glues each stem to the pedals and sticks them into a cut-out green pool noodle in a pot.
Sola wood is one of the lightest woods in the world. It has a cork-like texture and can be gently shaped into the forms like flowers. And they come to her colorless.
From there, her imagination takes over and she sets to work painting and shaping each pedal to resemble the real deal.
“Every piece of my greenery is hand glued, and hand stemmed. It’s time consuming but all that little detail is what makes these particular things just so lifelike and realistic.’
There are many benefits to gifting a bouquet of wooden flowers that look like the real deal.
“A huge benefit of them is there’s no allergens. So, people in hospitals can enjoy them. Many ICUs don’t allow flowers.”
And she says they never die. They are a set it and forget it item. There’s no care needed.
She likes the stories she hears from her happy recipients. “One of my favorite stories is a woman who her nephew had died, and we created a beautiful arrangement within a metal truck that was her nephew’s. So instead of looking at this empty truck that made her sad, now these flowers make her smile.”
And memories like those deserve to last a long time.
To find out more about Gina’s creations, check her out at
