HER: botanical art of living that preserve and recall for her 3-wings butterfly.

Our story

What is ‘The Before HER:’?

‘The Before HER:’ is a female-founded botanical art & nature-inspired lifestyle series that preserves & recalls the mindful seasons of our womanhood.

Just like a garden, we’re always blossoming, growing, and experiencing new moments. This life cycle has inspired us to create a botanical art & nature-inspired lifestyle that reflects the seasons of a woman’s life: the loop from bud to bloom, from bloom to fade.

Each series in ‘The Before HER:’ is a message to her.

‘Preserve & recall for her 3-Wings Butterfly.’

Her 3-wings butterfly

‘Before | Faith’, ‘Present | Love’, ‘Future | Hope’.

Among all the flowers and plants, ‘The Before HER:’ is especially inspired by the 3-wings butterfly plant: Oxalis Triangularis (Faith, Love, Hope). Each wing represents the Before, Present, and Future of her.

‘The Before HER:’ is dedicated to the seasons and ups & downs of a woman’s life. From a baby girl, a little girl to becoming a lady; from a bride to becoming a wife; from a woman to becoming a mother. Keeping her faith, love, and hope and thriving into the next phase of her life.

Therefore, the ‘HER’ in ‘The Before HER:’ does not only refer to her in the past. The ‘HER’ is also the ‘present her’, who wants to recall the precious memories and lessons in her life, having Faith in the past; the ‘HER’, who soon becomes the ‘future her’ and wants to Love the ‘present her’ more in time, and having Hope in the future.

The beginning…

of ‘The Before HER:’

Welcome! I'm Sunny, and together with my collaborator Irene, I'm excited to share our journey from architecture to botanical artistry. We believe nature's beauty should be part of our everyday lives, not just reserved for special occasions.

Both based in Melbourne, Australia, Irene and I are mums navigating life's ups and downs. During the lockdown in 2021, with family life in full swing, we found ourselves seeking solace and creativity through our passion for floral art.

It was during this time that we had a real eye-opener. We realised the staggering amount of waste produced by cancelled events like weddings, where tons of fresh-cut flowers end up discarded, leaving a huge carbon footprint.

That realisation sparked an idea—to create a sustainable floral art collection that combines my handcrafted paper flowers with Irene's carefully curated dried blooms. Our collection is a celebration of the mindful seasons of womanhood, sustainably embracing nature's beauty.

And thus, 'The Before Her:' was born, starting with our first creation, ‘HER: Cloche’ | Preserve & Recall.

We're excited to share our passion for botanical art and sustainable living with you. Join us on this journey as we redefine floristry, making it a meaningful part of everyday life.

As we grow…

Exciting news ahead!
We're expanding our botanical art offerings with new creations alongside our popular paper flower cloches. Stay tuned for more botanical-inspired delights, including unique and beautiful items designed to enhance your home and self-care routines.

Join us at upcoming workshops, where you can learn the art of creating stunning botanical displays. Plus, find tutorials and inspiration on our blog for crafting your own botanical masterpieces.

Together, let's celebrate womanhood and creativity through the beauty of botanical art.

‘Her’ before The Before HER:

Hello, I'm Sunny, founder of The Before HER:. Let my story inspire you to join me on this creative journey.

current me:

I am a mother and botanical Artist who is living in Melbourne, Australia with my husband (Kevin) and very cheeky little ones, my little girl Ria and baby boy Jun. I am currently working in a mini studio space in our warm-hearted urban jungle home.

my childhood:

I remember when I was a little girl, my family wasn't wealthy. So, I did not have a lot of fancy toys but a lot of paper, rice glue, paints, brushes, and homemade play dough which my mom made for me. Thank you, mom! Thank you for giving me all these good muscle memory and ability to create.

before marriage:

I was born in Hong Kong and I met my husband when I was studying abroad in Melbourne, Australia in 2009. We both did our bachelor and master of architecture degrees here. I gained most of my art & design aesthetics and knowledge during these 6 years of day & night study period with him. After graduation, we both are lucky enough to have stable jobs and settle here. A few years later, we had a small wedding with our closest family and friends in a local barn. We pushed through a paper floral backdrop for our wedding together within a month. That was the 1st time I picked up paper flowers again after millions of years. It was exhausting but worth it.

after Ria was born: (from rushing to shushing)

I was a full-time working mom in Ria’s 1st year which was stressful. I knew that I needed my #metime, a hobby distracts me so I started making paper flowers every night after she went to bed and I’m hooked.

Ria has also changed the way we celebrate. She is a sensitive one and she just feels that tension right away when we’re stressed. So, I’m no longer rushing things to celebrate. I spent 100 days creating and styling our 1st family photoshoot with my paper flowers. I recorded all my thoughts and the process day by day on my old Instagram account. I took time to explore the versatility, subtlety, and delicacy of small paper flowers which enable me to express the complex feelings of motherhood.

The making process has become soothing and resilient since then. I enjoy the sound of colouring crepe paper with pencil colours a lot. It is almost like shushing Ria to calm down. I love making and practicing each type of paper flower again and again even though they are the same kind. It is because each experience is unique and they all look different to me. Creating a small paper flower arrangement allows me to have my #metime to give myself a little reflection of the day. Turns out, my paper flower process becomes a virtue of celebration to me.

Now, I would like to honour my fellow mums and their families and friends with these paper flowers and botanical art, which serve as a reminder of the need for #metime and the importance of balancing oneself amidst busy womanhood.

Our dream:

May our lives & plants go on, dreams go on and we celebrate everyday.

I wish we could dream with our kids, set up small goals, build up small steps, learn and thrive together. Gather up all the small delightful moments and celebrate through our botanical art & process. I believe this way will make our life and business much more sustainable and balanced.

This is why I have created a 3654-day challenge to remind me to be creative during my busy mom’s life. To be honest, I’m not making my flowers every day but this is something to keep me accountable and have a positive mindset on this creative journey!

Let’s see where this 3654-day journey takes us!

Follow along our creative journey through Instagram @thebeforeher.co .