Resin Mastery: Exploring iCoat Epoxy

Jeannine Starr shares her remarkable transition from a 23-year leadership career in higher-education fundraising in New York City to becoming a successful flower preservation and resin artist. What began during the pandemic as a hobby making small resin jewelry pieces eventually grew into JSTAR NYC, a storefront business in Manhattan’s Floral District. Working alongside her daughter Annie, Jeannine has created a business where their strengths complement each other—Jeannine focuses on the artistry while Annie manages much of the client-facing side. Their work is deeply personal because they preserve flowers from weddings and other important moments into permanent heirlooms.

A major theme of the conversation is the courage required to make a dramatic career change and fully commit to something new. Jeannine describes discovering resin, outgrowing her apartment, opening a shop, and building a business in New York’s shrinking Floral District. She also discusses the challenges of floral preservation, including drying and triaging flowers, correcting colors, managing client expectations, and communicating realistic turnaround times. The emotional connection is a major part of the work—clients can become overwhelmed when they finally see flowers from their wedding day transformed into a finished piece.

Ian and Jeannine also explore the technical and educational side of resin artistry, including the importance of using quality materials, understanding epoxy chemistry and safety, and learning from experienced practitioners. Jeannine credits Tim Phelps of iCoat with helping her better understand the science behind resin and encouraging her growth as an artist. The conversation closes with ideas for helping the broader floral-preservation community through mentorship, a possible industry roundtable and certification program, better customer-care materials, and education for artists entering the craft. Ultimately, Jeannine's story is about turning a creative passion into a meaningful business—and creating heirlooms that preserve both flowers and memories.

Starr Collective
135 W 28th St
NY NY 10001

Shop hours are Monday - Saturday 9-4PM est

Email: hello@starrcollectivenyc.com
Phone: 212-518-1768
@jstarrnyc on Instagram
Website: jstarrnyc.com

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This episode of the iCoat podcast takes a fresh look at the enormous opportunity wedding season creates for flower preservation artists. The latest 2026 data from The Knot shows that around 2 million U.S. couples married in 2025, generating more than $100 billion in wedding-related spending. Fall has now become the most popular wedding season, with 35% of couples marrying between September and November, compared with 33% from June through August. October continues to be a standout month, accounting for approximately 16% of weddings in The Knot’s latest study. (The Knot)

Ian and Rachel discuss how preservation artists can take advantage of this busy market without overwhelming their businesses. The broader peak wedding season from May through October represents roughly 76% of weddings, creating a tremendous window for artists to generate new customers and revenue. Rather than focusing only on large bouquet preservation pieces, artists can expand their offerings to include boutonnieres, corsages, ring holders, mini hearts, bookends, display pieces, keepsakes, signature pieces, and heirlooms. The key is understanding your capacity, setting realistic production limits, communicating timelines clearly, and creating an easy-to-understand product menu that gives couples—and their families—multiple ways to preserve those special flowers.

The episode also focuses on helping more artists enter and succeed in this growing market. Ian is preparing the iCoat Starter Kit to make it easier for new artists to get started, while Rachel is finalizing a comprehensive preservation menu for the website. Together, Ian and Rachel want to provide artists with the products, ideas, and support they need to confidently pursue wedding clients during this high-demand season. With weddings representing more than $100 billion in annual U.S. spending, the message is simple: wedding season isn't just a busy time of year—it's a major business opportunity for flower preservation artists who are prepared to take advantage of it.

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In this special Independence Day episode of the Resin Mastery podcast, hosts Ian and Rachel come together to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. Centered around the theme "Freedom to Create," the discussion highlights the rich history of American creativity, craftsmanship, and independence. They explore various applications of epoxy resin preservation, such as river tables, custom jewelry, and wedding flower preservation, as a reflection of the unique freedom makers have to build their dreams and pursue their creative passions.

A major highlight of the episode is the official announcement of the winners from the recent "5-10-5 Epoxy Giveaway". To enter, participants collaborated by tagging the company on social media, from which five random winners were selected for Saturday, ten for Sunday, and five for Monday. In addition to sending the winners their free epoxy, Ian and Rachel emphasize their commitment to supporting these makers by offering ongoing promotions to help grow their independent businesses. To streamline the episode's flow, the hosts decide to position this exciting announcement at the end of the show, immediately following their reflections on American opportunity.

The episode also features a deep dive into the technical and ethical importance of sourcing American-made products. Ian highlights that iCoat Epoxy is entirely manufactured in the United States, ensuring rigorous quality control, strict safety standards, and proper certification. They contrast this with imported alternatives from countries like China, which may lack crucial safety data sheets and fail to meet safe standards for products interacting with skin or food. The hosts conclude the episode by wishing their audience a safe and happy 4th of July, encouraging listeners to check out featured client work on their website, and teasing upcoming video collaboration giveaways.

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In this special Mother’s Day-themed episode of Resin Mastery, Rachel and Ian explored the idea of “Pouring Love” through handmade resin gifts that carry personal meaning and intention. Moving beyond simple technique tutorials, the episode focused on why handcrafted pieces matter, especially for mothers and loved ones. They discussed how resin artists can create deeply personalized gifts such as jewelry dishes, ring holders, picture frames, coasters with preserved flowers, soap holders, and candle holders that become lasting keepsakes instead of disposable store-bought presents.

The episode also highlighted practical inspiration and education for the resin community. Ian shared examples of meaningful projects he created for his wife, while Rachel encouraged listeners to embrace customization and creativity in their own gift-making. They also spotlighted Tim’s free Epoxy Resin Artist Guide to Preventing Yellowing, a step-by-step resource designed to help artists successfully preserve flowers in resin without discoloration, particularly valuable for Mother’s Day bouquet preservation projects and memorial keepsakes.

To celebrate the season, Rachel and Ian announced their “5-10-5” epoxy giveaway event. Participants can enter by tagging the show online, sharing their resin creations, collaborating on social media, or reposting Resin Mastery content. Winners will receive epoxy prizes throughout the weekend, including 5 gallons on Saturday, 10 gallons on Sunday, and another 5 gallons on Monday. Throughout the conversation, they reinforced the importance of balance, creativity, intentional living, and honoring mothers through thoughtful handmade art.

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The hosts of the Resin Mastery podcast welcome listeners back and catch up on personal updates, including Rachel's pregnancy and reflections on motherhood ahead of Mother's Day on May 11th. They emphasize creating meaningful, memory-preserving resin gifts for various mothers in one's life, like wives, stepmoms, or out-of-state relatives, rather than generic items like flowers. The episode introduces a new segment, the "Misinformation Minute," where Tim from iCoat debunks the myth of using fans to cure epoxy resin, explaining it cures chemically, not by evaporation, and risks dust contamination or surface ripples.

They brainstorm resin gift ideas centered on personalization and embedding memories, starting with coasters and picture frames incorporating photos (using copies to avoid damage), dried flowers, or floral designs. Other suggestions include ring holders shaped like fingers, cacti, or trees for rings, earrings, and bracelets; jewelry dishes for sentimental pieces; and creative variations like corner-shaped dishes or miniature river tables with wood embeds. Hosts recommend using molds for religious items like crucifixes, iCoat's compatible colors (dispersions, acrylics, stains, mica powders), and dried flowers for quick projects, advising smaller scales over oversized pieces unless for exceptional moms.

The discussion ties ideas to business opportunities, urging artisans to promote on social media early for Mother's Day sales, using entry-level items like ring holders to attract clients for larger commissions such as wedding flower preservation. They highlight resin's unique ability to preserve and create memories, positioning it as thoughtful amid moms feeling overlooked. The episode wraps with calls for listener feedback on social media and teases future episodes.

https://icoatepoxy.com
tel: +1 602-258-1114
https://www.facebook.com/iCoatProducts/
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Podcast management by www.globalcreativegroup.com