01:00 AM EST on Sunday, March 27, 2005

Armed with tweezers and a pH-balanced adhesive, Warwick's Beatrice Clifford frames the printed words on a wedding invitation with tiny pressed flowers and a little bit of greenery.

She finishes off her piece of art with tiny crystals, which resemble raindrops. Her extra sparkle and spring colors will be duplicated more than 50 times in her brightly lit studio-showroom on the fourth floor of the Pontiac Mills, Warwick.

At Pressed Flower Artistry, Clifford -- with the help of her son, Albert Bagley, daughter Carol Bagley, daughter-in-law Lynda Bagley, and grandchildren Dale and Craig Bagley -- creates masterpieces adorned with real flowers.

In addition to invitations, Pressed Flower Artistry offers floral decoration on poster-size genealogies, photographs and wedding seating charts, which list each guest and his or her respective table number. The framing and matte work is done by her son, Albert, and prices start at about $175 for a framed invitation keepsake; giant 2-feet-by-3-feet custom framing costs about $575.

At her studio, clients can choose from a large selection of acid-free paper, and an invitation plus envelope and reception card is $18. If you purchase and print invitations elsewhere, the charge for pressed-flower decoration is $5 per card.

Clifford has done baby announcements, napkin rings and nearly all lifecycle events. On display in her showroom are pieces some 20 years old that have maintained their vibrancy.

In her studio, a 24-inch-by-36-inch beach-themed seating chart for a wedding is not only framed with flowers, but sand, tiny seahorses and miniature shells.

Nearly 20 years ago during a visit to Aspen, Colo., Clifford bought a bookmark adorned with pressed flowers. "I was impressed with how it looked," she said. "I was amazed that someone could preserve living things with such beauty."

She said she decided it was what she wanted to do. Through trial and error, and a little beginner's luck, Clifford started to grow a thriving pressed floral business. By 1995, Clifford and her devoted family became fixtures at craft shows. After joining the bridal-show circuit in the late 1990s, she said, demand for invitations and seating charts grew like wildflowers.

Eventually, Clifford bought a greenhouse, which her daughter Carol runs. She uses primarily New England plants and flowers, which she presses in telephone books in her office.

Each book is labeled and dated, some go back to the 1990s. When she takes out the books, she opens to pages filled with flattened blooms of vibrant yellows, reds and blues. Her advice to pressed-flower hobbyist is "less is more" and noted that "flowers should be picked the day they open to retain their color." Her flower preferences include delphiniums and alyssum.

For years, Clifford has been asked to teach classes on pressed flower artistry. Recently, the Pontiac Mills gave her classroom space, and she is taking registrations for three classes meeting weekly in April on either Mondays or Tuesdays night. The cost is $40 and includes supplies.

Bea Clifford's studio is at Warwick's Pontiac Mills, (401) 225-4115; fax (401) 736-0427; e-mail kipbag [at] yahoo.com; on the Web at www.pressedflowerartistry.tv.

-- FAYE B. ZUCKERMAN