When Hana Carter, 25, Nightingale Close, first began pressing flowers as a child with her sisters, she had no idea that years later it would be a vital part of her small craft business.

Her work consists of hand picked flowers, sourced from parks in St Albans as well as her own garden, which are then pressed and turned into jewellery.

She first stumbled upon the idea after revising one of her art school sketch books, which mentioned the use of resin - a liquid plastic. Combining that particular material with a love affair that she has always had with nature and flowers, Hana May Jewellery came about.

She said: “I have always been into arts and crafts and after years of working for various companies in London, I decided that I wanted to set up my own business selling my handmade products.

“I’ve always been obsessed with jewellery and the idea of making my own, so I decided to go down that route - playing with different methods. I played around with resin and pressed flowers and it just went from there.”

Since launching her business through Instagram and Facebook this month, she is now sending her necklaces and rings as far as the United States.

“To think that the flowers that are scattered around St Albans are now being shipped off to countries all over the world as well as the UK is just so lovely. I have lived in the area my whole life and have always been so appreciative of the beautiful greenery that we have, I’m just so glad that I’m able to share it with other people.”

The 25-year-old admitted that turning her hobby into a business was nerve-wracking, she said: “When I first put it on Instagram I was convinced that no one would be interested. But within days the orders started flooding in. I still can’t quite get my head around it.”

Miss Carter sells her work through Etsy as well as directly through Instagram. She can be found by searching @hanamayjewellery.