Sola flower disappointment ☹️

So I received my samples today. Sola flowers are not what I was expecting. They look so great online, but what I didn’t think about was how they would feel or how delicate they are. My sola artist packed these samples with the utmost care. Still, one of the flowers chipped on the edge of the petals. It cracked and broke off leaving bright white exposed on the royal purple flower. I’m afraid any bump while carrying them would cause further damage.
The texture really threw me off. I didn’t feel like I was holding flowers. Of course they are wood, but I didn’t realize how much the dry brittle texture would ruin the joy of carrying flowers.
Finally, the colors weren’t what I was hoping for. They looked bland and faded. I know, they say to expect some variation like you would get from real flowers. However these variations were definitely more stark than real flowers. Perhaps it’s because I’m using brilliant jewel tones. The purples and reds just looked dry and lifeless. Maybe whites or pastels would work better, but for my vibrant jewel tones the solas were a real disappointment.
Time to try something new. I’m going to order high quality silk and velvet flower samples. Fingers crossed! They are expensive, but actually less than the solas.
Anyone else have this experience with sola flowers?