Possible options?
Hi! General rule to remember: Most botanicals that were at one time living will die. (There are a few exceptions and preservational processes that will extend their life and usability, but this is only with -some- herbs.)
If you really want that petal look and are willing to do some prep, then I can give you some ideas from the perspective of a chef, as that's what I've done for the past 10 years before soaping!
Assuming melt and pour is your base, start by making yourself a batch of flexible base in a. Do this by adding glycerine to your base, this can buy you some time between your soap pouring and setting up to flex it and work with it. Different bases can react differently so start with a teaspoon per pound and work from there to see what works best for you. You'll want to color and fragrance this to look like rose petals for a more "realistic" feel. Make sure you're doing this in a wide pan so that your layer is thin enough to look "petal-like" but thick enough to work with. I use a 9x9 silicone baking pan for all of my embed work.
Let your base set up just enough that it's no longer liquid but still warm and flexible and pull it out of your pan, and protect your counters with butcher paper (Slick side up), baking parchment or a Silpat-type mat (My favorite, you can find them in cooking specialty stores). The secret trick to cutting out petal shapes is gumpaste/fondant cutters. Go to your local craft store and find yourself a petal shape that you love. Use your cutter to start pushing out some pretty petal shapes from your nice, thin base. Another little trick to getting petals to set up is egg cartons. I personally recommend those larger trays that hold 2 dozen eggs, allows for greater production numbers out of the gate. So, gently place your freshly cut petals in the carton, one petal per well, and mix it up a bit, put some of them on their anchor point (The 'point' tip) and some on their rounded edge, put some down in the well to make a little "bowl", just keep it varied. Let them set up. They're thin enough that it shouldn't take long, but find something to keep you occupied for an hour or so, then come back and see if you get the shape you're looking for.
Another option would be, to use fabric petals, though they usually are a bit larger than you may be looking for. Hope some of this has at least given you some ideas to start with.
~ApotheFairy
