How to Press Flowers

May 3, 2010

Spring is the perfect time to press flowers.  Our road sides and lawns are full of tiny wild flowers and the pansies are beautiful this time of year!

I use pressed flowers in my card making and to make framed art work.

The best flowers for pressing are flowers that are thin. Bulky flowers or those with a thick middle like a daisy do not press well.

Flowers that are bright in color will retain their color the best, white flowers will usually turn brown.

Be sure to pick plenty of leaves to accent your flowers.

When I was teaching a Keepers of the Faith group we did pressed flowers. Jeff made each girl her own press, they were like THIS FLOWER PRESS.

You can also press between the pages of a heavy book.

When pressing flowers be sure to use flowers that are fresh, don’t let them get wilted looking.

Make sure they are dry and laying flat, not touching each other.

Use paper towels or wax paper on both sides of the flowers, this will absorb the moisture of the flower.

Don’t use paper towels that have a deep pattern, it may leave an imprint on your flowers.

It is good to place a couple other books on top of your book to be sure to press them thoroughly.

Press them for at least 2 weeks.

When they are done, GENTLY peel them off your paper towel/wax paper and store them in a dark dry place until you need them; a shoe box is a good option for this. You can also just leave them in the book until you need them.

Topics: Card Making, Crafts | 2 Comments »