larn how to press flowers and save them with materials you have around your mansion .
Pressed flowers are a simple mode to bear on a moment in time . By agitate flowers , you could save a serious-minded sweetness from a loved one or commemorate flower from a exceptional event . Plus , it ’s an easy way to keep the beauty of springiness and summertime blooms awake ( almost ) forever .
Unlike abouquet of dry blossom , pressed flowers are great for frame anddisplaying as art , giving as a sentimental gift , or dressing up handwritten cards and letter . You do n’t need any exceptional prick to preserve them either . There are a few different methods , but you’re able to well learn how to compact flowers with just a few supplies from around your house .
Credit: Adam Albright
How to Select Flowers for Pressing
If you ’re pressing flush from a bouquet , start as shortly as possible . Do n’t wait until the day before you ’ll have to throw the organization out . bump off a few flowers from the corsage while all the blooms are still fresh .
If you ’re picking blossom from the garden , glean them in the morning after the dew has evaporate when they ’re quick to open their buds , or just before their peak . Collect blooms and foliage at different stage of ontogenesis to giveframed pressed - flush arta lifelike look . The better the timbre of the efflorescence at picking sentence , the well they ’ll look when dried and pressed .
Flowers with course flat blush are the easiest to press , such asviolets , daisy , and exclusive - petal roses ( many type ofshrub rosesare good choices ) . Ferns and other types of leaves flatten nicely too . Bulky flowers can also be pressed but may look better if trimmed , separated into petals , or sliced in half lengthwise . Collect some stems , leave-taking , and tendrils to contribute interest and context of use to your pressing .
you may also dry chunky flower such as multi - petal roses or carnations — or even fruit and vegetables — but they ’ll take longer and need a bit more attending .
How to Prepare Flowers for Pressing
If you ’re pressing flowers with obvious stamens ( the part covered in yellowish pollen ) , such asalstroemeriasandlilies , remove the stamens so the pollen wo n’t maculate . cut down the back of bulky blossom or cut them in half lengthwise to help them dwell flat .
For best solution and the most vibrant colors , stipulate your blooms first . immerse the stems ( not the rosiness ) into urine immediately after cutting , then hold the theme underwater in a sump and recut at an slant to let the greatest urine absorption . localize them in a clean vase filled with water and floral food for thought .
With right preparation and care , pressed prime can last for decades . Just keep them aside from moisture , direct sunlight , and heat rootage to foreclose them from regulate or breaking down .
Supplies For Pressing Flowers
Before you get started , verify you have the right supplies for the job ! You ’ll find most of these items around your house already :
Wooden Flower Press
This consists of two wooden boards with absorbent material material in between . Simply arrange the bloom on the theme then apply pressure by tighten the military press .
How to Press Flowers in a Book
The easiest style to mechanical press bloom does n’t involve any particular equipment other than absorbent paper and a heavy book or phone book . Pigments in the flower petal , stems , and leaves may stain the paper , so if the book of account is valuable , protect the Thomas Nelson Page with an extra layer of paper on each side of the plants being pressed .
There are two ways to constrict using this technique : Start by place the flowers between two layers of plain , absorbent printer paper , then set lowering Word on top . Or place the flowers between the pages of the book itself , leave at least 1/8 inch between multiple pressing . Weigh down the top of the book with a brick or another heavy item .
Let the flowers dry out for a workweek before checking on them . At that degree , you may want to replace the absorbent material . Allow two to three weeks for complete drying .
How to Press Flowers With an Iron
As with the Koran method , start by campaign the flower between two pieces of absorptive paper .
heating ahot , uncontaminating ironto a down in the mouth scope . Empty any piddle from the branding iron and do n’t add H2O ( you do n’t want to add more wet with the steam ) .
Prepare the bloom for pressing by placing it between two sheets of absorbent paper . Then , flatten the bloom for a few seconds with a heavy book orheavy - bottomed pan . Place the paper and flowers on an ironing board and press the tender iron on top of the upper sheet of paper for 10 to 15 seconds . You do n’t require to make a gliding motion like you do when you’reironing clothes . hold off for the theme to cool off for another 10 to 15 seconds , then repeat . ascertain occasionally by very cautiously abstract the paper to see if the flower is tight and teetotal .
How to Press Flowers Using the Microwave
Using in high spirits high temperature on flowers might cause them to plow brown , but if you ’re in a hurry , you may use a microwave oven tospeed up the dry out cognitive operation .
In a pinch , you may make your own microwave flower insistence using two ceramic tile and rubber bands to hold the tiles tightly together . send the blossom between two sheets of absorbent paper , then beseech between the tiles . fire up for 30 to 60 second at a metre , allow the materials to cool before repeat .
Or , place the flower inside a book ( as long as there ’s no metal in the binding ! ) . fire up the playscript for 30 to 60 seconds at a time , checking to see when the flowers are dry . allow for the book to cool for a second or two between zaps . Do n’t microwave the Christian Bible for longer than a min at a time .
When the flower are ironic , finish the process with the traditional air - drying mechanical press with a record book or enceinte objective . The flower should be polish off drying in a day or two .
Frequently Asked Questions
If pressing your flowers in a book , stave off placing the flower directly between the Page . utilise sheets of printer or lambskin composition to absorb surplus wet and protect the pages of your book . Replace the paper on a regular basis .
glean your flower only when they are dry — not wet with rainwater or dew . Use clean sheets of livid newspaper to press the flowers ( not wax paper ) . If humidity spirit level are gamy in your crafting surface area , consider using a fan to improve air circulation .
fund press flowers in a cool , dry area aside from unmediated sunlight . If you are saving them for a ulterior project , an strain - tight plastic container is a safe wager .
After your flowers are pressed , spray them with hairspray can weaken petal , prevent discoloration , and extend the life of the flowers . However , it ’s not the most effective recollective - terminus method and the chemicals in the hairspray could damage the more frail petal .
Keep your adjure heyday out of direct sunshine and avoid middleman with urine . Also keep in psyche that brighter flowers will naturally hold their colors longer than lighter , pastel shadowiness .
