| Scrapbooking in Full Bloom |
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Using Pressed Flowers for Scrapbooking |
Other Uses for Pressed Flowers
There are many other uses for your pressed flowers and foliage, for scrapbooking as well as other crafts:
- If you make handmade paper, try including some leaves, ferns, or flowers for interest.
- Put flowers between microscopic slides on your garden layouts.
- Make candles with pressed flowers in them.
- Place a few into a vellum envelope for a heritage page.
- Use Modge Podge to secure flowers on an altered book or the cover of a journal.
- Incorporate flowers into cards.
This is a card that I made for my best friend, Sonya. I made a window in the front of the card. I then placed the flower between pieces of transparency plastic, mounting it to the underside of the window.
Gathering and Pressing Flowers
If you don’t want to press flowers yourself, or you don’t have access to flowers and other foliage, you can always purchase them in craft stores or from online stores that offer them. However, keep in mind that pressed flowers are expensive to buy. Pressing flowers is easy and inexpensive. It requires no special equipment or expertise.
You don’t need a lush garden full of plants and flowers. Look for wildflowers growing alongside the road. Gather flowers and foliage while taking a hike. Pick herbs and clover. Look for pretty or interesting weeds. Pick a few flowers from a blooming tree at a local park. Get tiny branches from a pine tree. Pick prairie grasses from a field. Break off a few leaves from a tree or bush. Take note of what is around you, and you’re sure to see some things you can use. And if all else fails, buy a cheap bouquet of wildflowers at the grocery store.
When gathering flowers and foliage, keep in mind that thinner flowers and foliage are best. They press better and dry faster, which means they keep more of their color. Look for flowers that will still resemble an open flower when flattened, and don’t pass over tiny flowers. I found that I used more of the smallest flowers I had when making embellishments.
All you really need in order to press flowers is a heavy book, such as a large phone book or dictionary. Sandwich the flowers between paper towels or flattened coffee filters and put them inside the book. Then stack more books and other heavy items on top of it (about 15-20 lbs. worth). It will take two to three weeks for most flowers and foliage to fully dry.
More Tips and Techniques for Pressing and Drying Flowers:
Save Your Summer Blooms - Pressing and Drying Flowers by the About Family Crafts Guide
Pressing Herbs and Flowers - From About Healthy Herbs Guide
Return to Beginning of Article - Pressed Flower Layout
