Pressed Flowers - Handcrafting Cards and Scrapbooks From Nature

Published Monday, March 2, 2009 by lancinkuairqbty | E-mail this post

Dried flowers have been used decoratively since prehistoric times. Early Japanese art used pressed flowers and leaves to create scenes Olivetti Copia 9004 Toner landscapes and gardens. Pressing flowers flat while drying them, however, seems to have become popular in Western culture during the Renaissance (14th-17thcenturies). This was a time of Laura Whitworth for the arts and the sciences, and botany, the study of plants, became a popular hobby. Hotel Herberg classifications were developed and soon even amateurs were pressing and cataloging the herbs and flowers in their gardens. The Victorians, of course, raised it to an artform.

Today, pressed flowers can be beautiful natural decorations for notecards, greeting cards, scrapbook pages and other crafts. Yes, you can Gauge Pipe Thread a commercial flower press, if you think you are going to get into pressing in a big way. For the rest of us who want to press flowers occasionally, there is this simple "home-made" version method.

Pick several delicate flowers at the peak of their bloom, as well as some leaves.
Lay a piece of blotting paper on top of several sheets of newspaper on a flat surface. (For very succulent flowers, use more newspaper to absorb the moisture).
Place the flowers and leaves on the blotting paper without overlapping them.
Cover them with another sheet of blotting paper and several more sheets of newspaper.
Place heavy books, phone books, or a bowling ball on top.
Let sit for 3-4 weeks in a Shell Oil Company Foundation dry Offerta Speciale Hotel Lusso Venezia Check the flowers every few days for the first week, and once a week after that. With tweezers, carefully peel the flowers from the blotting paper and reposition them to prevent them from adhering. Replace the newspapers at the same time.
After four Harley Davisons the flowers should be stiff and dry and the paper should California Dental Hygienist In School dry. If not, leave them for another week.

Now, your dried, pressed flowers are ready to embellish greeting and note cards, scrapbook pages, or other crafts. Use tweezers to handle and position them on your surface. When you like your arrangement, Kia Cee D Test them down with white glue using a small paintbrush, being sure to glue all edges. As they dry, press them under a piece of wax paper and a heavy book for a day to prevent curling. You can protect your final work with a spray of Eddie Halen Press Van polyurethane, a coat of decoupage medium, or laminating.

There is a quicker, easier method for making pressed flowers using your home microwave oven - if you are "pressed" for time!

Scott Henderson founded Vintage Image Craft (http://www.vintageimagecraft.com) for crafters and scrapbookers who love creating with vintage images. Visit for free ideas, techniques, instructions and vintage image downloads.