In the Midwest, summer is slipping from our fingers. Fall is pressing at our door, and with school just around the corner, we are soaking up all the summer we can before our vibrant greens turn to yellow, orange and red. Pressing flowers is a great way to save summer for cold winter evenings that just seem to drag on and on and on... Here's how to keep your favorite summer blooms all year long.
step 1 // collect your blooms
Whether from your garden or a beautiful bouquet, make sure you pluck flowers that are bright, healthy and not too thin. This way, when the flowers are dry, they retain their color and are less likely to become brittle. Be sure to collect a variety of flowers in different forms-- some with stems, some with leaves, or maybe just some petals. This way, you are sure to have a variety of blooms to work with.
step 2 // dry your florals
book pressing
Probably the most common way to dry flowers, book pressing is easy, accessible, and fool proof. However, book pressing is nowhere near time effective. Simply find a heavy book or two, such as an encyclopedia or textbook. Lay your flowers on a piece of parchment paper, then add another sheet of parchment on top. Lay your parchment-flower sandwich within the last few pages of the book, then wait patiently for at least one month to ensure dry, stiff flowers.
microwave pressing
Much less well known than book pressing, microwave pressing allows for a quick fix with just as stiff and dry blooms. Tear two pieces of paper towel and place under a piece of printer paper, laid horizontally. Next, find a microwave safe bowl, plate or cup with a completely flat bottom (note: the larger the bottom, the more flowers you can press at once). Trace the bowl, plate or cup onto one side of the printer paper and place the flowers within the lines. Fold over the printer paper and paper towel and place the bowl, plate or cup on top of the flowers. Put entire contraption into the microwave and "cook" for 1 minute. The result is flowers that seemed to have been pressed for months!
hung to dry
Hanging flowers is a way to enjoy the process of drying from start of finish. Simply collect the flowers-- stems intact-- and create a small bouquet. Tie the bouquet in place with ribbon or twine, then hang from a shelf. ceiling or wall until blooms are dry and stiff.
iron pressing
Much like in microwave pressing, place flowers on one half of a sheet of printer or parchment paper. Fold the empty side over the flowers and press a heated iron over the top for about 45 seconds. Check the stiffness and dryness of the flowers, and iron more if needed. Iron pressing is a great way to creat booms seem to have been drying for months.
step 3 // craft your florals
Pressed flowers are a great way to capture summer's glow to keep all year long. Here are some ways I used the flowers that I had pressed:
Arranging your flowers in a glass frame allows for you to keep them seen and safe all at once. I chose to arrange my in a circle, but scattered looks, monograms and other designs are pretty and popular as well. Use double sided tape to keep your flowers in place when arranging your masterpiece.
Adding flowers to pretty much anything gives it a more whimsical, summertime look. I used modge podge to glue these pressed beauties to one of my favorite candles. Simply use a paintbrush and apply a layer of glue where you plan to add the flower. Then, place the bloom over the top of the modge podge. Next, apply a generous coat over the top (don't worry... modge podge dries completely clear!).
Using pressed blooms to decorate your phone case is such a fun way to keep summer all year round. Here, we used different hydrangea flowers to carry out a consistent looks.
Using modge podge, I added these pressed booms to a bullet journal spread and I absolutely adore the outcome! To keep these flowers safe within your pages, use a paintbrush to apply a layer of modge podge where you wish to put your florals. Next, place the bloom over the top of the modge podge. Once flowers are in place, apply another thick coat of modge podge over the top.
I've been wanting a delicate piece of car decor to hang on my rear view mirror for quite a while, so when I made this beauty... well, I knew I'd struck gold. I simply applied my pressed flowers to brown gift tags with an under coat and generous overcoat of modge podge. Then, placed two of the tags back to back and tied them together with a pale green piece of embroidery floss long enough to slip over my mirror. Cute and petite, these pressed flower tags will surely be in my car for a very long time.
I loved the look of the tags from above so much that I decided to try them out on a purse too! Using the same techniques, I crafted one more tag and attached it to a metal ring on the bag.
Pressing flowers has been one of my favorite ways to close the pages of summer since the years of my childhood. Whether with an old-fashioned book or in the microwave, pressing flowers allows us to keep summer's gleam and glory even in the dead dread of winter. With my three step process, you too can save this summer for months and years to come.