How to Press Flowers
Memories play a very strange role in our life. They make us smile when we remember sad days and make us cry when we remember the days we enjoyed. Sweet memories are worth storing and this is the reason why many people keep even the smallest things of their loved ones to remember their sweet memories. I too have a pressed rose given by my friends on my 14th birthday. At that time my sister guided me about how to press flowers and store them for a long time. Today, because of her I have this sweet memory still alive in my diary.
How to Press Flowers at Home
There are a number of methods which help you to press flowers and keep their color and scent alive. In this article we are going to discuss two method that are very easy to implement. They are the traditional method and the microwave method. Where the microwave method may give you a ready specimen in just few weeks, the traditional method may take a long time to get to the desired state, but is worth waiting. So let's start with the different methods of pressing flowers.
Traditional Way of Pressing Flowers
Things Required
- Old newspapers
- Flowers
- Phone book or any heavy note book.
- Bloating notebook papers
- Paper Glue
As soon as you get all the required things, you just need to get down to work. Take a sheet of an old newspaper and put bloating paper on it. Now take the flower and the moss and decide in which form you want the specimen. Gently press the flower from the center with the help of your index finger and thumb. Now place the flower on the bloating paper. You can also press flowers in wax paper as a substitute for bloating paper. Place all the other thing like moss or any other decorative materials and distribute it evenly to have a perfect dried flower arrangement. Maintain a proper thickness as uneven thickness may not result in a complete press. Now glue the flower and the rest of the things. Well, gluing is optional hence if you do not want to glue the flower then you can skip this step. Now place another bloating paper over the flower and place the sheet of newspaper. Now place this arrangement inside the phone book or any heavy book. Place more books over the book which has specimen. Now view the specimen after 3 - 4 weeks.
Microwave Method of Pressing Flower
Things Required
- 2 pieces of hardboard (20cm x 20cm)
- 6 rubber bands 6mm wide
- 6 piece of bloating paper (20cm x 20cm)
- Microwave
Collect all the required material for this method. Lay a piece of hardboard of the mentioned size and put three bloating papers over the cardboard. Place the flowers and the other decorating things on the bloating paper. Now cover the flower with three bloating papers and then cover it with other piece of hardboard. Fasten it with the help of rubber bands properly. Now place this package inside the microwave on medium settings. Keep it for few minutes and then take it out of the microwave. Let is cool for sometime and then open it up to see the result. If the specimen is not in your desired state then again put the package inside the microwave for few more minutes. Repeat the process till you get the desired form of specimen. This method is very useful as the specimen retains it original color and scent more than the specimen you get in the traditional method. It is nowadays used by professionals for drying flowers.
You can easily keep your sweet memories alive just like me by following the above steps. In case of the microwave method, you will get the idea of proper setting and correct temperature as you get the hang of it. You can also implement these methods in your art and craft projects. I hope this information helped you to get your desired sample.
