How to Make a Pressed Flower Keepsake From a Funeral
Family members, friends and acquaintances often send funeral flower arrangements to honor the deceased individual and offer sympathy. Types of arrangements include casket sprays, funeral wreaths, standing sprays, gravestone saddles and flower baskets. You can create a keepsake of a loved one's funeral by preserving a few of the flowers from these arrangements. Pressing the flowers is a simple way to save the blooms.
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Things You'll Need
- Phone book
- Cardboard
- Knife
- Newspapers
- Tissue paper
- Funeral flowers
- Tweezers
- Bricks or large books
- Wax paper
- Cookie sheet or cutting board
- Frame
- Acid-free cardstock
- Scissors
- Wood glue
- Toothpick
Instructions
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Place a phone book on a work surface. Cut two cardboard rectangles 1 inch smaller than the dimensions of the phone book. Set one cardboard rectangle on the work surface. Place two to three newspaper sheets on top of the cardboard. Lay one sheet of tissue paper on top of the newspaper.
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2
Select the flowers you want to preserve -- choosing among those without signs of limpness. Remove the stem completely from each flower, using a knife. Remove the calyx, or green base at the flower's back, from flowers such as roses and carnations. Remove the stamens from lilies.
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3
Place each flower faceup on the tissue paper. Space out the individual flowers so they do not touch each other. Arrange the petals of each flower gently with a pair of tweezers, spreading them to the desired shape.
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4
Place a piece of tissue paper on top of the flowers. Lay two to three sheets of newspaper on top of the tissue paper. Set the second cardboard rectangle on top of the newspaper.
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Open the phone book to the middle section. Slide the cardboard press inside the phone book, and close the book over it.
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Move the phone book to a well-ventilated, warm room. Place the book in an area where it can sit without being disturbed. Stack a few bricks or heavy books on top of it.
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Check the flowers in three to four days. Slide the cardboard press out of the phone book, and peel back the top layers gently to expose the flowers. Touch each flower carefully to check for dampness. Return the layers of the cardboard press, and place it back inside the phone book, if the flowers are still damp. Leave the press for another three to four days.
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Remove the flowers from the tissue paper in the press, once they are dry. Place a sheet of wax paper over a cookie sheet or cutting board. Slide the pointed end of a knife underneath the center of the pressed flower, gently lift it from the tissue paper and move it to the wax paper. Repeat with each flower.
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Choose a frame for displaying your pressed funeral flowers. Cut a piece of acid-free cardstock to the dimensions of the frame. Arrange the flowers on the center of the cardstock. Use a pair of tweezers to handle the flowers.
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10
Remove the flowers from the arrangement, beginning with those on the bottom layer. Dip a toothpick in wood glue, and apply small dots of it randomly on the back of the flower. Place the flower in the correct position on the card stock, and press down gently with the tweezers. Repeat this process with each flower. Let the arrangement set for 15 to 20 minutes, to allow the glue to dry.
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Place the cardstock in the frame, with the flower arrangement against the glass. Place the frame's backing into the frame, and secure in place.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not hang or display your pressed flower keepsake in direct sunlight. The sunlight will bleach the colors from the pressed flowers and cause them to disintegrate.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
