How to Press Flowers

Preserve the beauty of flowers rather than letting them wither.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Blotting Notebook Papers
• Phone Books
• Phone Books
• Flower Presses
• Fresh Flowers
• Fresh Plant Materials
• Eyebrow Tweezers
• Old Newspapers
• Paper Glues

1. Select flowers, grass, moss and a background material such as construction paper or tracing paper.

2. 

   Gently squeeze the center of the flowers with your index finger and thumb to flatten. Thin out mosses and grasses.

3. 

   Use tweezers to arrange the plant material into the desired design. Try to use plant material of the same thickness to avoid uneven pressure.

4. 

   Glue the plants to the background material.

5. 

   Place arrangement between blotting paper.

6. 

   Place newspaper underneath and on top of blotting paper.

7. 

   Place flat, heavy objects such as phone books on top of newspaper.

8. Let sit for two weeks.

on 11/22/2005 The best thing to use is a dictionary, not a phone book. Phone books pages do not dry nicely. The color will keep nicer if you dry in a cold and not wet place.

on 11/22/2005 Try smaller and thinner flowers. They're much easier to press and take less time.