How to Make Flower Memory Beads
Flowers are used to commemorate life's most significant moments, including births, graduations, weddings and deaths. They are also given as tokens of love and symbols of romance, as well as of sympathy and friendship. For these reasons, we associate flowers with meaningful memories. Unfortunately, however, fresh flowers have short lives, and they wilt and die eventually. But there is a way to preserve fresh flowers along with the memories connected to them---by making flower memory beads. Hard, dry beads made from the pulverized petals of fresh flowers make wonderful keepsakes. Follow these steps to make flower memory beads. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Flower petals
- Sauce pan
- Stovetop
- Water
- Paper towels
- Large-eyed needle
- String
- Wire (optional)
Instructions
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Making Flower Memory Beads
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1
Gather several flowers before they have turned brown or dry. Pull the petals from the flowers.
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2
Slice up the flower petals with a knife or a food processor until they are chopped into bits about half the size of rice grains.
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3
Put the flower petals in a saucepan. Cover the petals with water.
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4
Heat the water and petals for an hour. Simmer the petals over low heat; do not allow them to boil. Add water as needed to prevent the petals from drying out while they simmer.
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5
Let the petals sit in the pot for one hour after simmering. Simmer them again for another hour. Repeat this one more time, so you have simmered the petals and allowed them to sit a total of three times. Continue to add enough water to prevent the petal pulp from drying out.
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6
Shape the flower pulp into beads with your fingers. Create beads of any shape and size you desire. Remember that the beads will contract to about half of their original size as they dry.
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7
Spread the beads on paper towels. Allow them to dry for about one day; give them more or less time to dry according to the humidity of your environment. Wait until the beads are partially, but not completely dry, before you string them. Make sure the beads are dry enough to be pierced without falling apart, but still wet enough to pierce.
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8
Push a long string through they eye of a needle. Make a knot at the end of the string. Push the needle through each bead. Slide each bead down onto the string. Repeat this action until all the beads have been strung.
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9
Let the beads dry for a few days. Rotate them frequently on the string while they are drying to prevent them from sticking to each other or the string.
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10
Remove your thoroughly dried beads from the string. Use them to make necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, or store them in a box of treasures.
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Tips & Warnings
Make flower memory beads with fragrant, red roses, which will result in wine-colored beads with a heavenly scent.
Dry the beads on string rather than regular sewing thread, because sewing thread will not create a large enough hole in the beads. You may dry the beads on wire instead of thread.
Exposing your finished flower memory beads to water may damage them.
