For larger bulbs or spherical flowers like peonies or ranunculus, you may have better luck preserving the whole flower. While using a bulky book has been known to do the trick, there’s something special about working with flower press kits — not to mention they’re far more effective than any other DIY alternative. I have all kinds of flowers planted in my garden and I can’t wait to try it so I can use it in my candles. However, it’s an excellent kit to keep children entertained while stimulating their imagination — and on a budget.

COST-EFFECTIVE PACKAGE — Containing drying plates, absorbent papers, art knife, hammer-shears, tweezers and an instruction, all tools for pressing and drying plants are included. The same goes for greenery, some greenery, like myrtle and the leaves I pulled from rose stems, held their color, but leaves like eucalyptus turned more olive. If you’re pressing flowers from a bouquet, it’s best to start as soon as possible; don’t wait until the day before you’ll have to throw the arrangement out.Experiment with pressing techniques to discover which one works best for you and the flowers you choose. Flower press kits for kids will sometimes include tape, just to help keep the paper in place, so their careful arrangements stick. With the strap method, a pair of nylon or cloth straps are wrapped around the press and manually tightened with a hook-and-loop buckle. Like tape, this is particularly common in kid-friendly flower press kits, to help them out a bit (as they are generally somewhat clumsier).

This press also makes for an appealing decorative piece, definitely beating your typical DIY book-pile press! Tip: Always cut stems at an angle and place flowers in a vase with flower food to maintain freshness.A modern-day approach to flower presses is a microwaveable type that delivers almost instantly pressed flowers. Each season opens up the opportunity to preserve new flowers in a range of colors: Bluebonnets and tiny pink redbuds in the spring.

I always open my Microfleur in between bursts and let the inner linings cool a bit before microwaving again. You can make minor adjustments to the flower while it is still soft, such as flattening petals or moving stamens. A classic flower press is designed to press flowers overnight, though some flowers may take a few weeks to dry out completely based on their moisture content and size. I’m not expecting the flowers to last for 80 years, but maybe just an extra little durability boost.

The best kits include the most important flower pressing supplies, and even some accessories to get you started making pressed flower artwork. In upcoming posts, I’ll share some fun ideas for using dried flowers in everything from jewelry to shadow boxes. Decorate your scrapbooks, photo albums and journals by sealing your flowers onto each page with resin.

I haven’t thought of pressing flowers since I was in elementary school and did the “books and bricks” kind of pressing. However, it’s a good one to have if you need pressed flowers ASAP and don’t have another microwave option. For a traditional pressing method, you can press flowers between the pages of a book, a photo album with acid-free paper sheets or a flower press.Go with greenery:If you or the recipient prefer decorating with neutrals, perhaps you’d prefer sticking to just the greenery from your bouquet! Was thinking glue gun so it would be transparent but maybe the heat would ruin the delicate flowers?