Flowers: Pressed and Framed

Nice to be with you today!

I love flowers! They have always been a muse for my work. From card making, wreath assembly, floral arranging, embroidery, block printing, and gift wrapping, there's usually some kind of floral element present. 

That is why when the springtime months come around, I'm out in the park gathering fresh flowers. One of my favorites is this fragrant lilac bush.

I keep them in a plastic container to maintain their shape until I get home.

Then I position them between sheets of scrap paper and cardboard then place them in a flower press (an old book works just as well but you may need to weigh this down with a heavier book).

After two weeks, I check on my flowers to see if all moisture has evaporated... 

...and that they are flat.

There are certainly many applications for these pressed flowers like cards and jewelry. Today, I am going to frame them. I want to use the different flowers that I collected.

Lay them out on dark colored paper and once satisfied, apply a small amount of acid-free glue at the back of each flower with a small paintbrush.  Lightly press the flowers onto the paper.

Allow the glue to dry for several hours.

Then I put this in an old frame...TADA! This is a nice way to remember a season that has passed.  It also makes a beautiful gift allowing these pressed flowers to last for years to come.

Instead of just letting the flowers wither, I turned them from "blah to TADA!" 

If you would like new crafty ideas delivered to your inbox, please subscribe here.