"Flowers are like friends; they bring color to your world." Anonymous
As flower lovers at Page Petal, we find that the more we surround ourselves with blooms - the happier we feel. But we know it can be a hassle buying new flowers and replacing them every few weeks (or even days). One of our favorite ways to keep our flowers for longer and preserve the memories they hold is by turning them into pressed, dried flowers.
Making pressed flower petals is a beautiful way to save flowers from your wedding day or another special occasion, or if you simply want to enjoy your favorite seasonal blooms all year round. Read on for step-by-step instructions to press your flowers and preserve them for years to come. The more blooms, the better!
(PS, if you’d rather skip the DIY and get straight to the pretty dried flowers part, we’re here for you with our handmade pressed flower bookmarks named after literary characters.) 🌸🌼
What You’ll Need To Make Dried & Pressed Flowers:
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Fresh flowers
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A flower press kit (or a few books!)
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Scissors
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Paper (printer paper, cardboard, flat coffee filters, newspaper, etc.)
Instructions: DIY Pressed Flowers with Books or Flower Press Kit
Note: There are other ways to press flowers - such as with an iron or a microwave - but as bookworms ourselves we prefer books or our handy flower press kit.
Step 1: Cut flower petals and lay them on paper
After you’ve collected all your supplies (see above) and picked your favorite flowers to press, it’s time to cut the petals.
With scissors, delicately cut the petals you’d like to press and lay them on paper. You can use printer paper or flat cardboard, but we recommend avoiding paper towels or anything with texture that could get imprinted on your petals.
Step 2: Fill the page with flower petals and then put paper on top
Once you have your petals on a piece of paper, you’ll need to enclose them with an additional sheet. Again, one without any texture that would leave marks on your petals.
Pro tip: give your petals a little breathing room from each other. Avoid overlapping them or it can cause issues with the press.
Step 3: Close up the press (or book) and apply weight (stack books on top)
This is where the process can get a little finicky! Be mindful when closing your book / press to keep the petals in place, as they tend to move around since they’re so light and delicate. Then, apply weight.
If you’re going the book route, stack some additional books on top to give the petals extra pressure.
Step 4: Let the petals dry & press for one week
Woo hoo - You’ve made it to step four, now it’s the hard part… waiting! You’ll have to wait at least a week for the petals to become dried flowers.
We recommend checking on the petals after a week or so. If they still feel wet, swap out the paper and press them again for another week or so until the petals feel completely dry.
Step 5: Seal with your choice of paper
Your flowers are dried, but now what? So many options! You can seal them with your choice of paper and turn them into pressed flower art, DIY bookmarks (like us!), candles, or so many more flower crafts that make for the best unique and handmade gifts for flower lovers.
We hope this tutorial helps you press your own flowers. Let us know what you end up making with your flowers - we'd love to hear!