Cobrina I’ve always been curious about pressing flowers but didn’t know where to start. I love saving beautiful little bits of urban walks and nature hikes as mementos, but once they’re dry, what do you do with them? This month, I have a new class releasing called Make an Upcycled Flower Press and I’ve rounded up a few ideas to help put those pressed flowers to use.
MAKE YOUR FLOWER PRESS
In the class, I demonstrate how to upcycle an old damaged book, along with some cardboard, printer paper, and simple hardware, to make a functional flower press for practically no cost. But you can also just press some flowers in the pages of a heavy book.
CREATIVEBUG CLASS IDEAS FOR USING DRIED FLOWERS
Once your flowers are completely dry, after about a month, it is such a delight to open the press to discover all your treasures! As for what to do with them after that, Creativebug has lots of fun classes to play with your pressed flowers and leaves:
Make Luminaria Candle Shades with Kelly Wilkinson
Explorations in Encaustic with Lisa Solomon, Day 13
Make Resin Paperweights with Twinkie Chan
Thread Painting: Embroider with Pressed Flowers with Anna Hultin
So many fun ideas! And there are even more! In my Make Beeswax Celebration Candles class you can make the poured candle using a similar method of tacking flowers to the sides of the glass before pouring the wax. And in Handmade Candles: Two Ways with Arina Soler, she is using fresh flowers but dried could certainly be swapped in. These candles gave me and idea:
MAKE A PRESSED FLOWER CANDLE
Covering a candle in pressed flowers allows us to display their soft colors and delicate shapes with gentle illumination. I went through my press and pulled out specimens that preserved well with thin-petals. Thick flowers, leaves, and other plant material may not adhere as well and could pose a safety risk when burned. Aim to use a mix of colors, flower types and sizes, and greenery.
You will need:
- pressed flowers (the thinner, the easier)
- pillar candles, or taper candles
- tea light candle or other source of matching color wax (I recommend beeswax for its color and clarity but other waxes works perfectly fine)
- small, flat paintbrush, ideally with firm bristles – note: wax does not wash out
- tweezers, optional but helpful
1. Light your tea light candle and let it burn until you have at least a small pool of melted wax. If you prefer to use pellets, I like to melt them in a can in a hot water bath. Check out my candle class for more on that.
2. Choose your pressed flower, using tweezers if necessary, and position it on the candle. Hold it there with your thumb while you ready your brush.
3. Avoiding contact with the flame, dip your brush into the melted wax. Then run it in short, smooth, outward stokes to secure the flower. Work quickly, only adding thin coats, to prevent the wax from looking lumpy. I never really do more than two strokes before re-dipping my brush.
4. Some thicker specimens, such as leaves or stems, may require adding a little wax under it and/or holding the waxed edge down until it’s firm.
Note: You may need to peel the built up wax off the ferule of your brush periodically. You can just add it back to the melted wax pool. Also, as you pause, your brush will cool and stiffen–return it to the hot wax, still avoiding the flame, and the bristles should soften quickly.
5. Keep adding pressed botanicals until you are happy with your design!
Safety note: Never leave candles unattended. Make sure to extinguish the candle completely before leaving the room or going to bed.
