A little while ago I wrote a piece on pressing flowers, well now it's time to unleash those bad boys and bask in their floral glory! if you haven't any pressed, here's my simple guide to pressing flowers. Once you have your flowers pressed all we need to do is pop them into a glass frame. The following projects can take 5 minutes, or 40 minutes, depending on how complex you want to make it. You'll end up with a beautiful piece of art that takes no time at all, but looks like it does! Wildflower frames makes beautiful gifts, and it's a lovely way of displaying wedding flowers after the the big day ... it's also a great project to do with kiddies, since there really is nothing to it.
Easy Pressed flower project
This is the easiest of project. Press a Hydrangea petal for a few weeks until dry, then pop it in a tiny glass frame ... or display a simple stem in a postcard-sized frame
Time taken: 5 mins.
Pressed wildflowers in frame project
You will need:
Selection of pressed and dried wildflowers
PVA glue (I use Modge podge for craft projects like this.)
Time takes: 40 minutes.
Step 1
Clean your glass frame well and make sure it's completely dry. Attach a ribbon that will compliment the colour of your flowers.
Step 2
The fun bit! Put your glass frame to one side, and lay your flowers out on a piece of paper or board -then start to have a play around (carefully - they're really delicate!)
Step 3
There is no right way when it comes to your design - you can either go simplistic - arranging them in a straight line, or you can opt for a more natural approach. If you want a natural-looking design try arranging them how you might see them in the wild - ie group some of the same flowers together (groups of 3 work well) and overlap them ... above all just have fun and see where it takes you!
Step 4
Once you have a layout you're happy with, you can start to transfer them onto the glass. Apply a tiny dot of glue to the back of the flower (I used a chopstick) and begin layering up the flowers.
Start with the biggest flowers first ... ago from there.
Step 5
One they're all in very carefully remove any bits of dust / dirt and leave to dry. When dry close your frame, pop it up on the wall, make a cuppa and enjoy your handiwork while eating a giant wedge of cake! Ta da!!
Further reading: How to press flowers
JM x
Love these! So pretty...
ReplyDeleteGorgeous, I will go a'hunting for flowers this weekend!
ReplyDeletewhat type of flowers did you use? I love it!!
ReplyDeleteI used a couple of Aquilegia (the dark red one, common names: Granny's Bonnet or Columbine) from the garden, a pansy (lilac one) and the cow parsley and summer grasses I picked on our dog walk, all in bloom in most hedgerows come june / July I think. Glad you like it :-)
DeleteI remember my granddad giving me a flower press when I was a kid. This post certainly brings back memories, I miss them days. Thanks http://www.bevs-boutique.com
ReplyDeleteYour choice of wildflowers is sweet and the project lovely. I live in the US, and don't have time enough ahead to send for the Kiko frame. Is there something similar you could recommend that I could look for here? I have something delicate to frame and not a lot of time to do it in! TIA for your help.
ReplyDeleteMmm Anne that's a tricky one. Off the top of my head you could use a regular photo frame with a nice pastel coloured piece of card for the backing? Mmm I wonder ... what if you bought 2 photo frames that were exactly the same, and you took the glass from one to use with the other - this creating your own kiko frame. Could that work I wonder? Failing that you could use them in another project. Did you see my pressed flower hydrangea lampshade? You could do something similar but something smaller perhaps? Hope that helps. Let me know how you get on :-)
DeleteSo excited to make my own pressed flower frame! Could I use my hot glue gun, or would that damage the flowers?
ReplyDeleteHi Emma, If used on the petals it probably would but I if you used it delicately on the stems it should be OK I imagine, you'll just have to try. Good luck!
DeleteGreat project ,I was wondering for how long the flowers last, thank you
ReplyDeleteAs long as they're completely dry and airtight they should last years, although the colour may fade slightly, especially in the lighter colours, but they still look beautiful.
DeleteI can't seem to find a kiko frame larger than an 8x10. Do you have recommendations on where to purchase? Also, any suggestions on how to press the flowers? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I've no suggestions on where to purchase frames but I did write a post on pressing flowers :-0 ... http://www.ahandmadecottage.com/2014/06/how-to-press-flowers-using-books-or.html
ReplyDelete