Using Pressed Flowers In Frames
Working in your gardens all summer long you most likely have a wonderful collection of flowers that you can dry and display in your home. You could also press these flowers to make beautiful craft displays. One easy craft display that will brighten your home is using pressed flowers in frames and hanging them as pictures. You can use any type of frame that you want. If you know what type of flowers you are going to use, you can match the frames to their colors.

Posted Tuesday, April 11, 2006

For example, a nice dark green or black frame would look great with pressed ferns or leaves. Some people like to use a dark red frame with their lightest pink flowers, the choice is yours but it is important to realize that there are no right or wrong color mixtures, it's really a matter of personal taste!

The key to successfully pressing flowers is to let them dry a little beforehand. While it is important to pick flowers while they are damp, letting them dry for a few hours before putting them between books or in your flower press is going to be best. Flowers that are damp and wet will mold and can turn black.

It is possible to create 3D effect pictures by not pressing the flower so flat, or, for smaller head flowers, you can turn the bloom to the side and then let the flower dry. As you are creating a 3D effect for pictures, you may find it is a bit more difficult to find frames. In this case you can make your own, or you find one from a craft store. The frames are going to be more like a box with a glass lid than a flat photo frame. For either type of pressed flowers in a frame, you will need some type of glue to hold the flower in place. A hot glue gun application is one of the best because the glue dries clear. If you are going to use super glue or a similar type adhesive you have to be careful so that the glue doesn't eat through the plastic and melt your frame, flower, or backing.

You can create mixtures of flowers, frames and colors for any wall in your home. You can create displays that are just for the kitchen using herbs or for the bath using soft colors. Your creative flair with flowers and gardening will over flow in your home. As you become well versed in making pressed flower displays, you can create displays and give them as gifts for special holidays or birthdays!