history
People have been drying and preserving flowers since ancient times. The Egyptians made fragrance from them and placed dried flowers in tombs. During the Middle Ages dried flowers were used as medicines and to mask bad odours. The Victorians created pictures from them, as did the Japanese. Dried flower pictures are still a recognised art form in Japan.
Picking and gathering
Picking and pressing flowers is a way to preserve them without chemicals. Pick the flowers mid morning when they are dry and open. Have what you need to press the flowers ready as you want to capture the bloom at its best.
Although perfect flowers are very pretty sometimes imperfections add interest. I like to add some foliage, too.
A hat full of late winter blooms picked on a warm day.
pressing the flowers
All you need is a flower press or some heavy books, scissors or garden shears, paper and the flowers.
I used lithograph paper as modern inks on newspapers can seep through and stain the flowers as they are drying. The imprint on paper towel can also transfer to the petals when it is under pressure.
Arrange the flowers on the paper. Trim to suit how you intend using the dried flowers.
Place another three or four layers of paper over the flowers being careful not to disturb your arrangement.
Place the top on the press and screw down as hard as possible or place the flowers within paper under some heavy books or actually within the books.
I have always left the flowers for about three weeks to dry. Some people leave them for less time but three weeks has always worked for me.
Remove the top of the press and the top layer of paper. The flowers will be fragile, especially the petals, so handle carefully.
using dried flowers
The flowers I dried have short stems as I knew I was going to make gift tags and cards from them. Firstly, I made gift tags. For this gift I made a box covered in photocopied musical scores because it was meaningful to the recipient. Then I made the gift tag.
I cut the luggage tags from water colour paper as I wanted the texture and whiteness. You can cut your own tags from any paper you like or buy tags.
I use a UHU Glue Stick to secure the flowers to the tag. Traditionally the flowers were secured with paper or tape tabs but I prefer using glue. Apply it carefully to the raised surfaces on the back of the flower, then the petals and then position it on the card or tag and weight it down for a few minutes while it dries. Use a punch to create a hole for the tie or ribbon, add a ring reinforcement sticker, write a message and it’s done.
The cards are made from some strips of water colour paper (300gm cold press) I had left over from another project. I like the texture and its whiteness. I write inside the card but you could add an insert of plain paper glued to the fold. Just cut it slightly smaller than the card, run UHU stick along the fold then press in into the fold of the card. Add your message.
Today, October 14th, is World Standards Day. It is observed globally to create awareness about the importance of standardization to the global economy among the consumers,regulators and industry. The theme for this year’s World Standards Day is ‘ Standards for sustainable development goals , a shared vision for a better world’.