What Flowers to Press

• Flat flowers are best for pressing.

Good Flowers

Violets

They retain a nice deep blue color after pressing.

The color only lasts for a couple of months before fading.

Coreopsis

They retain their original yellow color after pressing.

Bad Flowers

Irises

The flowers hold too much moisture causing mold growth.

When devoid of moisture, they become fragile and brittle.

How to Press Flowers

1. Pick flowers when they are dry.
   • Wet flowers will likely develop mold.
2. Press the flowers in a hard cover book.
   1. Set two paper towels on either side of a set of pages.
   2. Lay the flowers on top of one of the paper towels.
      • Can leave the stems on or pluck them off
      • Can pull the flower petals or press them individually or do them whole.
   3. Carefully close the book.
3. Lay a heavy weight (at least 20 lbs) on top of the book.
4. After 1 week, carefully open the book and remove the paper towels.
   • Leave the flowers in the book, now pressed against the pages.
   • Doing this will help prevent mold growth.
5. After 3-4 more weeks, the flowers should be dry enough to use.

How to Glue Flowers

1. Apply a thin layer of glue to the surface you're glueing your flowers to.
2. Use tweezers to gently lay the flowers on top of the glue and press down.
3. Wait for the first application to completely dry. About 24 hours.
4. Optionally, apply a second layer of glue over the flowers to seal.
5. Optionally, use blotting paper to cover the glued flowers until dry.