Pressed flower projects
I’ve just been putting together a greetings card as a pressed flower project for the Herb Society magazine, and it made me think about all the great ideas out there at the moment.
A pressed flower book to inspire
My favourite pressed flowers book is L’herbier du jardin by Jean-Luc Breuvart (it’s in French, but it’s mostly pictures, and Google Translate is a wonderful thing). This author has a career in architecture behind him, but has taken his interest in pressing flowers and using them in art to another level. As well as his infectious enthusiasm, he provides a range of handy tips for drying different specimens, including the judicious use of a scalpel and paintbrush.
Search Pinterest for Oshibana ideas
Pressed flower art was very popular in Victorian times in the UK and is now experiencing a revival. It is popular around the World to varying extents, and has been practiced in Japan for centuries where it is known as Oshibana. Search on Pinterest.com for Oshibana, and a wealth of pressed flowers inspiration is waiting:
Resin jewellery with pressed flowers
Simply buy a kit and follow the instructions to mix two clear liquids which can be poured into a mold and set solid. Just add pressed flowers to preserve your garden memories year-round. Search Etsy.com for some inspiring handmade resin jewelry:
Pressed flower phone cases
There are plenty of online tutorials for DIY mobile cases for pressed flowers. But do be aware that many are by amateurs who may not fully grasp the full concept of drying the flowers first. One video I watched was by a girl who was taking fresh chrysanthemums and covering them with glue – a phone cover made this way will only last a matter of a couple of days before the petals start turning brown. A second young lady pressed flowers overnight, which is an improvement, but for a really dry and long-lasting decoration, I recommend pressing for at least a week. Once you have pressed the flowers, use PVA glue to seal into a clear phone case as described on YouTube.com
Floral nail art inspiration
Use the tiniest pressed flowers you can find to decorate your nails. Varnish your nails, position a tiny pressed flower such as a single forget-me not, then finish with a clear top coat. There are many pressed flower kits now available for this purpose, mainly imported from China, but some of the dyed flowers included can be a bit gaudy! I searched Google shopping:
[These are not sponsored links – just easy places to find pressed flower ideas!]
More useful links
Find out more about the Herb Society.
From elsewhere in this blog: Pressed flower pictures are very simple to make and are a great way of celebrating your favourite garden plant. Here are some more of my blog posts about pressed flowers.