A Guide to Flower Pressing

One thing you've probably noticed about Whim by now is that we love decorating webtorials, digital issues and just about anything else we can think of with pressed flowers! I loved pressing flowers from my garden as a young girl, and after recently finding a beautiful flower press in a charity shop for just a few dollars, I have started this little love of mine back up again. In this post I've included what you will need to begin pressing flowers, as well as the best ways in which to press flowers so that they can look as lovely as the ones pictured.

Materials and Method:

A proper flower press (usually designed as two pieces of wood with thick cardboard sections in between and bolts that you can tighten or loosen) is recommended, although if you do not own one of these then there are definitely ways that you can still press flowers at home! Before I purchased my flower press I would place the flowers between sheets of baking paper / wax paper and then flatten them between the pages of a thick and heavy book (such as a phone directory or encyclopaedia). I would then stack a few more heavy books on top and leave for about 2 weeks before collecting my flowers. With the flower presses, they already come with sheets of cardboard and usually a form of wax paper, so all you would need to do is arrange your flowers in the press, place the wooden top back on and screw down the bolts again to tighten. Again, 2 weeks is an optimal time frame in which to leave your flowers in the press.

The Best Flowers and Leaves to Press:

Don't forget, although named 'flower pressing', you can also use the above methods to press leaves, creating stunning results (such as in the image below!). Craft queen Martha Stewart recommends the following flowers, explaining: "Flat or fine blossoms and leaves, such as pansies, violas, verbena, Queen Anne's lace, and many ferns and herbs, press especially well. Pressed botanicals tend to fade over time, so blooms with more intense colors offer the best results." 

A Thousand and One Uses:

The wonderful thing about pressing flowers and leaves is that you can do so many things with them. Here is just a very small selection of recommended projects: cards, bookmarks, framed prints, decorating boxes, using in jewellery, decorating your snail mail, using in clear plastic phone cases (and so, so much more).

Do you have any tips and tricks for flower pressing? What are your favourite flowers to press or projects to make? We'd love to hear, so please share your comment in the section below!

- Melanie (Editor / Founder)

*Photo credits (in order of appearance): jessicakelly, Tolka Rover, Andy Ciordia, Gemma Garner and karen