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DIY Flower Press: Make Pressed Flowers for Art Projects!

Filed Under: Gardening, Kids Crafts Tagged With:

Preserve spring flower blossoms with this simple DIY flower press! Press flowers for wall art, jewelry, or to decorate candles!  This post has been sponsored by TreeTop.

We had many plants come back from last year’s garden so I didn’t need to plant much this year. Our artichoke plant is as big as ever, tomato plants came back, zucchini reseeded itself and even a few sunflowers! I decided to give the rest of the garden to the girls…for FLOWERS!

garden
They had so much fun choosing which flowers would go into their garden. Kaylee already had poppies that we planted a couple of years ago and decided to add some pink blooms to the mix.

flower garden
They dug their own hole and carefully planted their beautiful flowers. Then they sprinkled a packet of wildflower seeds around and gave them a good watering.

DIY Flower Press
After the flowers were established and growing I told the girls that they could trim a few buds off and make a pretty picture to hang in the house. They were totally on board!

flower press
We decided to make our own flower press and it was so easy to do.

DIY Flower Press

Supplies: 2 pieces of 12×12″ plywood, two pieces of cardboard, and some copy paper.

Steps to Assemble Your DIY Flower Press

  1. Place one piece of plywood down.
  2. Place one piece of cardboard on top and then one piece of copy paper.
  3. Arrange your flowers and petals on the copy paper, making sure they do not touch each other.
  4. Add the second piece of copy paper, followed by the second piece of cardboard, and finally the plywood.

easy flower press
Use clamps to add pressure and keep it nice and flat and set aside for 2 weeks. That’s the hardest part, the waiting!

press
The girls were so excited to see their pressed flower creations. Aren’t they beautiful?

flat flowers
There are many uses for pressed flowers such as card making, decorating candles, or even making resin jewelry, but we kept it nice and simple with a canvas arrangement.

flower canvas
Kaylee brushed a mixture of white glue and water onto the canvas and then they took turns placing their favorite flowers on it, carefully pressing down to make sure that each flower got good coverage.

flat flower canvas
Once it was dry, we have it a quick spray of clear spray paint to help preserve the colors and it was ready to hang. We still have plenty of flowers in their flower garden to last all summer and fall, but when they are gone they will still have these pretty blooms indoors!

What flowers work best in a DIY flower press?

You can press any flower, but flowers like poppies, violets, or daisies that are flat work better.

How long do pressed flowers last?

Ours have lasted on this canvas for a few years, but the colors faded after about 4 months. They were still beautiful though!

How can you preserve other flowers that can’t be pressed?

You can preserve large bud flowers like roses by removing the leaves, tying the ends together, and hanging them upside down.

Is there a fast way to press flowers?

You can iron them! Here is a simple pressed flower tutorial from Better Homes and Gardens

This post was originally published in the spring of 2014.

Here are 5 more gardening projects for kids!

How to Make Garden Markers Out of Popsicle Sticks

Eggshell Seed Starters

Mini Flower & Fairy Gardens

Make a Fairy Garden Kit

Pinwheel Flower Pot for Earth Day

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About Brandy

Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com without any additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kristina says

    I love this idea! Makes a beautiful decoration and it’s a great way to preserve memories of your fave flowers. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  2. Mama's Happy Hive says

    This is gorgeous! Thank you for linking up at “A Little Bird Told Me” Wednesday link party! You have been featured on Mama’s Happy Hive blog. 🙂

    Reply

  3. Kayla Taylor says

    We have always put our flowers in a big book, but that takes forever! I love this tutorial. I will have to do this for my daughter. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  5. GoodsGivingBack says

    Plywood and clamps are always a good idea. I love how straightforward this is. Not to mention easy for little fingers. Pinned!

    Reply

  7. Erin Vincent says

    This is so fantastic! We have also planted flowers in our vegetable garden and I would love to do this flower press once we have a good number of blooms!

    Reply

  8. Meg | Hello Farmhouse says

    I love this project idea! I might have to do a series of these for my gallery wall!

    Reply

  9. Vanessa D. says

    The girls art turned out so pretty! This reminded me I have a flower press – just in time for the summer.

    Reply

  10. Abigail Cain says

    I remember teachers doing something like this is school. I love your idea of turning it into a piece of art!

    Reply

  12. Nikitha Ritesh Mehta says

    My 3year old loves flowers and painting- combine these two and am sure he would be excited to try the pressed flowers!! Can’t wait to try these. Thank you.

    Reply

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