How to Make a Flower Press
Press fresh, dry and colorful flowers for a satisfying hobby that you can teach your children at an early age. Young children are eager to learn and they gain appreciation for the beauty and diversity of nature, while you enjoy the benefit of interacting with them. Pressed flowers convey a special message when used to personalize your feelings by mounting the flower appropriate to the occasion on the card you send.
- Cut a sheet of 8 ½-by-11-inch light-to-heavy cardboard in half across its width. The backing for a legal pad works well.
- Fold a blank sheet of 8 ½-by-11-inch copy paper in half widthwise.
- Line up the folded paper on top of one piece of cardboard and open it up.
- Arrange flowers, grass or leaves on the half of the paper lying on the cardboard. Space the items apart, so the items don’t come into contact with one another.
- Hold the items in place with one hand, while folding down the other side of the paper over the items to be pressed.
- Place the other half sheet of cardboard on top of the folded paper, so that the paper is positioned between the two sheets of cardboard.
- Wrap two rubber bands around both the length and width of the two sheets of cardboard.
- Sit the flower press in an out-of-the-way location and place a heavy book or two on top of it.
- Allow the flowers to press for one to two weeks before mounting them permanently.
- Press a greater number of items by placing an additional folded sheet of copy paper on top of a completed flower press that has not been wrapped with rubber bands. Cut and place another half sheet of cardboard over the folded paper and wrap the total flower press package with rubber bands.