DIY Flower Press

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I've been loving the change of weather we've had recently! Down here in Cornwall we've been blessed with some seriously gorgeous big blue skies, as well as the occasional (quite) warm and sunny spell :) 

Of course, all this lovely weather has meant we've also been blessed with an abundance of Spring blooms! And I'm pretty sure they all popped up overnight...I've barely had time to take them all in!

So today, I thought I would share a wonderfully simple and quick DIY flower craft with you, so you can join me in preserving all the littlest and prettiest Spring flowers...

All you need is:   

One big, chunky hardback book. I chose an old copy of The Jungle Book because it has a very thick and heavy backing, meaning it has enough weight by itself to squish those flowers and keep them flat.

Plus one sheet of baking parchment, cut twice the length of your book's page and then folded in half.

The baking parchment's purpose is to create a moisture barrier between those freshly-picked petals and the pages of your book- so if you're not too hung up about your book getting stained you can forego the paper if you wish! 

And that's all the equipment you need, all that's left to do is to pick your flowers and pop them in your book. 

The best flowers to choose are ones that will dry well, with flat surfaces that won't hold moisture and create mould. Here's a chart of a few easy-to-press varieties to help you:

I chose wild Primroses, Daisies, Buttercups and Periwinkle petals from our garden, as these were all quite simple to flatten and place in my book. All you need to do is to make sure you remove any thicker areas, such as bits of stem or leaves, that you think might turn mouldy and then gently squish the flower head down until it lies flat.

To press the flowers in your book, simply place your fresh pickings on top of the opened sheet of baking parchment, (making sure to leave an adequate amount of space between each flower) fold the other side of the baking parchment back over and carefully shut the book.

And you're done! Be sure to store your Book Flower Press in a dry location and be careful not to disturb the flowers whilst they're drying- they're not stuck down so they might move about a bit! It will usually take about 3-5 weeks for your flowers to dry out completely. Then, you can either keep them as they are... or use them in a further craft!

Here are my Top 4 Pressed Flower Craft picks from Pinterest:

1// Pressed Flower Shortbread Biscuits  2// DIY Pressed Flower Phone Case  3// Pressed Flowers as artwork in a frame such as this one (this would make the most adorable gift!) 4// Pressed Flower Candles


Flower Pressing is such a simple and pretty craft, I hope you can join me in making the most of all the beautiful blooms that Spring has to offer right now!

Do you have any tips for pressing flowers or any crafts you like to do at this time of year? I'd love to hear all about it in the comments below :)

In the meantime,
All the love,

Sian x