Pressed Flower Crafts

Pressed flower crafts are fun for everyone. Flowers are very beautiful and they will bring the spirit of nature into your craft time. Projects with pressed flowers are often seen as an adult craft but children will love these crafts too. Our crafts are age-specific, fun, easy, and family-oriented so you can find the perfect craft for your family. Gather some pretty flowers, chose a craft, and be creative!

Homemade Flower Press (ages 12+)

This flower press is great to take on trips when you are going to collect flowers that will wither quickly and want to press them. The flower press can be used by children under 12 once it is finished. However, making the press is a little tricky and it requires some adult supervision/assistance.

For this craft you will need:

• 2 Rectangular pieces of cardboard (they must be the same size)
• 2 36-inch pieces of ribbon
• Several pieces of paper that are smaller than the cardboard pieces
• A craft knife (to be used by an adult)

1. Have an adult cut four slits in the corners of each piece of cardboard. The slits should be about the width of the ribon, 1 inch from the edges, and parallel to the long sides.
2. Stack the cardboard pieces on top of each other.
3. Thread the ribbon through the cardboard pieces. Put the ribbon up through the first hole and down through the one on the opposite side. Continue with the same piece of ribbon on the other cardboard piece.p
4. Repeat the same thing with the other piece of ribbon. The carboard pieces should  be able to open like a book. 
5. Place several pieces of paper between the cardboard pieces.

To use the press, place the blossoms in between the paper sheets. If you put more than one flower on the sheet of paper at a time make sure they are not touching. After arranging the blossoms, pull the ribbons tightly and tie the ends together. For more pressure, place some heavy books on top of the press. Leave the press for about a week or until the flowers dry out.

For a simpler way to press flowers, simply place the flowers in between the pages of a heavy book. The flower press, however, is great so you can press flower and do pressed flower crafts on the go.

Pounded Flower Designs (ages 10+)

Children can do the flower arranging for this craft, but this craft, like some of our other pressed flower crafts, requires adult supervision/assistance. An adult will need to use the hammer and the butter knife.

For this craft you will need:

• Unbleached muslin cloth
• Paper bags
• Paper
• A hammer
• Waxpaper
• Fresh leaves and flowers
• A butter knife

1. Chose a hard surface as your workplace cover it with paper bags.
2. Spread out the fabric and arrange a flower design on it. 
3. Cover the fabric with waxpaper.
4. Have an adult pound the waxpaper with the hammer to pound the flower print onto the cloth. 
5. Remove the waxpaper and have an adult scrape off the plant residue.

Experiment with different flowers to see which ones leave the best prints. The same pounding method discussed in this craft can be used to make floral stationary. Pressed flower crafts are a great way for children to express themselves in a creative way so be sure to step back sometimes and let the kids lead the way with the flower designs.

Flower Drawing (ages 5+)

For this craft you will need:

• Colored cardstock paper
• Various flowers
• Heavy books or a homemade flower press
• Glue
• Scissors
• Paper
• Colored pencils or markers

1. Cut the paper so it is smaller than a piece of cardstock paper by a few inches.
2. Color a flower onto the piece of paper. Be creative. Use a real flower as inspiration or make your own design.
3. Glue the piece of paper with the flower colored on it onto a piece of cardstock paper.
4. Press the flowers by placing them in the pages of a heavy book. Leave them for about a week. You can also use the homemade flower press (directions to make one are given above).
5. After the flowers are dried out, arrange them around the piece of paper on the cardstock paper. Once you are satisified with the design, glue them on.

Our pressed flower crafts are open for you to add your own creative touches. For a fun variation, go outside to a garden and take some pictures wiht the flowers. Collage the pictures and add pressed flowers for decoration. This flower collage makes a great present for grandparents and relatives. It also makes a great decoration for the house.

Source 

FamilyFun Crafts
FamilyFun Magazine