Four easy ways to press flowers

Capture the bright and beautiful blooms of late spring and early summer by pressing their petals in a home-made flower press. 

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Published: July 3, 2017 at 4:03 pm

-Gather clean, blemish-free flowers and don't pick them first thing in the morning, when they are still wet with dew.

-Flowers with naturally flat faces are the easiest to press, but you can have fun experimenting with all the different flowers you have in the garden.

-Pop your flowers in the press as soon as possible, so they don't start to wilt.

1. The easiest way to press flowers in a jiffy is to simply use two heavy books. Encylopedias and hardback books work well. Arrange your flowers between two pieces of parchment paper or cardboard and pop a few books on top. Leave for ten days, or until the flowers look dry and paper.

2. Can't wait for your floral creations? You can use an iron to instantly press flowers. Flatten the flowers first between two pieces of parchment, and then use an iron on low without any water to press down on the paper for ten seconds at a time, letting the paper cool in between, until your flowers feel paper-like and dry.

3. You can even microwave flowers! Pop them between parchment sheets into a book that doesn't have any metal elements, then heat on low for a minute. You'll still need to leave the flowers to dry in the book for a few days, but it should be much faster - around two days.

4. if you're handy at DIY you can make your own traditional flower press - when it's created kids will love painting the top and bottom. This easy tutorial is a good one to follow.

Image via Getty Images

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