Press flowers

Blumen pressen

Pressing flowers is a wonderful way to capture the beauty of nature and use it for creative craft projects: Homemade greeting cards, bookmarks, gifts, pictures or decorations – pressed flowers enhance almost any DIY project!

Pressing flowers is completely uncomplicated and doesn't require expensive materials. If you follow my tips for beginners, you'll achieve beautiful results even with your first projects. And then it's all about learning by doing! Just give it a try!

If you just want to try out flower pressing, a thick book is perfectly sufficient. However, if you want to regularly create pressed flowers for cards, pictures or other DIY projects, it's worth investing in a classic flower press.
Geöffnetes Buch, frische Blüten, kleine lumenpresse, Pinzette

Pressing flowers in a book

Probably the most well-known method is pressing in a heavy book. Place your plants between two layers of absorbent paper (for example, baking paper, blotting paper, or tissue paper) and then between the pages of a thick book. If you stack several more books on top of the book containing your plants, the increased pressure will ensure a more even result.

Advantages:
> You probably have everything you need at home.
> No additional costs.
> Ideal for trying out flower pressing.



Flower press

A classic flower press consists of two wooden plates held together by screws. Between the plates are cardboard and absorbent paper, in which the flowers are placed. Tightening the screws creates even pressure.

Advantages
> Consistent results.
> Reusable and durable.
> Perfect for regular pressing of larger quantities.
> Space-saving
> You can even take a small flower press outdoors and press your flowers directly in nature.


Here you'll find my mini flower press - perfect for on the go and customizable!
gepresste Blumen in Papier-Schale

Which flowers are good for pressing?

Basically, almost all flowers can be pressed. However, you will achieve the best results with flowers that are rather flat and do not contain too much moisture. Thick or very fleshy flowers take significantly longer to dry and can lose their color in the process.

For beginners, these flowers are suitable, for example:
> Daisies
> Pansies
> Forget-me-nots
> Cosmos
> Marguerites
> Cornflowers

Many leaves can also be pressed wonderfully. Particularly decorative examples include fern, eucalyptus, or (autumnal-colored) maple leaves.


The right time to collect

Use flowers that are as fresh, undamaged, and in full bloom as possible. The fresher the blossoms are, the better their shape and color will be preserved during pressing.

Collect flowers preferably on a dry, sunny day, after the morning dew has completely evaporated. Moist flowers dry less effectively and are more prone to developing brown spots.


These flowers are more difficult to press

Very thick or watery flowers such as roses, tulips, or peonies can also be pressed, but require a little more experience.
Tip: You can press individual petals of these flowers!
Blumenpresse mit frischen Blumen

How to press your flowers

> Prepare the plants: Remove damaged leaves and shorten stems if necessary. For particularly thick blooms, you can carefully pull them apart and press individual petals or flower heads. This allows them to dry faster and more evenly.

> Arrange the plants: Place the flowers between two layers of absorbent paper, such as blotting paper, facial tissues, paper towels, parchment paper, or watercolor paper. Make sure the paper (e.g., paper towels!) has no texture. The blooms should not overlap, and all leaves should be positioned as you want them to appear later.

> Press: Place the paper with the flowers into a flower press or between the pages of a thick book. Place the blooms face down on the paper. Tighten the screws of the flower press evenly or weigh down the book with additional heavy books.

> Wait patiently: Depending on the type of flower, pressing takes about one to three weeks. Periodically check if the paper has become damp, and replace it with dry paper if necessary.

> Remove the flowers: Once the flowers are completely dry, you can carefully remove them from the press – tweezers can be very helpful! Pressed flowers are very delicate and can break easily.
Sammlung von gepressten Blüten und Blätten in kleinen Behältern

Storage

Store your pressed flowers dry, dark, and as flat as possible, for example, between sheets of paper in a folder or a box. I use portfolios for larger blossoms and leaves and small tins for smaller blossoms.
This way, they will stay beautiful for a long time and can be used for your creative projects at any time.

Inspiration

Here are a few ideas of what you can do with your pressed flowers and what you can decorate with them: bookmarks, tea lights, sun prints, cards, wax seals...
Or create your own herbarium. (This is also great to do with children!).
Kleines DIY-Buch "Herbarium", gepresste Blüten, Naturkunde-Buch
Wachssiegel mit Blüten
Sonnendruck mit gepressten Eukalyptusblättern
Geburtstagskarte verziert mit gepressten Blüten

Links

> Here you'll find my mini flower press- perfect for on-the-go and customizable!

> In my online shop, you'll find DIY sunprint kits, which are great to use with dried flowers and leaves:
Sunprint Kit
Cyanotype Kit I Postcards

> You can beautifully decorate homemade wax seals with pressed flowers. In my online shop, you'll find the DIY Wax Seal Kit for Beginners.

Enjoy crafting!

Love, Kathrin

Disclaimer

* This article may contain affiliate links to Amazon. All affiliate links are marked as such. "Affiliate link" means that I may receive a small commission if you click this link and then make a purchase on Amazon. This helps me to continue providing free craft tutorials in the future.

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