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“Making a dried flower bouquet is a real enjoyable experience. I just love making one! So, why don’t you try it with me?”, Craftslove.
Dried flower bouquets are very pretty pieces of adornment that can be very easily made out of a little imagination and an eye for the art.
Start of with implanting a flower bed with plenty of flowers that look great when dried. Pick on those species and types that generally dry well, dry faster and yet look pretty. Some good ones that dry easily would be baby’s breath, straw flower and statice.
Now pick up an assorted bunch of blooming open flowers.
While drying the live flowers don’t cut of the stems. Better leave them attached, they will help in hanging. Put the flowers clipping them on a string and live them hanged upside down to dry. The inverted p[position will make the flowers strong the stems more straight. That way the flowers will last even longer.
Now take the dried flowers, arrange them in an array with single colour flowers in the centre and the foliage and leaves surrounding making a nice dried flower bouquet arrangement. Now put the entire thing in a vase and set it somewhere on the mantelpiece or on a center table and enjoy the sleek beauty.
read comments (0)Dried Flowers: Preserving the dried flower arrangements
Author: admin
Imagine of one advantage of dried flowers over fresh flowers…simple, dried flowers tend to be there forever whereas the fresh ones just dry out and fall of as brownish mesh after some time. I personally prefer dried flowers very much. They not only look good, rather great but I cherish the entire idea of actually drying flowers and making nice stuffs out of them.
But then the key to dried flower arrangements is how do you preserve them, the dried blossoms require good care to retain the beauty. Why should just let your hard-earned rose or hydrangea blossoms dried with such care to wilt off and decay? So let me tell you some easy ways of how you can store your dried flowers well to cherish their out-of-this world beauty over and over again.
One of the greatest nuances of storing dried flowers is the occasional attack the florals may face from insects like museum beetles, roaches and silverfishes. These insects love chewing at the soft tissues of the plant centers leading to shattering of the petals and leaves and ruining your entire dried flower arrangement. It might be that they don’t infest in the flowers but visit them time to time from outside, get into the box or plastic you are storing and teethe it.
• So for the first place, keep an occasional eye on the boxes. In case you find any insects just pluck the destroyed parts, I mean the infected blooms and foliage and throw them off.
• In order to prevent this unwanted invasion ensure a tight sealing of the container.
• In you are using a particular container that was previously infested by insects wash it well before using it again.
• A few naphthalene flakes may yield some good help repelling the insects. You can also use any other insecticide for the purpose. But my experience says once a place, I mean a box or a container, if infested by any of these insects it’s the best to completely destroy it because full-proof abolition is not really possible.
• When it comes to dried flowers the best remedy from pest attack are perseverance and cleanliness.
• Dried flowers are not really everlasting. But with good care they may remain intact and beautiful for a long time.
• But even the best of dried flowers are destined to fade away sometime or the other, so it’s better to replace your floral arrangements with new ones as the older ones start fading away.
• In case you see your blooms fading a bit of colours you may tint the petals with a bit of aerosol paints for a little more durability. A little care and you see how cherishing your blooms look!!
It’s really very hard and heart-stanching to see the slow and steady wilting if a favorite bouquet or a precious bunch of flowers someone special gave, isn’t it? So why not make something unique with the wilting leaves and the falling petals and preserve them for an extended period of time. You can make some very attractive dried flower placemats with the tips we give you, after some time the original colours of the petals will fade giving way to an exotic brown tinge.
Requirements:
• Dried flowers and foliage
• Clear contact paper
• Scissors
Now how do you precisely make one, here’s how…
1. You will need to cut two pieces of contact paper measuring about 12”X18” for every place mat.
2. Now take one piece and peel of the cover backing. Place it on a flat surface, a tabletop maybe, with the sticky side facing up.
3. Now break a few flowers and leaves from the stem arranging them on the sticky surface of the contact paper.
4. Press the florals well with your fingers to lay them flat. With some big blossoms you may remove the petals and use them individually for a better effect.
5. Now take the second piece of paper circle, remove the cover and place the sticky side on the arrangement you prepared right now.
6. In case you are unable to label the edges exactly, don’t worry, the wrinkles won’t mind as the florals will already produce a few. You just try your best to press all the florals as flat as you can. That’s enough to make your placemat look good.
7. Now trim around the edges a bit and cut off the extra bits and pieces. You can make the edges look embellished by cutting scallops or putting some coloured tape.
8. You can experiment a bit with the shapes of the placing mats or you can even try making a mobile one to hang up in the window.
Okay, you are done! Just have a look and appreciate your own creation. You can very well gift a few of these to some friend or relative on a visit. What do you say??
A pressed flower weight is again an item very easily made-able and looks just too beautiful as well. Take our adept tips and make one of this one-of-its kind item to make an outstanding gift. Just follow…
You will need:
• A large rock with a smooth surface
• Some dried flowers and leaves
• A foam brush
• Decoupage solution
Instructions for you:
1. Dry some nice, fresh and open blossoms using the traditional air-drying method or else use the microwave.
2. Wash the rock you have selected thoroughly.
3. Once the rock is clear coat it with a layer of decoupage solution.
4. Now before the solution gets dried place an assorted collection of flowers and leaves on a flat surface of the rock.
5. Now again put another coating of decoupage solution on the flowers and foliage and leave it to dry.
6. As the rock is about to dry completely cover it with a few more coats of the solution. But between each of the coats don’t forget to carry individual processes of drying.
Once the rock is finally dried your dried flower paper weight is ready. Gift it to any one and we assure you a hearty appreciation.
Here’s a little discussion on all those flowers and foliage kinds that look the best when dried or pressed and thereon used in floral decorations and arrangements. We have picked on a few selective blossoms which grow rampantly all throughout the year. These flowers are both easily dried or pressed (whichever way) and convenient to use when ready. Dried and pressed flowers make great ornamenting stuffs and just look too gorgeous. Have a look at the list.
We start with the flowers,
• The Assorted Alyssum tops our chart. Botanically known as the Lobularia maritime this bloom comes in an exciting series of colours like pink, red, purple, apricot and yellow. Commonly grows in the garden in varying shapes and colours.
• Next is the Apricot Alyssum which ranges in an exciting colour range of apricot, moving somewhere between medium to dark. You will also get to see this plant growing no much care in your backyard garden and the blooms are too appealing.
• Following not far behind is the Pink Alyssum. This bloom falls in the same species category alike the former two, only with the difference in the tinge of colours of its blooms which range from medium to dark pink.
• Also in the series are a range of other alyssums like the purple, red, white and yellow ones. A little special among the all is the creamy white one with its pearl like blossoms. The soft yellow ones also turn out very well when dried or pressed, whichever.
• Next, on our list is the Assorted Baby’s Breath (my personal favorite). Though the originals come in just a natural white, but if you dye these little blooms into multi colours or just blue or green they look great. A little pressing gives them an elegance that positively adds to the grandeur of the entire floral arrangement.
As we all know just flowers don’t make a floral arrangement look great. They also need to be accentuated with some good looking foliage. So tell you something about the foliage as well.
Some of the most favorable and attractive foliages that give a nice effect when dried are here,
• To start with is the Acacia leaves, which are a beautiful and delicate individual feathery fronds found on a stem. These are generally light green in colour and range from 1 and ½ to 2 inches in width.
• The Amur Maple leaves follow next. Both the fall leaves and the green ones make great adorning items once dried. The fall leaves mark a unique assorted combination of red and golden and green and some other variegated fall colours. A deciduous shrub by species when the leaves are green they are light green with fancy notched edges. The leaves retain the unique pigment even when dried. That even adds to the glory.
• Next come the Aspen leaves. These leaves come in a mottled variety of bright green as well as brilliant fall colours. The fall leaves feature a dazzling orangish-yellow with a characteristic spotting all over the leaf blades.
• Now it’s turn for the Autumn Teardrops. This foliage kind is too inimitable with its graceful orange, golden and reddish muted leaves.
• Trailing next are the Birch Leaves. Again preferable in both green and fall stages, the exquisite fall leaves portray a delicate golden yellow colour akin to the ambience of the autumn. The fall leaves may have a few darker edges. Whereas the green ones have a lacy edge and come in bright shades of light green.
• Last but not the least is the Boston ivy fall leaves and the Burning Bush fall leaves. The leaves of Boston ivy resemble small red and orange autumn gems while the alter come in pretty and delicate small leaves with dark red shades. Some times you may found a few golden accents on these leaves as well.
These days the home happens to be the greatest recluse of peace away from the hype and hoopla and the stress and depression of the city and the office. So why not make that place a bit more soothing and relaxing with some additional peace and comfort?
Wondering what way you can do that? Simple, flowers!! Did you know, studies have revealed that if you reside in a place that makes you feel relaxed and your spirits uplifted then you are more likely to have an increasingly healthy and happy life. And one thing that exactly does that is flowers!
Beautiful and vibrant flowers adorning it fragrantly all around the house keeps us feeling boosted and positive all throughout the day, isn’t it?? Anxiety and stress seem to wane away in the presence of nice, glowing blossoms and the effect continues even when we walk out of the house.
Not just that, the very exotic beauty of flowers with the variant textures and lively colours and the distinctive shapes makes them perfect for decorative purposes.
Fresh flowers are always a good idea and have been a favorite option at all festive occasions and seasons, weddings and Halloween, Christmas and Easter and even at funerals.
But a little more appealing (that’s my opinion) are the dried flowers. The very beauty of the blossoms frozen into a subtle state oblivion really appeals. They have a different aura all together.
A little dried flower centerpiece for a silent and romantic candle light dinner, or a nice dried flower welcome wreath on Christmas or Thanksgiving, or a huge stand bouquet for a loved one’s funeral would do intent wonders.
The best part with dried flowers is they need minimum effort to be prepared at home yet look great when used for brightening the little nooks and corners of the house.
Dried Flowers: Taking care of flowers at home
Author: admin
Any floral arrangement is always special and is a remnant of the festivity or the gift you got. So obviously you want to preserve and cherish the precious arrangement for as long as possible. So if that’s the underline then better start caring for your flowers and the arrangements a bit more.
So, next time when you put some fresh flowers in the vase get rid of all the leaves beneath the waterline. A little added flower food will keep the blossoms glowing for an extended period with the extra nutrients. Once the water in the vase turns pale drain it off and fill in with fresh water and food nutrients. Removing a bit more from stems would also be a very effective idea.
I guess you know different blossoms have different qualities, life span and hence there are different ways you have to trail in order to take care of each one of them. Remember, while instructing on how to take care of wreaths and topiaries at home I had told you a few of the ways of blossom care?
Okay! So a few more are here!
• Once you notice that the blossoms have started fading remove them from the entire arrangement.
• Pick the longer lasting blossoms and place them in a different vase, a smaller one and place in some cozy place of the room with no direct sunlight.
• When dealing with dried flowers insects can be a bit of a problem. So it’s better to sprinkle some pesticide diluted with water over the flowers and cover the arrangement with a cellophane sheet.
• Again place the arrangement away form direct sunrays to ensure a longer and lovely lasting.
So, start caring!!