Stunningly delicate, flowers are cherished for the memories and beauty they hold. It can be difficult to say goodbye to flowers, especially when they mean something special. But hey, the good news is you don’t have to! There are many ways to preserve them, and you can let your creativity run wild. Even better? You can choose to preserve them at any stage of their bloom.
Whether they’re fresh or dried, you have plenty of opportunities to get creative with flowers and turn their beauty into lasting keepsakes. From elegant floral arrangements and personalized mementos to unique household items and sustainable gifts, every petal is an opportunity for imaginative projects! Here are some ideas for getting creative with preserving your flowers:
Arrange a Flower Bouquet
Starting with something easy but classic, arranging dried flowers into a bouquet for your house display is a lovely idea. It brings a bit of nature indoors and brightens up any room. Plus, dried flowers last much longer, so you get more time to enjoy their beauty!
You can gather your dried flowers and approach them with a couple of options. Either you head to the craft store and pick additional decorations to complement the dried flowers, tying it all together with a ribbon for a rustic feel, or you simply place the flowers into a vase. Either way, you’ll have a charming addition to your home decor. The best part is that you can constantly rearrange them. There’s no limit to adding more colors, textures, or even more flowers as long as you enjoy playing with it!
Make Pressed Flower Frames
If you enjoy arranging flowers but prefer to keep them in place, frames could be just what you need. They allow you to showcase your floral art on walls or shelves or use them as ornaments for your Christmas trees or gift packages.
While you wait for your flowers to fully press, start looking for a frame that suits your preferences—it can be new or old, big or small, depending on how you plan to use it. Once your flowers are pressed and ready, arrange them on a piece of paper cut to fit the frame. Apply two layers of an all-in-one glue, sealer, and varnish, adding more flowers and repeating as needed until you’re satisfied with the design. Don’t miss the chance to explore different shapes! After everything is dry, carefully place the paper inside the frame. If you’re using it as an ornament, you can add twine or a string to match your chosen aesthetic.
Preserve Them Using Resin
Diving into the chemistry side, using resin to preserve your dried flowers is genius. For those who aren’t familiar, resin starts off as a thick liquid. But when you mix it with a hardener, it goes from liquid goo to a clear, durable solid. That’s the process called curing, and that’s when the dried flowers can be sprinkled in!
You have the freedom to be as creative as you like during the curing process. Besides adding flowers, you can mix in pigments, dyes, or paints, and even toss in some glitter or shiny flakes for extra sparkle. Plus, you get to decide the shape it’ll take! Pour the resin into molds or spread it on surfaces to craft your own one-of-a-kind necklace, earrings, bracelets, rings, hair accessories, pendants, and more. You can even make a fancy ruler for your desk or a cute flower coaster for your coffee table!
Create a Floral Ambiance
A scented atmosphere can work wonders, but there’s something about a floral scent that really brings the outdoors in! Luckily, you can easily create a peaceful floral vibe at home with all-natural wax melts and floral candles adorned with pressed flowers.
Making your own candle or wax melt might sound complicated, but it’s actually pretty straightforward. Besides the flowers, all you need is soy wax, essential oil for fragrance, your chosen mold, and if it’s a candle, a wick. The process mostly involves melting, molding, and then letting everything cool down. Once they’re done, the subtle scent of lavender or rose petals wafting from a wax melt, or simply seeing the petals float gracefully in the melted wax, instantly connects you to nature, especially during the chilly months.
Turn Them into Your Own Botanical Spa
If you can’t get enough of your dried flowers from the living room to the kitchen and even your bedroom, why not let them into your baths too?
Revamp your bath time into a private garden spa experience with handmade soap bars and bath bombs infused with dried flowers! These creations elevate your skincare routine by adding a dash of natural beauty to your self-care regimen. Imagine lathering up with a delicate soap that’s got pressed flowers for a hint of floral scent. Or perhaps a bath bomb dropping into your tub, petals swirling, and filling the air with calming aromas and beautiful hazy colors. Now isn’t that a dream spa-day right in your bathroom?
Whether you choose to make elegant floral arrangements, personalized keepsakes, unique house items, or sustainable gifts, creating something with flowers shows that you can find a vehicle for your sensibilities. You can make a canvas out of an innocent petal, which is, in all honesty, harder than letting go. So keep on blooming, girl!
