Now that you have pressed flowers and foliage, it’s time to create a project. Remember that you can use about any medium to develop a project (e.g., candles and cards), but today, I’ll be giving you instructions for making a pressed flower arrangement.
Your flowers are used as the brushstrokes of texture and color, and the leaves, as background. You can rearrange the materials until you decide the composition is pleasing to you.
Materials needed:
- Mat or foam core
- Frame (with or without glass)
- Spray adhesive
- Piece of heavy cardboard
- White craft glue or rubber cement
- Tweezers
- Choose a fabric or paper background. Your background is not meant to overpower your picture, so choose one that is simple. (A plain sheet of mat board will work just fine.) You also want the background to contrast with the flowers to enhance their colors. For example, if you are working with dark and vivid flowers, choose a lighter background.
- Cut your background to fit the size and shape of your frame. For a fabric or paper background, use spray adhesive to mount it on a piece of foam core or mat board. Unlike regular white glue, spray adhesive won’t leave bumps under your paper or fabric.
- Begin building the picture by using the larger backdrop leaves and flowers. These can be fern fronds, leaves, skeletonized leaves and long flowers. Use tweezers to carefully move the delicate plant materials.
- Arrange the more colorful and bolder flowers that will be the center of your design. You can layer some of these over the background elements, but don’t forget that the finished picture must be flat unless you plan to frame with a mat.
- Next, position small dainty flowers for accent. You can cover unsightly stems with moss, lichens or pressed leaves.
- To permanently assemble your picture after you’ve created an arrangement you are happy with, you are going to turn it upside down. You may want to sketch it or take a digital photo, so you’ll remember exactly how everything was arranged. Cover your arrangement with a piece of heavy cardboard, grasping it tightly, and turn.
- Fasten the elements of your design one at a time. Begin with the background and work your way forward. Use either a water-soluble white craft glue or rubber cement that dries clear. A toothpick works great to dab tiny amounts on the backs of your foliage and flowers. Allow to dry overnight. Cover your artwork with glass and add to the frame.
