Flower pressing; Modern style

...using a microwave oven....

 ....on Wednesday I showed you how to press flowers the traditional way, but if you are impatient like me, and don't want to wait 4 weeks for your results, the more modern technique of drying and pressing flowers in the microwave oven gives more instant results....

Today I'm going to show you how I did it...

 

 In an effort to get little Miss Moo out and about this half term, despite the dreadful weather, We've done a lot of flower picking this week...

.....making pretty wildflower posies and pressing flowers....

Little Miss Moo loves helping Mamma with her projects, so this really has been perfect for half term.....

The weather has not really been ideal for flower pressing ....ideally you should pick flowers when its nice and dry outside...just before midday, when the morning dew has evaporated, but the heat of the day has not yet started making the flowers wilt....

.....but we decided to not let the British weather hold us back....

 

As a rule pressing flowers will distort their colours:

white will become yellow or caramel brown,

purple will become navy,

pinks will go brown and

orange or red flowers will become maroon.

But this technique using microwave will reduce the colour distortion dramatically  compared to traditional flower pressing....

 

How to make a microwaveable flower press:

All you need is 2 pieces of cardboard/hardboard approximately 20x20 cm square, 5-6 rubber bands, some paper sheets for "filling" and 3 pieces of absorbent paper/ tissue paper to fold the flowers into.....

 

I used a cheap notebook that I cut up to fit in the microwave oven.
I used the papers inside for filling, and some sketching paper for the folds to put the flowers in...

......At first I used some tissue paper to fold the flowers into, but I found it hard to remove the finished pressed flowers from the tissue, so I decided to use folds of sketching paper instead...

 

 The preparation of the flowers remains the same as with traditional flower pressing.....

....make sure your flowers are clean and dry, trim any bulky leaves off your specimen, and dissect your flowers so that they lay as flat as possible in your press....

(see my post on traditional flower pressing)

Tip: Keep the flowers in the fridge while you prepare your press...

Lay one piece of cardboard down, and cover with 3 pieces of absorbent paper...layer your prepared flowers in a fold of paper, cover with 3 pieces of paper then the second piece of cardboard on top.........

You can do several folds of flowers in one parcel....just make sure they are all of a similar size and thickness....(because some flowers take longer than others)

....take care that the flowers inside your parcel doesn't slide around, but stay put where you folded them in....

...you don't want the flowers to lay on top of each other, as they will stick together when pressed... 

Wrap the rubber bands around to hold your parcel together... 

Place in the microwave on medium heat for 1 minute....allow to cool....

 check to see if the flowers are fully dry and flat...if not pop the parcel back in the microwave for another 30 secs-1 minute....keep repeating until you are satisfied the flowers are completely dry...

Take care not to overcook , as the flowers will burn...

You might have to experiment with the timing and settings on your microwave oven, as some are more powerful than others...

 

...remove very carefully from the paper fold, as your finished pressed flowers are very fragile....

 

Microwave flower pressing really preserves the colours and hues of the flowers and foliage.....

 

When you have pressed your flowers and they have cooled down... ....transfer them onto a sheet of paper, this way they are all displayed out so you can easily choose the best of the bunch....

Now you can get creative with your arrangements...

Framing your pressed flowers....

Get creative and play around with the arrangements, before going onto the next steps...

Cut a piece of paper to fit your frame, then lightly spay with adhesive...
 

 

Then carefully arrange your flowers how you want them....

 ...wait for your adhesive spray to fully dry, before putting them  in the frame...

I decided to do some simple arrangements in these two frames.... 

 

....in keeping the traditional feel of pressed flower displays...

 

....But let Little Miss Moo loose with the rest of  the flowers for a more abstract feel....

...she is so proud of her pressed flower picture....

Thanks for popping by....

xxx

June

21 clever jar lighting ideas




 

My first pinnable clipboard graphic....

 

 

I woke up this past Sunday morning and found a very nice surprise in my inbox:

an email from a lovely lady called Alex from hometalk....the largest home and garden knowledge hub on the web...

asking me- ME(?)- to curate a jar lighting clipboard on their Facebook page....

....OMG..(too teenager....???)

Apparently they loved my post about the jar pendant light....

How encouraging.....

...I'm feeling happily smug....

Until I realise: she asked me to do what-now?????

What does she mean "curate" ....and how do I do that???

(Remember: I have not yet been blogging for 3 months....)

I panic, then decide: I'll do it!!!

turns out it really wasn't that complicated to do at all....

in fact I really enjoyed it...and found loads of inspiring  clips while I was at it.....

....and here it is, I hope you like it...





 

21 clever jar lighting ideas





 There are some great projects in this collage: ideas on making jars into beautiful candle lanterns, tutorials on how to make jars into electric lamps and gorgeous chandeliers....

 Click on the link below the picture to go to my clipboard on hometalk.....

....there you will find the links to all the original jar projects featured above....

and while you are there have a look at what else is going on: maybe you can find the inspiration you want for repurposing those pallets you found in a skip....(Marianne...that was for you)....

....or simply discover some great advice on DIY in your home or garden...

Hometalk is like an encyclopaedia of knowledge from enthusiastically creative people...just like us!!

...I would like to thank Alex at hometalk for getting me to curate this Clipboard for them, and for your encouragement....

I feel totally embraced by the hometalk family,

Thank you....

 

 

xxx

June

 

Flower pressing.....

....traditional flower pressing.....

Pressing flowers is a pastime that has been around for centuries.....

There is something very romantic and nostalgic in finding

a forgotten flower from a young lover hidden within the pages of an old bible,

or a four leaf clover pressed in an old diary or journal.....a reminder of a moment in time long since gone...

It is something I used to do with my mum when I was a little girl growing up in Norway....

.....So I decided to carry on this tradition and introduce Little Miss Moo to the art of flower pressing....

 ....Today I will be posting about traditional flower pressing...

.....the old fashioned way of pressing a freshly picked flower in between the pages of a heavy book still works a treat today....But you can also use a flower press, like the one in the picture above...

....they are really easy to make: just two bits of flat wood with holes drilled in each corner for

4 long bolts with wing-nuts for tightening.....In between the two bits of wood, layer squares of cardboard.....

....but if you don't want to make one yourself, they can be bought at places like hobbycraft....

....I was lucky enough to find one in a charity shop for £1....

The principle is the same, just make sure you layer your flowers in a fold of absorbent paper before pressing....

 The most importaint thing to remember when doing flowerpressing, is to use freshly picked flowers...

Prepare your flowers by trimming away any bulky or unnecessary  foliage...

...make sure your flowers are clean and dry....I suggest not to wash them under water, but use the cold setting on a hairdryer to blow away any dirt...

The process of flower pressing removes the moisture in your flowers, so you don't want to add to that...

....next you need to flatten your flowers as best you can....dissect your flowers, by cutting off the stems and leaves, then arrange it all on a bit of absorbent bit of paper before pressing...

Flat flowers, like Daisies, Pansies and Violas are easy to press, but if you want to press thicker flowers, like roses, the petals will need to be pressed individually, then put back together after...

Some flowers, like Hibiscus and Lilies must be pressed on their sides, but If you want your flower to face you, place your flower face down, so the petals wont crease when pressed...

When you have arranged your flowers in a fold of absorbent paper, layer within the cardboard of your flower press/ pages of your book.....

...now you want to apply some pressure...

If you are using a flower press, tighten the wing nuts as much as you can to compress the content within your two bits of wood....

If you are using a book, just add some more books or a heavy item on top....

 

 ....Now all you need is patience....

.....Small flowers take in excess of 2 weeks to fully dry and compress,

....Leaves normally take approx. 3 weeks and thin flowers take 4 weeks...

If you are pressing thicker flowers or waxy leafs expect to leave them in the press for 6 weeks or more.....

....if you are impatient like me, I will show you how to speed up the process using a microwave in my Saturday DIY tutorial....and I will also show you how I framed our pressed posy's....

Please pop by again soon....

xxx

June

Happy monday....

 

....picking a posy for mummy....

 

So,  its Monday again....time to plan a new week....

 

Here in the UK it a bank holiday today, and this week it's half term for British schools....

....this means that little Miss Moo will be home with me this week...

 

...trying to come up with things to do with your children when they are off school, can sometimes be hard.....

 



lovely wild flower posy's....display them in little vases and glasses to make a pretty and casual display...



 

....so this week I'll be posting about what me and our little monster get up to...

...I have a few projects in mind....

 

 

Looks like spring has finally arrived here in Britain now.... 

The temperature is rising and it's nice to finally get some sunshine...

 

Me and Miss Moo went to the park the other day....

....picking posys of wild flowers to bring home...

 

 

I hate spending money on overpriced flowers at the supermarket....

...it is far more enjoyable to spend a few hours outside, searching for wildflowers and picking a posy or two...

And there's something extra beautiful about a posy in a child's hands...they come from the heart..

 

 

 I am also very excited to announce that my Jar swag light DIY tutorial was a big hit at hometalk, the largest home and garden knowledge hub on the web, and they have asked me to curate a pin-able collage of the best jar light projects on their site for their facebook page.....So I will be posting this towards the end of the week....

 

I hope you all have beautiful weather where you are ....get outdoors and pick some flowers....embrace nature!!

You might need them for this weeks project...hint hint!!

 

Have a great week and pop by again soon!!

 

xxx

June