Make your own Personalized Stationery, Notepaper,
Cards, Place Cards using Pressed Flowers and Leaves.
See how to press flowers.
How to Properly Frame Your Pressed Flower Designs.
Use
some slightly diluted tacky glue when gluing flowers and leaves to paper. There are many NEW acid free glues on the market (thanks to the scrapbookers) that will work just as well as tacky glue. (See links below for other adhesives)
Thinner glue is needed for delicate flowers and slightly thicker glue is
required for the heavier stems and leaves. Put a dot of glue on the paper;
position the flower and press down. Use a toothpick to add glue to each of
the petals.
Rubber cement, a contact adhesive, can be used
instead of tacky glue. Brush the rubber cement on the paper and brush some
on the backs of the flowers and leaves. Allow to dry. Place a sheet of
tracing paper on top of the dried rubber cement on the paper. Plan your
design on top of the tracing paper or vellum. Slide the tracing paper away a little at
a time as you press your flowers and leaves onto the paper. The floral
material will adhere as it makes contact. Clean up excess glue with a
kneaded eraser or a rubber cement pickup.
Add a few decorative lines to enhance your design.
Use a triangle to make parallel lines and a French curve template when
adding curved lines. Be aware of where the paper will fold when decorating
the page. Colored felt pens can be used to draw graphics on stationery as
well as adding color to pale flowers and leaves. A hole punch is useful when
making holes for ribbon ties on bookmarks.
Gift wrapping paper should be fairly heavy weight
so the glue won’t seep through the paper and stick to the box. Select
paper and ribbons to match your floral material. Seeded paper is wonderful to use for your pressed flowers Lightly mark the fold line before gluing on your design. If your
guests’ name is on both sides of the card it will be easier for
unacquainted guests to see each others names. Plan your design accordingly.
Framing Pressed Floral
Designs
Some frames are more suitable than others when
making a pressed floral picture. Wooden frames, with the exception of solid
oak, will yield to a staple, which is necessary to secure the back of the
frame. Metal and plastic frames equipped with clamps so the back of the
frame can be opened and closed are good candidates for pressed floral art as
well. Frames that have channels in which you slide the photographs are
unsuitable, because you disturb the design of the flowers when you assemble
the frame.
Most flowers are mounted against a piece of soft,
pliable fabric such as velvet. Cut the fabric the same size as the
glass. If it is even a little larger it will wrinkle around the edges. A
1-1/2" polyester fiberfill backing pad cut the same size as the glass
gives added support. The frame requires a rigid backboard cut the same size
as the glass to fit inside the frame behind the fiberfill pad. The back
cover, which goes across the back of the frame, should be of stiff poster
board. Cut it slightly smaller than the overall size of the frame so it fits
inside and doesn’t show around the edges from the front.
You can matt your images with an embossed paper matt frame for a finished look.
1.
Place the polyester pad on the backboard.
2.
Place the fabric right side up on top of the polyester pad. Arrange the
flowers on the fabric using tweezers.
3.
Cover the arrangement with the glass.
4.
Cover the glass with the frame, and push the backboard into the frame.
5.
Turn the picture upside down onto a padded surface.
6.
Squeeze tacky glue around the back of the frame and fit the back cover into
the back of the picture. Secure with staples.
Hint: To slow down the decay of botanicals seal them with Mod Podge.
See the pressed flower stickers.
Hint: See the laminators for sealing your pressed flowers.
.
Get floral and craft instruction and supplies at a discount at
Save-on-Crafts.com
See below for supplies and more projects
