Monday, March 3, 2014

Pressed Flower Cards


With Spring just over the horizon, 
I thought I would share a sweet botanical craft
using those first spring blooms and pretty sprigs 
that we tuck into the pages of books as mementos
 of walks in the garden and forests. 


Creating handmade cards
 preserves these charming gifts of nature
to be passed on to special friends and loved ones.


With just a few simple supplies, 
you can spend a lovely afternoon creating treasured keepsakes.


A large work surface is needed to spread out your supplies. 

Use a protective surface, such as a cutting board, for using glue. 


Gather blank cards and assorted scrapbook papers. 

Large, heavy books serve as presses for flowers and then later, for the finished cards. 

To press flowers, simply gather flat, thin blossoms and leaves on a dry, sunny morning and immediately lay them flat in the back pages of an old telephone book or heavy volume that is not Great Grandfather's memoir or some other precious tome that you wouldn't want to damage.

Mark your pages with strips of paper labeled with the date and other information you might want to save.  

Store in a cool, dry place for at least 3 weeks under heavy weights. A stack of books is fine.



Or use a flower press as I have done here.
 Pressed flowers will keep for several years
 if stored in a flat drawer on slips of paper in a very dry room. 
Those little packets of silica gel that you find in certain new items, 
can be thrown in the drawer to absorb any moisture. 
If you plan to store your flowers this way, place them on sheets of paper before pressing. 


Stamps and ink are fun to use.


These can embellish the finished card in customized ways. 


Word stamps and alphabet stamps can be used to make your own sentiments. 


Scalloped edge scissors add a bit of 'fancy'. 

I found a package of small, solid colored blank cards to use as the top layer. 
These are sold as 'invitation' cards. 


It was fun matching the scrapbook papers to the cards and pressed plants. 

This is 'Dusty Miller'. 

These dry nicely. 


Tweezers are used to handle pressed plants.

A toothpick is used to apply the glue. 

A small paper cutter comes in handy for the smaller cards on top. 


Pour a dab of glue onto a plastic dish,
 and holding the flower with the tweezers by the stem, 
simply dab a bit of glue to the back using the toothpick. 
Gently. 


Drop the flower onto the card and lightly, ever so lightly, 
press down along the edges of the flower here and there 
with a clean and dry toothpick to adhere it to the card. 

Never rub. 


Bits of fabric, lace or small buttons and charms are sweet, too.

Just remember that if you are sending these through the mail, these need to be very flat.  


Once the card is finished, it will need to be pressed flat for a few days. 


Make a waxed paper sleeve by folding a length in half, insert the card...


and slide it between the pages of a large book. 

The waxed paper prevents any wayward glue from sticking to the book. 

Weigh the book down once you have all of your cards placed inside. 

This will keep the cards from curling. 


Tied into pretty bundles with ribbon or string, 
these make lovely gifts for someone dear. 


Don't forget to include the envelopes! 

To protect the finished cards for storing or mailing, 
insert each card into folded waxed paper, cut to size. 
You can scallop the edges, if you like. 


I hope this inspires you to make your own garden keepsakes to share. 


A bit of nostalgia from a lovely spring day spent outdoors. 


xoxo

Awake, Thou Wintry Earth -

Fling off thy Sadness!

Fair Vernal Flowers, 

Laugh Forth

Your Ancient Gladness! 

- Thomas Blackburn -

Linking with: Stone Gable


37 comments:

  1. I loved this ! These pressed flower prints are awesome and your compositions are so wonderful, fine artist... Karen. Flower pressing is one of the many many things I wish I'd had time to try!
    Hugs

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  2. Handmade cards are wonderful. Making cards with natural flowers makes them bright too. I have made cards with flowers for one of my project. I loved in doing that. You are really talented in doing this. See the shape of the flower is not gone.

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  3. What a wonderful job, Karen! They are really lovely. Thanks for sharing with us

    Marina

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  4. This is so amazing Karen. Truly. And I love seeing them all displayed on the table like that.

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  5. You are very talented Karen. These are all just gorgeous, and although you make it look like something I could do too- my fat fingers would be making a big ole mess out of such delicate work. Thanks for walking us through the process- I really enjoyed seeing these beautiful cards. I also wanted to thank you for visiting my genealogy blog and leaving such kind comments.

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  6. really nice! i haven't attempted to press flowers or make cards from them in quite a few years. yours are beautiful!

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  7. Es un lindo trabajo Beatriz,nunca había pensado lo bello que se ven las flores o prensadas ,,, que tengas una bendecida semana
    Besos

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  8. You have some beautiful creations!

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  9. Talented lady, lovely creations. :)

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  10. Such beautiful cards Karen, created from mother nature..Fabulous idea...Love them all....very creative...Hugs May x x

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  11. Hi Karen

    These are beautiful cards made ​​with love. So you can memories
    Send to enchanting flowers, for especially love people. your receiver
    can look forward to very much.
    Kind regards
    Rita

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  12. Your cards look just lovely Karen! Home made cards are the best!!!

    Happy day,

    Madelief x

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  13. So precious and unique! You have created some very beautiful cards Karen, pressed flowers are so nice and tender...

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  14. They are so beautiful! I love how you use different textures and supplies to create your cards. So creative!

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  15. I remember pressing flowers many years ago and every now and again I come across a flower in a old book, yours are pretty mine always just looked dead
    Merle..................

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  16. they are so sweet! I do not have enough patience to make these but I love to think about it.

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  17. I know your family or friends who receive one of these card sets or even one will feel loved and cared about.. cause I get such lovely cards from my sisters and I LOVE THEM and feel thought of.. Your cards are ALL perfect!
    Hugs

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  18. These cards are truly beautiful! I love those dried flowers, and how you create each of them unique ... Your friends and family will be so delighted when receiving one of these treasures!

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  19. Hello dear Karen!
    First off, I want to thank you for leaving such a sweet and funny comment re: "Wet Paint." A "squeaky scream" pretty much nails the sound that puzzled her so. LOL!
    Second, I've been meaning to compliment you on you blog style update. It looks familiar yet fresh.
    Third, love those cards. One of my resolutions for 2014 was to send handmade birthday cards. It was a wee bit of a selfish resolution in that I wanted to see if I could resurrect the design and lettering skills I used to have. I tore up the first three attempts. But it's going better now. Husband gifted me with a set of 24 Crayola markers.
    And, four, I hope you are having a good week out there in Washington. We got 5 more inches of snow yesterday, and it was 4 degrees this morning. I take comfort in the fact the National Cherry Blossom festival is only 5 weeks away!

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  20. Oh Karen, I love your beautiful, handmade cards, with such a sweet touch of nature. Thank you for an inspirational post and what I so love about blogging... sharing and learning from each other. Have a wonderful week. xo

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  21. Dearest Karen,
    What a lovely craft you've prepared over several seasons. No better way to spent a winter's day... You also got a lovely variety of dried flowers from your garden.
    Great post or one could easily say a kind of magazine on how to create lovely hand made cards with a very special message of love.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  22. Your cards are gorgeous Karen! That display that you created with all of your cards looks as though it should be in a specialty store! Seriously! And this really helped me because now I have a better idea of how long to press the flowers for and to make sure that I press the card when it is finished as well! Your work is always so inspiring as I too love to create from nature...your projects always speak to me! I hope that you are having a wonderful week! Nicole xoxo

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  23. This is a wonderful idea, Karen! They are beautiful! Your world is so peaceful & refreshing.

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  24. What a lovely way to spend an afternoon and what a beautiful and sweet result. It's a pity that these days we receive less letters and cards. It's one of life's little delights to find a beautiful card with a heartfelt message in the mailbox.

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  25. Hi sweet friend! These cards are not only beautiful, but quite charming! I love the idea of using pressed flowers. The paper you chose to put the dried flowers on is simply lovely.

    Thanks for the inspiration, dear Karen. Have a wonderful day - hugs to you!

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  26. LOVELY!
    I'm going to be sure to collect a few specimens when spring arrives. I make cards with my photos but I've never made any with flowers.
    These are beautiful!

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  27. It would make anyone's day to receive any one of these beautiful handmade cards, Karen! They're lovely!
    Have a happy one,
    Lin

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  28. These are so pretty Karen. You're so fortunate to have so many beautiful specimens to choose from. Thanks for sharing.

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  29. These cards are so beautiful!!!! I need spring...
    Thanks for sharing.
    Have a great day

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  30. Hi Karen,

    So nice to meet you! Your pressed flower cards are so very pretty! I love the fact that each one has its own unique background, complementing the flower's colours. They definitely have a spring feel to them, cheery and charming all at once! Thanks so much for sharing and have a lovely day!

    Poppy

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  31. I would love to spend an afternoon like this! I love the botanical theme. How lovely to be able to gather things right outside your door. Loved your rainy day post too. I could just hear those flickers. We get them here too. I say it every time. Such beautiful views!

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  32. Hi Karen, thanks so much for stopping by my blog on Wednesday! You are so talented and creative and always making something pretty. I love these cards so much and they would really look nice framed because they are too pretty to use as cards. We still have very cold temps here and no signs of spring yet. Have a wonderful weekend.
    Julie

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  33. I love pressed flowers, especially pansies because they are already very flat and they are so colorful. Your handmade cards are beautiful and this is a unique way to share your flowers with others. This would be fun to do with my kids too. I think I still have my pressed flower kit.

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  34. What beautiful, thanks for sharing Karen, I love receiving cards and send too .. I got a lavender flower with many years ago and have stayed with me till today. Your wonderful work, congratulations and a big kiss!

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  35. Because of busy times and virusses I haven't been very active on my blog and the blogs of others last few weeks. I am sorry for that :-)

    You posted some nice work lately! I enjoyed reading your posts Karen!! :-)

    Greetings from the Netherlands! ;-)
    Gert Jan Hermus
    dzjiedzjee.blogspot.com

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  36. These are wonderful, Karen! I love the dried botanical touches. Looks like the perfect card to send to anyone, and I would love to make some. Will have to keep the instructions.

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Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

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