JoJo's Knitting Emporium: March 2017

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Yesterday was the first day of Spring! It wasn't a great day but today's sun has made up for it. I love Spring, firstly its the season of my birthday, the sun begins to shine in England and so many new beautiful flowers spring up! I love flowers, they are so pretty. The dainty wild ones and all the daffodils. It's the perfect time of year for flower pressing.

I find flower pressing is a hobby that I enjoy but I don't spend a considerable amount of time doing, it is quite simple and doesn't require too much maintenance. The main thing is deciding what to do with the flowers and how to arrange them once pressed. I made a few cards and a bookmark using the flowers I had pressed. I braught a pack of 50 cards with envelopes from the works - £4 that's only 8p per card! You can also buy 10 for £1 if you don't want to make too many. Below is a step by step of how to make the pressed flowers cards.

Step 1 - choosing flowers

I want to emphasise that you only pick flowers you are allowed to. And if picking from a public area make sure they are only wild flowers and don't pick too many from the same area as not to spoil the scenery for other people.

When choosing flowers (or pretty leaves) you should look out for dainty flowers more than thick ones, I found daffodils do work but require more maintenance when pressing. The finer the easier to press and better they will look as when pressing you are drying them out, the thicker means the longer time it takes and more regularly you need to change paper.

Step 2 - placing the flowers onto paper

For the pressing you can ither use a flower press (I found this one on Ebay) or you can use newspaper, blotting paper (better but not necessary to use) and books.
I used books, newspaper and blotting paper to press mine. So start with a book, then newspaper (a couple of sheets will do) and a sheet of blotting paper. Place the flowers how you want them to be pressed. Open is lovely, you will need to cut the stalk at the top of the flower or this will get in the way, you can have a look at my images of pressed flowers to get an idea how to place them or images of other pressed flowers.

If you use the flower press a layer of corrigated card is good to use as first layer then newspaper and blotting paper.

Step 3 - paper and weight

Place another layer of blotting paper, couple pages of newspaper then another book. If you are using the flower press add the same then corrugated card (if you have) then tighten the flower press.

Step 4 - Waiting and checking

If you have pressed bigger or thick flowers/leaves these will take longer and require changing blotting paper or newspaper more often, its worth checking thicker ones every day, if it looks like its been damp then it needs changing. For the flowers I pressed I checked every 3/4 days and they were pressed by 3 weeks!

These will last for years so don't worry about when you use them.

Step 5 - Making cards and more

You can arrange the flowers on a card to a design you like, then you can take a photo to remember arrangement or use a second card to take one flower at a time, use a glue stick on the card in the area which you are placing the flower, or you can pick up the flower with tweezers, dot some pva glue with a fine stick on the back. Place the flower and repeat this with all pressed flowers you use on the card.

There are endless projects you can do, if you use Gloss finish Mod Podge or clear nail varnish, you can make pretty phone cases, glasses (small ones are extra cute) frame them, present tags (you can pick up blank ones from the works or hobby craft) If you place them in glass frames you can hang them by a window!

Spring time walk collecting flowers. The tiny flowers from these trees press well and are beautiful

JoJo

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