SUPPLIES NEEDED:

• Fresh, delicate flowers or leaves
• Coffee filters, wax paper, or newspaper (optional)
• Thick book
• Good quality paper or folded index cards
  (to make the card or stationery)
• Scissors
• Hot glue sticks and glue gun or white glue

 

These items are available at your local discount store.
Recommended for children in grade 2 and up.

INSTRUCTIONS:

STEP 1:
Pick some delicate flowers and leaves - sturdy flowers and thick leaves do not work as well and take a lot longer to dry than the delicate ones. Some plants that work well are poppies, buttercups, tiny daisies, clover, ferns, pansies, and thin-petaled blooms.

STEP 2:
Press each bloom/leaf in a thick book between flattened coffee filters, wax paper, or newspaper. The coffee filters and newspaper will absorb a lot of the moisture as the flowers are pressed.

It takes at least a week or two to completely dry out and press a flower - bigger blooms take longer.

STEP 3:
When the plants are dry, carefully remove them from the book. Arrange them on your paper in an eye-pleasing way. You may trim some stems with scissors.

STEP 4:
Remembering how the flowers are arranged, remove them from the paper. Carefully apply hot glue or white glue to the back of the flower and gently press the flower onto the paper. Have a parent help you if you're using hot glue.

STEP 5:
Make sure all the plant material is touching the glue and lying flat on the paper. Let the glue dry completely.

You now have a beautiful card or stationery.