5 Ways to Dry Flowers for Crafts

By learning different ways to dry flowers you can open the doors to a wide variety of craft projects. Preserve your wedding flower bouquet, prom corsage, baby shower flowers, or make simple greeting cards and other fun projects with a unique assortment of wild flowers. All of these dried flower crafts will require one important job - drying the flowers. There are several ways to dry flowers for crafts, some of which can take longer than others. The techniques we've listed below are easy to follow and fairly inexpensive.

How to dry flowers with cat litter

If you have an indoor cat, you already have all the supplies needed for this flower drying technique. If not, head out to the store and purchase a small bag of inexpensive cat litter. The flowers that work especially well for this method are roses.

TIP - There should be no moisture (including dew or rain) on the flowers before drying.

STEP 1 - Remove the flower heads and discard the stems.

STEP 2 - In a deep microwave-safe bowl pour approximately five cups of cat litter.

STEP 3 - Using your finger, dig out a space in the litter for the flower heads to sit and place the flowers (face up) in the bowl.

STEP 4 - Spoon a bit more litter over the flower heads.

STEP 5 - Place the bowl (uncovered) in the microwave for two minutes on full power.

STEP 6 - Leave the bowl in the microwave for 20 - 30 minutes to allow the flower drying technique to finish.

STEP 7 - Remove the bowl from the microwave and brush off the cat litter with a soft brush.

How to dry flowers by pressing

This flower drying technique takes time, but it is an easy and effective way to preserve special flowers.

STEP 1 - Place your flowers flat on a sheet of newspaper, paper towels, or other dry paper product. Do not allow them to touch each other.

STEP 2 - Place a thin layer of paper towels over the flowers.

STEP 3 - Get two books and sandwich the flowers between both of them. The top book will need to be heavy, or something heavy will need to placed on top of it.

STEP 4 - Place everything in a dark spot, such as a closet or basement room. This flower drying technique will take several months or longer, but when you finally remove them they will still look colorful and like new.

How to dry flowers with Silica crystals

Using Silica crystals is one of the most costly ways to dry flowers on our list, but it is a quick method that yields beautiful results. These gel crystals are available at virtually all craft stores.

STEP 1 - Add a few inches of Silica crystals to the bottom of a microwave-safe container.

STEP 2 - Place the flowers (stems upright) into the gel.

STEP 3 - Add another two inches of crystals.

STEP 4 - Place the bowl in the microwave and follow time instructions on the packaging.

STEP 5 - Remove the flowers from the microwave and brush off excess crystals.

How to dry flowers with Borax

This flower drying technique works in the same way as the Silicone crystal method, but Borax is much cheaper. Thus, follow the steps listed above. There is only one additional step required.

Additional step - After you have removed the container from the microwave, immediately place it in a dark room such as a closet or basement space. After a few days, check the texture of the flowers. When they feel like paper, this flower drying technique is complete. Brush off the excess Borax with a soft brush.

How to dry flowers by air drying

This is also a very easy flower drying technique, but it does take patience. I used this method to preserve my wedding bouquet and it worked beautifully, but it did take almost a year to complete.

STEP 1 - Separate flowers into several small groupings. Remove all excess foliage from the stems. You will need to place 6 - 8 flowers in each group.

STEP 2 - Use string and tie around the stems of the flowers to securely hold them together. Do this with each group.

STEP 3 - These flowers will need to hang upside down in a very dark room. I used a closet that we rarely used and tied each string to a wire hanger to keep them in place. After almost a year, I removed the dried flowers and placed them in a vase.

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How to Prepare a Gourd for Crafts

How to Make a Gourd Bird House

How to Make a Gardener's Gift Basket

SOURCE:

Personal knowledge and experience

Jennifer Wagner - Yahoo! Contributor Network