How to Cut and Dry Roses: Two DIY Methods

1-How to Preserve Your Flowers With Some of Their Original Appearance by DYI

1. If you are going to dry your own flowers, it is important to remember that in order to keep the original colours, you must dry your flowers as quickly as possible. For best results it's a good idea to dry your blooms the same day or the day after you get them.

2. The more heat they are exposed to, the more they'll shrink.

Supplies:
- Silica Gel (available at craft/art supply stores)
- Can Of clear acrylic spray
- Soft bristle artist brush
- Scissors

If you plan to make a display of your flowers, you might also need these items:

- Hot glue gun/glue sticks
- Shadow box (available at craft/art/framing stores) or whatever base you're planning to display your finished project in Other possibilities are: baskets,bowls,hats,purses,fancy boxes,tins,mailboxes or any other imaginable item that can be converted into a container or base for display.
- Background mat,fabric, ribbons, fancy paper,photos,etc
- Your flowers/roses (cut off flower leaving approx. 1-2" stem, only if you plan to place these in a display that requires the short stems. Otherwise, leave the stems longer, and just trim the stems and the leaves to the appearance desired
after drying,so that they will be stable in the vase that they finally are placed in, or will have the desired effect if longer stems are needed in the display.)
- Announcement/Photo/Letter/Other memento (optional)
Article Submitted by J. Westwood, London-http://diy-weddings.com/Bouquet_Preserving.html

DIY Flower Preservation Instructions

1 - Cover the bottom of an airtight container with 1" Silica Gel.
2 - Place flowers face up so they are not touching
3 - Completely cover flowers with Silica Gel
4 - Seal with lid or Saran wrap. Leave undisturbed for 5-7 days
5 - Gently pour off Silica Gel and using a brush, dust off any remaining Silica Gel
6 - Spray with acrylic to help seal in color and resist breakage. Let dry

If you are planning to place in a display:
7 - Glue mat,fabric,ribbons, fancy paper,photos,etc to backboard of shadow box or whatever container or base you plan to use.
8 - Glue flowers to mat/fabric/ribbons, fancy paper,photos,etc. Be creative! You can arrange the flowers as you like, insert a photo, announcement/photo/letter/other memento etc.

2-Natural Version of DIY Drying Roses and Other Flowers

My husband and son have given me many bouquets of roses over the years.Occasionally, they have lasted several days. However, more often, they tend to droop right away, usually before they've even had an opportunity to bloom. I got tired of being frustrated with the disappointment. I decided to dry them. Our son was young at the time, so I didn't want to use silica gel, since it is poisonous.

Supplies:
-Roses,other varieties of flowers and ferns
-Crochet thread,string or other cord
-A hook attached to the wall or piece of furniture that a loop can be tied to
-Scissors
-Vase(s)/cups/bowls/antique bottles/other containers
-Feathers/delicate ribbon or anything else that adds visual interest
-Hair spray or Artist's/Crafter's spray fixative

As with the first method of drying, how quickly you choose to dry the flowers determines how successful the outcome will be. However, in this case, it's not the color you will be saving, but the shape of the flower.

1-I have a hook in my bathroom which I suspend a loop of crochet thread from.I tie a loop in the center of the thread. Then I slip that loop over the hook.
2-I trim the stems and any leaves that are low on the stems to the way I want them to appear after drying.
3-I tie one end of the thread around the bouquet.
4- I hang the flowers upside down, with the blooms loosely separated from each other.
5-I leave it til it appears to be dry. The time varies depending upon the humidity and how dense the flowers and the bouquet are.I leave them to hang for about two to four weeks.
6-I take the flowers down and put them in a vase and leave to dry for about a month or longer.
7-Then I spray the entire flower from bloom to stem with hairspray. Another good fixative would be artist/craft spray.
8-Then I arrange them in bouquets and put them into vases,antique bottles, mugs or bowls and add feathers, ribbons and sometimes marbles to the bottom of a clear glass vase.
9-Once or every other year, I will apply more hairspray.

Most of my bouquets are 10-15 years old. The reds are dark. But the whites and bi-colors do retain quite a bit of their color.Some other types of flowers also make for interesting additions, such as baby's breath, stock,chrysanthemums
zinnias and sometimes daisies.

Ferns can also be dried and added to the bouquets. Some will retain their green, and some won't. But even if they don't, if their texture is interesting enough, they will still look nice and will keep for a long time.Some of the ferns, though, don't dry well, and others do. Those that have an open network of leaves,like, Button or Maiden Hair Fern instead of the firm tight ones of the typical Leather or Boston/Florida ferns that usually come with a bouquet, look better after drying.
They look frilly instead of gnarled and twisted.

It depends upon what type of look that you're going for and what your attitude is on drying naturally versus using a desiccant as to which way you choose to go. Or perhaps you have no preference. In any case here are two ways
to preserve your flowers with two different affects. Either will be a wonderful,visual reminder of your memories.

Source:

Article Submitted by J. Westwood, London-http://diy-weddings.com/Bouquet_Preserving.html