How to Press Leaves and Flowers Collected from a Nature Walk Without a Flower Press

Nature hunts or walks are wonderful way to explore the natural world around us. When you bring back leaves from a nature hunt you don't have to use a fancy flower press to flatten and press the leaves you collected. This is an easy way to press leaves. This method of pressing leaves or flowers uses things most people have sitting around their homes. That and a little time makes this an easy project to do. Once the leaves or flowers are pressed you can use them for many different arts and craft projects.

Supplies Needed:

Leaves
Heavy Books
Waxed paper
Scissors

Directions:

*Go out and enjoy nature once in awhile. Then gather and bring back some of her bounty to press and use later. Flowers that are too thick to press flat will not work well unless you disassemble them and press the petals. For instance a rose is too fat, but the petals from the rose work beautifully pressed. You don't have to have a fancy flower press to press leaves or flowers.

*Take the gathered flowers or leaves and wash off any dirt or foreign matter, then set them on a dish towel or paper towel to dry completely. You don't want any excess moisture in the books when you are drying and preserving the leaves or flowers.

*Get some large heavy books like phone books or big hardbound textbooks or other hardbound books. Paperbacks are too light.

*Tear or cut two pieces of waxed paper that will fit inside the pages of one of the books.

*Open the book to the middle and set the two sheets of waxed paper in between two pages. Put one on either side.

*Spread the leaves, flowers and flower petals around on one piece of waxed paper being careful not to overlap them. Leave space between each piece being pressed. If you need more room do another page with two more pieces of waxed paper or as many pages as you need to do for what you have gathered and are preserving.

*Close the book and pile a few other heavy books on top of the one with the flowers or leaves inside. Ste them aside in a dry area and let them sit for 2 weeks. After two weeks, carefully remove the sheets with pressed flowers or leaves from between the pages of the book. Remove each piece carefully from the waxed paper when you are ready to use them.

The leaves or flowers you gathered on your nature walk will be dry and pressed and ready to be used for your art or craft project.