Making Memories: Preserving Flowers

I'm not sure if this is popular anymore, but preserving flowers is a great way to keep memories. I mentioned I wasn't sure if it was still popular, because I don't know anyone who does it. It's an easy process that will last you forever!

If you're going to preserve flowers, it's better to know ahead of time .Why do I say that? Because you don't really want to put them in a vase. It's better to preserve flowers before putting them in a vase because it will also preserve the color. If they're in a vase, you will most likely end up with a brown flower because of the time it spent in. So just grab one flower before putting into the vase.

Next, put them in between two paper towels. Sometimes flowers bleed, so this will help absorb the fluids. The flower will be flattened so arrange them in the way you will want them to look after being flatten. You can never go wrong with putting them on their side. Make sure that they're covered completely.

Now what you want to do is put them in between a book. This must be a book that you wouldn't mind getting dirty or even throwing it away. Because again, the flower may bleed and damage the pages. I recommend putting those old yellow pages phone book to work. Open it up in the middle and lay the flower in between the pages. Before closing it however, you may want to write a little note from where the flower was picked from. For example, "First date" or "Mother's day". Carefully close the book and press down on it so the flower will not fall.

Next, stack heavy books on top of the phone book-the dictionary or simply another phone book. Leave it in a place where it won't be disturbed and check up on it about one month later (but it really varies). Once it's flat and dry (you will easily be able to tell if its dry or not by touching it), carefully take it out. The flower should be delicate, but contain it's color. If you had placed that flower in a vase, you might notice it's brown-ish color.

What you should do with your flower is put it in a scrapbook or photo album. I have an album specifically for flowers with little notes written about why it's special. I really enjoy going back to look at the flowers I've saved and they're just as dear to me as pictures.