The Easy and Beautiful Art of Dried Flowers

Let's face it, all of the beautiful floral arrangements and bouquets made with painstaking care and thought will eventually wither and die, and then we are left to throw them away only to forget they ever were. I have had many bouquets of flowers given to me for different sentimental reasons but I always had to part with them in time. I always wished they would maintain their beauty forever, or at least a little longer than a week and a half. I never thought of saving them and using them as a part of my decor until recently. They add a certain natural charm to any area, bring a part of the garden indoors.

Start out with a bouquet or a single flower. Single flowers should be dried with the stems left long. You can carefully cut off any of the extra after it is dried. Pick flowers with complimenting colors, shapes and textures to create an arrangement that works for you. Tie a string around the bottom of the stem and hang it upside down in a place with little or no light and moisture - a closet works best. Leave it alone for at least a week or until it becomes crispy or brittle to the touch. Then you can take down the bouquet or flower and arrange it how you'd like. If you have some flowers that you would like to remain opened after drying then hang them so that the flower is lightly pressed - more like resting - against a table or flat object while drying out. Make sure that the flower is secured in place but it isn't too firmly pressed down so the petals will tear or be too flared out.

For above the headboard in my bedroom I am creating a romantic arrangement of dried flower bouquets I have collected made up of roses and assorted other flowers. I gathered eight different bouquets and staggered them on the wall above my bed four across and then two high. Above this I am going to hang a long piece of black satin cloth above the flowers like a curtain.

You can leave your creation in a vase tied with a fancy ribbon for a Victorian feeling or you can get creative with it and make a wall hanging or series of hangings to display. You are limited by your own imagination. A good coating (not thick enough to be runny) of clear spray paint will help keep the flowers from falling apart as much, it will keep them preserved for about twice as long as simply drying them out.