Rachel 
Materials Needed:
Flowers
If drying flowers:
- Silica gel or another drying agent
- Box with lid to store flowers while drying
If pressing flowers:
- Parchment paper
- Items to press with:
- Straightener
- Cardboard or other items to separate parchment paper sections
- Weighted items to weigh down if using manual method of pressing
- Any other preferred items you use to press flowers
Shadow box(es)
Hot glue gun and glue
Paper to use as background for flowers
Scissors
Ribbon (optional)
Steps
- Gather the flowers
Take the flowers you want to press/dry. In the case of funeral bouquets or wedding bouquets, separate the flowers you’ll use from the ones you’ll discard – this shows you what you’re working with.
- Decide if you’ll press and/or dry flowers
If you decide to do both, separate into different piles so you aren’t separating them as you go. It makes the process easier. Collect the materials needed for the process you wish to undertake.
For Drying:
- Have silica or other drying agent ready to add into the box either before or as you add flowers. I’ll typically add a thin layer to the bottom of the box before adding any flowers so that there’s silica gel on all sides of the flower.
- If you want to include the stem, either lay the flower on its side or face down with the stem up. Surround the flower with drying agent then continue this process as you add more flowers into the box. For flowers that you don’t want to include the stem on, cut the stem as close to the flower as possible without removing the structural integrity of the flower. Put these flowers face up with what’s left of the stem facing down. Make sure that flowers either on their sides or face up have drying agent between the layers. This allows them to dry on the inner portions as well, so they don’t rot later. For flowers facing downwards, they will have to have drying agent added to their inner layers later. Let flowers sit in lidded box until they are dry. If necessary, change the position of the flower or readjust where the drying agent is so that flower can dry completely.
For Pressing:
- If using a straightener to press, wrap wax paper or parchment paper around the flower. Use heated up straightener to press down on wrapped flower. I don’t use this method, so I don’t have any pictures.
- If using a more hands-off method, use cardboard or some other separator and place it as the bottom layer. Place a layer of parchment/wax paper then add flowers to it. Either fold the paper over or use another piece to cover those flowers. Put another layer of the separator on top. If you need more layers, add more as needed. On top of the top-most layer, add something weighted such as heavy books. This weight will help press the flowers flat.
- For pressing flowers, make sure it is done in a climate-controlled setting. The last thing you want to happen is keep pressed flowers in a garage or an area that doesn’t protect them from excess moisture if it rains during the pressing process. I had this happen recently, and I had to throw out some flowers due to mold. Fortunately, I was able to save some, and I dried them, so they didn’t have the chance to mold.
- The straightener method is more immediate, but pressing flowers using other items can take more time. Give it a few days, then evaluate if the flowers are adequately pressed.
- Once flowers are pressed or dried, it’s time to pull them together so that you can see the results. You can also play around and see how they look when placed in specific arrangements. For dried flowers, the shadow box(es) will need to be deeper to account for space unless they were dried in a flat position.
- Use colored paper as the backdrop for your bouquet. After placing flowers in their preferred positions, hot glue the flowers to the paper so that they stay in place.
- Insert the paper with flowers into the shadow box. If you want, sign your name at the bottom of the page.
Extra:
If you also want to use ribbon in your bouquet, take the ribbon wrapped around the flowers that you gather. Either tie a bow or use a strip around the stems to make it look like it’s circling the flowers. As you can see, I included a cross in one of the bouquets. I glued it to the inside of the shadow box, so that it would stand straight when hung.
If you have any questions about these steps, please let me know! I’m happy to answer.
