The Art of Flower Drying
Fun Summertime Craft for Kids, Adults and Families
Drying flowers is one of the oldest and most enjoyable craft projects, and it’s suitable for adults and children of all ages. Since it can take several weeks to completely dry out the flowers, this is the perfect project to do with the kids over summer break. Kids of all ages enjoy looking at their flowers each day to see how much they’ve dried out. There’s also a creative element to the process because there are so many ways that you can use dried flowers.
For instance, consider this short list of creative ways to put dried flowers to good use:
• Arrange flowers of different colors and sizes on a piece of paper and then laminate the arrangement to create a homemade bookmark.
• Create arrangements on paper and then frame them, creating affordable decorations for your home or office. These also make excellent gifts for holidays, birthdays and housewarming parties.
• Use the dried flowers and buds as decorations for scrapbooking or cardmaking hobbies.
• Mix the dried flower petals with ground cinnamon and lavender to create an aromatic homemade potpourri. You may also add cedar bark shavings, pine cones, and other natural ingredients.
• Lightly spritz the dried flowers with rose essential oil and place in small sachets. You can place the sachets in drawers, closets and other places around the home for natural fragrance.
You can also place dried flower arrangements in vases for home decorations that last much longer than fresh bouquets.
Selecting Flowers to Dry
It’s best to look for buds that are partially opened. They will continue to open through the drying process. If you select flowers that are fully open, you risk them starting to turn brown or lose petals as they dry.
Instead of pulling off the buds alone, snip off full stems whenever possible. You will use the long stems to secure the flowers during the drying process and can cut off the buds or pull off the petals once they’re dry. You may want to keep some of the stems for some projects.
If you enjoy the process of drying flowers and using them for arts and crafts projects, consider reserving a section of your flowerbed just for cutting flowers of different colors and sizes. You containers if you don’t want to start a flowerbed or garden. This is just another fun project to fill the summer months with rewarding fun.
How to Dry Flowers:
• Collect fresh flowers that you want to dry. You can use roses, hydrangeas, lilies, carnations and many other summer flowers. If you can’t find flowers out in your yard or another area, consider buying some from a farmer’s market or florist.
• Cut the stems so that they are up to six inches long, removing all leaves and side branches that you don’t want to include in your drying project.
• Hang the flowers upside down by the stems and allow to air dry for at least two weeks. One easy way to do this is to use thin string, dental floss or twine to connect the stems to a hanger. You can then place the hanger in a closet or in another place that is out of your way.
• Spray the dried flowers with hairspray to create a protective barrier.
Once you learn how to dry flowers, you will find many new ways to put them to good use. Consider this a cheap form of entertainment that can include every member of the family.
