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Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Make the season last a little longer



Pansies.
Enjoy their beauty a little longer.



Dried Pansies affixed to soap bars. 







You will need: hairspray, scissors,  bar of soap and pressed flowers.






Make sure Pansies are dry.  With scissors, cut away thickest part at back of Pansy.   Arrange face down in an old book.
For more interest fill a few pages with smaller flowers and leaves. 







Place a heavy weight (this is a left over architectural fragment) on top of book and let sit undisturbed for 3 to 4 days. 






 When flowers are dry, spray bar of soap with hairspray and immediately press flowers onto soap. 







So many pretty flowers lend themselves to pressing and drying in books.  No need for a special flower press.  All of the above came from my garden. 







Or you can use a spray-on -fixative or ordinary wood glue to attach flowers. 
Personal note cards, writing paper, greeting cards, lamp shades and candles,  all can be personalized with pressed flowers.  









 Of course there are many other methods of affixing dried botanics.
However, most are very dangerous.  
They involve hot wax, a frying pan and a well ventilated room. 

And a Fire Truck standing by.  


Have a great week my dear 
Blogging Friends.

Gina 





18 comments:

  1. Oh, dear Gina, what wondrous note cards. I adore them..........the pansy has such a 'happy' little face and always looks beautiful fresh or dried.
    Thank you for your generous friendship which brings much joy into my life and great pleasure with your fine hand painted ceramics,Sieglinde

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    1. Dear Sieglinde, I would be very happy to share a few of my dried flowers with you so you can make your own note cards. You are so right, Pansies have the happiest little faces. You can also dry pansies in sand which gives them a more 3-dimensional look, perfect for many projects. ox, Gina

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  2. I would never have thought of using hair lacquer - what a great idea Gina - you are full of artistic wisdom and ideas which you very kindly share with everyone.

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    1. Dear Rosemary, You have so many beautiful flowers in your garden that drying a few of them would give you so much pleasure during the cold and long winter months.
      Of course, the flowers on the soaps will eventually wear off but for a little while they make lovely presents and look charming in a pretty soapdish, ox, Gina

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  3. I candy mine but I am going to dry some this year as well --I can see them on my menu cards! And I've looked at flower presses and have always passed them by -- after reading your post, I am glad you did -- OLD BOOKS we have!!!!

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    1. Hello Martha, Menu cards are perfect and personal stationary of all kinds lend themselves beautifully to dried flower decoration.

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  4. Gina, thanks for the great tips. Hairspray - who would have though? and then Why NOt???? Love the pretty dish the soaps are in. thanks.. xo marlis

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    1. Hello Marlis, Just make sure that the flower heads are very dry. The best way is to pick the flowers the day before, with stems. Leave them in a vase overnight. By morning the flowers heads will have used up all the misture they had. This way your dried flowers will retain their vibrant colors.

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  5. Your posting has inspired me to experiment with some tiny lavender blossums that are in my hedge! Thanks for the idea, and for mentioning the hairspray. Hairspray, incidentally, is also an inexpensive alternative to pencil drawing fixative!

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    1. Ah Ha Mark, of course hair spray would make a good fixative to pretect pencil drawings. Let us see your creations with lavender blossoms. Dried flowers work better affixed to paper than soap. Sooner or later (if it is very humid in your area) the flowers will discolor. But that shouldn't stop you from giving the soap a try because they will look very nice for a long time.

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  6. I am impressed! I love the soap with pansies on them. You are so creative! Thank you for the lesson. I am going to try it!
    Blessings My Friend,

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    1. Hello Sweet Lady, Let me know how they turn out and have a wonderful weekend.

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  7. I adore violas and pansies! You continually show us traditions that remind us of slower times and details of a simpler life. I used to press acres of flowers in old books. I still have blown out eggs covered with pressed pansies for easter decorations.

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    1. Dear Theresa, Violas and pansies are special. I love their little faces and the way they follow you around the garden. I would love to see your easter eggs. Did the pansies hold their color?
      Wishing you a happy weekend. ox, Gina

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  8. Gina, I didn't know you could attach the flowers with hairspray! Everything you made with the dried flowers is beautiful.
    xx,
    Sherry

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    1. Thank you Sherry and thank you for your visit. Nothing could be eaier than drying a few flowers from your garden and attaching them to a pretty bar of soap...make wonderful gifts.

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  9. That’s the coolest tip I have ever heard and it’s practically true and a must do! Anyway, I sincerely enjoyed your blog post today and I learned a lot from it too. Plus, I was greatly inspired to try it at home. Thanks a whole lot for the inspiration. It really is magnificent and beautiful.


    Magen - PhD by Publication

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  10. Hello Magen PhD, How wonderful that you're going to give it a go. Your soaps won't last forever but they will be pretty for a few months... but then they can always be used once the flowers have faded. Good Luck, Gina

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