Floral cats made of pressed and dried flowers

 

Dried and pressed flowers are a wonderful material for creating animal arrangements. Small twigs, tiny leaves, colorful petals and leaves. Cats usually come in subdued colors - black, brown, gray, white. Thanks to building them from flowers, we have bright, full-color images that are perfect for a gift for a cat lover.

 

Sketching the silhouette 

You can use a photo of a cat from the internet. Lightly sketch the shape of the head with a pencil, the position of the ears, eyes and nose. These are the most important elements. I always paint my eyes and nose with a black marker because they are the most important for the whole composition. 

 

Filling with dried flowers 

You can easily use large flowers and leaves to fill the surface. I build small spaces from small leaves and smaller flowers. A cat's mouth is usually made of small petals of different flowers. The whiskers are, of course, meadow grasses or thin twigs. Dried wheats also works great. Pressed ferns give a vivid green color, yellow from pansy and evening primrose, blue from tiny lobelia flowers. Fluffy ears are made from small leaves with jagged tips. Red geranium flowers are perfect for balancing yellows in whole composition. My flower cats find their new homes quickly, but for those who are interested, I have prepared a section with digital images in my Etsy shop. You can print Your own floral cats at home, or send files to print on demand companies.

Pressed flower art - birds made of dried plants

Working with dried plants and pressed flowers for many years I discovered how many ideas can be realized using this natural material. Today I am going to show you a few ideas how to build images of birds using dried flowers.

 

The works you see here were made of real plants and flowers. More precisely, it is made of flower petals, small leaves from trees and shrubs, and even broken flower parts. They are always unique models and already found their owners in my Etsy shop.

The most important part of preparing such a job is finding the right picture of a bird. I am always inspired by old chinese and japanese paintings in style called Ink wash painting (shuǐmòhuà; suiboku-ga, sumi-e; sumukhwa). Suibokuga is a style of monochrome painting characterized by the use of just two things, black ink (sumi) and water. Deceptively simple, suibokuga artists make use of these two seemingly mundane materials to create a complex world of light, form, and even texture.  

Sumi-e style painting (left) vs my interpretation made of pressed plants (right)

 

Then we select the materials, sometimes a few leaves, small flowers and twigs are enough. Sometimes the arrangement of the picture goes smoothly, and sometimes I have to throw away my work. One thing is for sure - it takes a lot of patience. But when You get everything right You will get a simple, minimalist floral home decor. Full of colors and nature accents. Perfect gift for many occasions.

 

 

Flowers and plants drying kit

All you really need is to want to dry the flowers. To start, you don't have to pay for anything. Did you bring a meadow bouquet from the bike trip? Let's start.

 

 

Separate and review the plants

Gently separate the plants and flowers, and put the broken and squashed ones aside. If some have started to wilt - don't worry, it's part of the drying process. If some of the flowers started to lose their petals, collect them - you can dry them separately and then "rebuild" the flower from the dry elements. You can separate the flowers from the stems, cut off the leaves and buds, and dry everything separately. See if it is possible to remove thick centers in flowers without disturbing the structure of the plant. You can try to cut them with small scissors.

Pressing and drying in books

Prepare paper towels or other paper sheets from raw paper. Arrange the plants with space in between, put a paper towel on top, close the page. Don't put it on the next page right away, flip more pages. Fill a book and put it under a pile of other books, or under something else that is heavy. Try to put weight on the book so you can keep it closed. Check out this article for some more tips.

 

Flower press  

You can buy a flower press or ask someone to help make one yourself. I used two kitchen boards (thick, solid wood) to make my press. Bolts and wide nuts were also needed. In such a flower press, you can easily place entire books or individual plants into paper towels. For a better pressure distribution, I also prepared additional piecies of cardboard to put in between the books and paper towels. I squeeze the press as much as I can. After 2 days, I loosen the screws, check the condition of the plants. If there is a lot of moisture, I open the press, pull out the moist papers with plants and put them on a table. After a day, everything dries up nicely. You can re-insert them in the press for a few days.

 

 

Drying without special supervision 

The technique described above is for drying whole flowers and plants, stems with leaves, sets of flower buds, and all plants that may contain a lot of moisture. But if you decide to dry leaves, grasses, delicate flowers (such as pansies or violets) or the flower petals themselves, you can simply arrange them in books and put them on a shelf. Without any special checking or heating, in about 3 weeks you will have the material ready to make decorations.

Quick drying for already pressed flowers and plants 

Sometimes, when the weather is bad and rainy, there is a lot of moisture in the air, then traditional drying methods may not be enough to get rid of the moisture in the plants.If you don't act in time, they may start getting moldy and they will be of no use.

  Ironing   

If you have used sheets of paper, tissue or kitchen towels to separate the plants in your book, you can easily (but gently) pull them out. Prepare an ironing board or a free place on the table. Set the iron to the lowest heat. Like if you were ironing silk. No steam and no extra water. We don't want any more water in our flowers. Press the iron on the paper with the flowers inside. Hold for 5 seconds. Try to have a look inside. Make several attempts for a few seconds. You have to decide for yourself whether to dry completely or just warm up a little. Different plants react differently. Sometimes everything sticks to the paper. You have to throw it away. Sometimes an iron that is too hot burns the plants. Happens too. Try, test and draw conclusions.

 

Micowave   

If the flowers and plants were dried without a sheet of paper towels - you can try the microwave method. If the book fits in the microwave. Remember - pay attention to the materials used in the construction of the book - whether there are metal parts, multiple varnished pages or a laminated cover. Use short bursts to reheat for no more than 1 minute. If you can, shorter. Check the effects every time, you don't have to dry them to a crisp right away - just warm the book.

 

Pet heating pad

Like I wrote above - the key is to warm the book. The method that works for me in winter is the pet heating mat. It is such a flat mat with flat heaters inside. This is a great invention for our pets - it does not overheat, maintains the temperature, some models have a timer. I put books on the mat and it's ready - sometimes I check the condition of the plants, turn the books over, check that the covers are not overheating.

DIY Pressing and drying flowers

Pressing and drying flowers is a simple and effective way to preserve their beauty and color for use in decor, art, and other projects. Here is a basic guide to pressing and drying flowers:

1. Choose the flowers: Select flowers that are fully open and at their peak of freshness. Avoid flowers that are overripe, wilted, or have any signs of mold or disease.

2. Preparing the flowers: Remove any leaves or stems that may interfere with the pressing process. You can also cut the stems to a suitable length for your project.

3. Picking the pressing method: There are several methods for pressing flowers, including using a flower press, placing them between the pages of a heavy book, or using a microwave.

4. Drying the flowers: Once pressed, the flowers will need to be dried completely. This can take several days to several weeks, depending on the drying method used and the humidity levels in the air.

5. Storing the dried flowers: Once fully dry, store the pressed flowers in an airtight container, away from direct light and moisture, to preserve their color and prevent mold or decay.

By following these simple steps, you can successfully press and dry flowers to use in a variety of projects and decorative arrangements.

More tips! 

The process of flattening and drying flowers and plants depends on the species. It takes at least 3 weeks to dry flowers and plants under optimal conditions. It's always better to leave the plants for longer - you can then see if the color has changed. The thin petals will dry faster without intervention. Thicker leaves, stems and flower buds may require supervision and action. If after 2 - 4 days the plant is still moist, take it out of the book and apply additional drying. How? You will find it here.

 

 

Summer - an endless inspiration

I love fall, I appreciate spring, but summer is definitely the best time to pick flowers and plants. It is definitely worth trying to dry everything you like - only petals, whole flowers, stems with flowers and only leaves. You can find important information and my set of necessary accessories in this blog article.

 

The best time to harvest in garden  

We do not always have the ability to track the stages of plant growth. If we have a garden, we usually realize what has bloomed and when. In such a situation, it is best to pick the flowers when they are shaped and have the right color. You can also pick undeveloped forms and flower buds. This gives you more options in creating decorations. It is best to pick the flowers in the morning (if it has not rained at night), when they have already spread the petals, but the sun has not warmed them up too much.

 

What about harvesting in wild meadows and woodlands? 

Collect what you want, when you want! Since you don't know when the flowers have bloomed, take more from a given species at different stages of development. Plastic bags with a little water will be the best for transport. If possible, uproot the plant, clean it and put it in a bag of water. You can only sprinkle the plants with water and seal them in a plastic kitchen bowl or boxes. If you can, take more than you think you need. Some plants will break, peel off the petals and have to be thrown away. Don't worry, it's normal. 

 

Have fun collecting! 

Such tours in search of plants are a really fun way to spend your free time. If you want you can go by bike, you can take your kids, friends or acquaintances. I guarantee that everyone will come back with their bouquet. Remember - try to watch out for plants that are endanger. Be sure the one You are collecting are not under special environmental protection.