Suncatchers with pressed flowers: 8 crafts projects you can do thanks to wonders of nature
There is no season of the year in which some flower or shrub does not capture our attention: if we pay attention, nature always surrounds us with wonders - even on the side of a road in the middle of the city. In spring, you are spoiled for choice in terms of flowers, but at other times of the year, there is still something to admire.
You may have wanted to pick flowers and keep them for a while at home - even if they eventually wither and die. But if you want to create arrangements that last, you could use pressed flowers to create, for example, lovely sun catchers with your own hands. Check out the examples below:
Tutorial via thebestideasforkids.com
In most cases, you need to press the flowers so that they dry out and are flattened (which also makes them easier to handle). To do this, you can place flowers between sheets of paper inside heavy books (which additional weight can be added). Or you can buy a special flower press.
When the flowers have dried, laminating (or plastification) sheets are often used in projects - but regular plastic sheeting can be used too.
The procedure - if special appliances are not used - is very simple: take two sheets of parchment paper, place one on an ironing board (or some other flat support). Place a sheet of plastic on top of it, then arrange the flowers as you like. Secure the arrangement with a topping plastic sheet. Then, put the second piece of parchment paper on top of this. At this point, you can iron the sheeting, being careful not to linger on any one spot for too long.
The advantage of using special laminating sheets is that they do not wrinkle and give you a cleaner, clearer result.
Tutorial via hellowonderful.co
When you've created your composition, you can cut it out and maybe add shapes, like in this butterfly silhouette.
Or you could also use them as frames to turn your creations into small works of art.
Sun catchers should be put up close to glass that is hit by the sun's rays. In this way, you will see how beautiful they are when the light passes through them.
Tutorial via brighterdaypress.com
Recycled or repurposed objects can also be used as frames, such as wooden embroidery hoops.
Tutorial via hearthandvine.com
And when you use frames that can take glass or plexiglass, you can use the pressed flowers without having to heat anything with an iron.
Tutorial via allfreekidscrafts.com
Irrespective of the method you use, the important thing is to prevent air from getting into the sealed-in dried flowers.
In short, all you have to do is gather up some flowers you like, dry them out and then let you creative juices flow!
