A laminator and flower press are wonderful home crafting tools, bringing out the natural beauty of flowers in vivid color to create this delightful homemade gift that is surprisingly easy to make.
Collecting and Pressing Flowers
Keep an eye open for flowers suitable for pressing throughout the year. Look for small, colorful flowers that are not too fleshy as these will press down to the paper thinness best suited for passing through a laminating machine. Also collect delicate green and colored foliage for pressing, along with fine stems that may be used to create bouquet designs.
Flower presses are available which simplify the process of pressing flowers; the serious crafter will find these indispensible. Newcomers who are just trying pressed flower crafts out can sandwich the fresh flowers between two pieces of tissue paper between two pages of a sturdy hardback book. Place the book into a well stocked bookshelf so the pages of the book are squeezed tightly. Leave the flowers for several weeks until they are fully dry.
How to Make a Pressed Flower Bookmark
- Cut out a bookmark shaped rectangle of art card in a pale color.
- Use either a craft knife and rule or an office guillotine to create neat edge.
- Cut a laminating pouch to a rectangle with edges around half an inch longer than the card, again using either a craft knife and rule or a guillotine.
- Arrange the flowers on the art card until happy with the design. Using a very little quick drying glue, anchor the flowers in place on the card.
- Place the card inside the trimmed laminating pouch, center it carefully, and put the entire bookmark into a folded sheet of paper that is long enough to completely enclose the bookmark, while narrow enough to pass through the laminator.
- Pass one bookmark through the laminator at a time, feeding the narrow edge of the bookmark into the rollers to maximize the pressure applied.
- Use a craft knife to round the corners of the laminated bookmark.
Further Pressed Flower Bookmark Craft Ideas
Use watercolor paints to complement the design of bookmarks. A simple idea is to use a watercolor pencil to draw a border around the bookmark card, and then use a small paintbrush dipped in water to soften the edges of the border. Alternatively, paint in a wash background to complement the colors of the flowers.
Use flower petals and leaves to build up images such as the fabric on the dress of a figure or a forest of foliage. Complete the design with water color paints. Be sure to leave the paint to dry completely before lamination.
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