How to make pressed flower cards.

Materials Needed:

• Pressed flowers, stems, leaves
• card stock
• tweezers
• small soft brush
• Perfect Paper Adhesive
• background paper or fabric (optional)

Select the pressed flowers, stems, ands leaves you will be using - make sure the size of your pressed flowers will be the right size for your composition. Pressed flowers may be bought online, or better yet, press your own in just minutes with a Microfleur microwave flower press.

Take a moment to arrange the flowers on your card, taking note of how and where you want to position them. The pressed flowers can be mounted directly on the card itself, or you may want to adhere a background of fabric, or handmade paper to the card stock first (like I do), before gluing the flowers down.

Using a tweezers to hold the pressed flower, apply a very small amount of Perfect Paper Adhesive - Matte to the back of the flower, position it on the card, and gently press down. Do the same with the stems and leaves. Some artists prefer to glue fern leaves, or other decorative foliage down first, and place the flowers on top of them. Do what ever seems natural to you!

Once you've finished adhering your pressed flowers/foliage, it's a good idea to place the card under a heavy book for a few minutes. The firm pressure will ensure that your pressed flowers will dry flat.

Your card is ready to go, but will it be able to survive a trip through the mail? Maybe not. It used to be that the best options of protection were to use contact paper, wax paper, or lamination to protect the pressed flowers, but the results were, not surprisingly, plastic and unnatural looking.

Ethereal Pressed Flower Cards
Materials:

• Wax paper
• Kleenex or tissue
• Diluted white glue, half water-half Elmer's
• Small paint brush
• Brown Kraft paper
• Tape
• Folded handmade, note paper, or cardstock
• Pressed flowers and leaves
• Tweezers

Instructions:

Cover the work area with brown paper.

Use a permanent marker to draw a shape the size of the open note card on Kraft paper; draw a line down the center to mark the fold line.

Place a larger piece of waxed paper over the outline and hold with tape, avoid covering the outline with tape.

Use the paint brush to coat the wax paper with thinned glue. The glue will bead but that's ok.

Arrange flowers on glue-coated wax paper, on the right half of the divided outline. This is the front of the card.

Don't forget the back of the card - add a tiny flower, etc. to the left side.

Using a single ply of tissue (pull apart sheets on two-ply tissues), cover the waxed paper and flowers.

Working from the center of each section, gently coat the tissue with diluted glue, carefully pressing out air bubbles with the brush.

Let the tissue covered wax paper dry several hours or overnight, then remove from the brown paper when dry.

Place the tissue covered wax paper between paper towels and press with iron set on wool. The wax melts into the plant material. This serves as the cover of your card.

Using the note card as a guide, trim the wax paper layer to size.

Fold the floral layer in half, place folded note card inside, and secure the two back sheets together with double stick tape or a glue stick.

Variations :

• Try different colors of tissue
• Use lace paper instead of tissue for a different effect.
• Tie a small ribbon, metallic cord, or decorative fiber around the fold.

Things you'll Need:

• Flowers and leaves
• Heavy book or flower press
• Card stock
• Ruler
• Paint brush
• Tweezers
• Glue or adhesive
• Wax paper

Step 1

Choose flowers and leaves from outside that you wish to press and use. To press the items you gathered, you can put them in a flower press or simply between the pages of a heavy book. In a day or two, you will have a dried pressed flower.

Step 2

Select your card stock, which you can find at your local craft store. Card stock comes in a variety of colors and textures. You can even find card stock that is already folded and in bundles with envelopes.

Step 3

Decide on the size of your card or gift tag and cut the paper. If you want to add a decorative edge to your card, cut the paper slightly larger than your intended card. Use a ruler and place it on the cardstock parallel to the edge and in from the edge about half an inch. With a damp paintbrush, make a straight line along the ruler's edge. Holding the paper secure with one hand, begin to tear away that extra half inch, using the wet line and ruler as a guide. This creates a natural torn edge. Fold the card stock in half, lining up the torn edge to the now-backside edge of the card.

Step 4

Arrange your leaves and flowers on the card or tag using tweezers. Start with the largest pieces and work your way to the smaller ones. Once you have a sense of what you want your card to look like, remove the pressed pieces carefully from the paper.

Step 5

Apply glue or other adhesive to the backs of your pressed flowers and leaves using a small paint brush. Don't overdo the glue or adhesive; small dabs will do. Position the flowers on the card with the tweezers and let them stick. Wipe away any glue that oozes out from underneath.

Step 6

Allow the adhesive to set for a few minutes. Then take wax paper and place it over your card face. On top of that, place a heavy book and let sit overnight. Or if you prefer, seal the card with clear contact paper or cover it with wax paper and iron it.

Step 7

Finish your card by writing your message on the front or inside. Place it in an envelope and deliver.