In This Newsletter

Bring summer indoors! Use your outdoor blooming beauties to decorate the inside of your home. Learn the art of air-drying flowers. Discover how to make a basic flower press. Use your herbs and flowers in delicious and affordable gift mixes.

Bring the Outdoors In
Growing up in the quaint and beautiful coastal town of Savannah, Ga., I was struck by the resourcefulness of my family when it came to home decorating. I remember footed glass jars of seashells lining cabinets and shelves, impressing everyone with natural beauty and a sense of summer. The jars held shark teeth, sand dollars, "angel wings" shells and other groups of seashells we collected. I have been an inlander for many years and have learned that bringing the outdoors in can also mean using blooming treasures to decorate your home for an indoor taste of summer. Flowers can also be used to create charming and delicious gifts.

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Air-Drying Flowers
Air-drying flowers is a simple process that preserves your blooms and saves money by providing low-cost or free crafting material. With dried flowers, you can make decorations for your home or to give as gifts (see project below). The most common way to dry flowers is to hang them upside down. Search for an area that is out of direct sunlight and has good air circulation. Bunch the flowers together with rubber bands, paper clips, clothespins, twine or florist wire, and hang them upside down. I use a converted wooden drying rack for this process. I installed screw peg hooks into the wood and hung twine at the ends.

Flowers will dry out at different rates depending on their variety. I have experimented with this, and some have dried out in as little as two or three days, while others took two or three weeks. You will know that your flowers are completely dry and ready for use when they are stiff to the touch and rustle when you move them.

Your dried beauties can be used to create a multitude of home decor items and gifts. One of my favorites is using dried roses to make a special potpourri for handmade sachets. Since dried flowers are so beautiful, I make the sachets with tulle so the recipient can see them and smell them at the same time.

Although I do not personally grow herbs, I do enjoy cooking with fresh herbs purchased locally. It seems I always have way more than I need. I frequently use this process to preserve the remainder of the herbs for gift mixes and cooking. Wash the herbs and place them together in small bunches of about seven to nine stems. Wrap the stems with rubber bands and place each bunch stem up into a brown paper bag. Use another rubber band to wrap the end of the bag around the stems. Hang the bags in a cool, dark and breezy area for two or three weeks. Store individually in airtight containers such as herb jars.

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Make a Basic Flower Press
Pressed flowers are simple and fun to create. They can be used to embellish note cards, wrapping paper and even to decoupage vases and trinket boxes. It all starts with a basic flower press. For this press you will need:

• 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick piece of wood
• Screws
• Washers
• Wing nuts
• Corrugated cardboard
• Blotting paper, such as a recycled phone book or newspaper
• Drill and drill bit
• Screwdriver
• Wood-cutting method

Step 1:
Cut two pieces of wood the same size. When determining the size of your flower press, consider the size of the flowers.
Step 2:
Use the drill and drill bit to drill four holes in corners of wood to match screw sizes.
Step 3:
Trim layers of cardboard and blotting paper to fit size of wood. Angle corners so that the screws go through the wood only. Trim about a dozen pieces of cardboard and twice as many pieces of blotting paper. Note: Blotting paper is used to provide a thin and smooth layer between the cardboard and flower. My tried-and-true blotting paper material is an old phone book; it doesn't leave the print on your flowers like newsprint does. And what a great way to recycle! Trim the blotting paper in the same way you did the cardboard.
Step 4:
Alternate the layers of cardboard and blotting paper between the wood pieces. Use one layer of cardboard, two pieces of blotting paper and one layer of cardboard. Repeat process until all pieces are used.
Step 5:
Place flowers between the two pieces of blotting paper and cardboard. Attach the screws to the corner of the press, followed by the washer and wing nuts. Tighten down to press flowers and allow the flowers to dry. The length of drying time will depend on the size of the flower used.

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Antique Roses Dress Form It's easy to add vintage charm to a dressing room or bedroom. Add pretty pink roses to a dress form for an instant decorating accent with Victorian flair! Design by Lorine Mason I have always sewn and have long imagined a sewing room large enough to accommodate a wonderful collection of antique dress forms. This project might solve my space problem. -- Lorine Mason Materials Papier-mâché dress form 14-inch (1/4-inch) dowel Small wooden finial to fit on end of dowel 3 x 5-inch oval wooden plaque Suede spray paint Metallic gold acrylic paint Spray of small (3/4- to 1-inch) silk flowers with leaves to coordinate with decals Paintbrush Floral rub-on decals Varnish Craft drill with 1/4-inch bit Painters tape or low-tack masking tape Wood glue Instructions 1. Mark center of wood plaque; drill hole at that point. Add a drop of glue and insert one end of dowel. 2. Drill or poke hole in center bottom and top of dress form. Thread dowel up through hole in bottom and out hole in top. Apply some glue to hole in finial; cap end of dowel. Apply more glue to bottom of finial; push dress form up into glue and secure until glue is dry. 3. Referring to photo throughout, pencil a curved line down length of dress form on front and back. Using tape, mask off left side of dress form, placing tape along curved line. Following manufacturer's instructions, spray right side of dress form, dowel and top surface of plaque with suede-finish paint. Let dry, then apply a second coat. Let dry; remove tape. 4. Paint left side of form, finial and remainder of plaque with gold paint. Let dry. 5. Cut apart decals to create clusters of flowers. Following manufacturer's instructions, rub decals randomly onto left (gold) side of dress form and onto the top of plaque. 6. Paint decals with varnish; let dry. 7. Separate leaves and flowers from spray. Glue along curved line on dress form. Note: If flowers seem too large, carefully trim away petals from back of flower.   Copyright © June 2004 Combination Crafts. All rights reserved. Click here for printer-friendly page.

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