Let's learn how to press flowers in a book. This is a simple and free way to preserve your favorite blooms and leaves from your own property or a nature walk!
Watching the seasons change is so incredible. Seeing those first little flowers bloom in the yard and garden brings me so much joy. Every bit of beauty this world has to offer should be savored. I love to take some of these precious blooms and interesting leaves inside with me to press in books. Preserving these little moments and remembering the joy of being outside with my little ones is a simple way to hold on to it all in a tangible way.
Maybe it's a flower you found on a walk that your toddler picked you, a favorite from your garden that you cherish annually, or a flower growing in the yard. Pressing flowers in books is free and easy. There are so many different pressed flower craft ideas to choose from. I'm going to share some inspiration with you here as well to get your gears turning! So bring them on in and let's get creating!
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Does pressing flowers ruin books?
There is the potential for moisture from the flowers and leaves to seep out onto the pages of your book. My best tips to ensure your books don't get ruined are to be sure to gently pat your blooms dry with a kitchen towel before you begin and to make cut your parchment paper the size of the whole page if not a little larger. It's okay if the parchment paper sticks out of the pages a bit so long as no part of your flowers and/or leaves hang out with it as they need that weight! Still worried? Go to the thrift shop and buy a book you don't care about so that if any moisture does get on the pages you won't be upset! That's now your designated flower pressing book!
The Earth Laughs in Flowers
Ralph Waldo Emerson
You should leave your flowers untouched in a book for 3-4 weeks for the best results!
Pressed flower craft ideas
- Phone case - Use a paintbrush to apply a small amount of clear glue on the dried flowers and apply them to a clear phone case. Be sure to lay them on the inside that will press against the phone itself.
- Nature journal - Keep these pressed flowers safely in a nature journal by taping them on the pages. Have fun with this, use pretty tape and write lovely quotes and/or document your time outside around the flowers and leaves!
- Faux ceramic vases - With a paintbrush and some clear glue, you can adhere some pressed flowers to your DIY faux ceramic vases!
- Pressed flower frames - Use a frame that is either clear glass on both sides or use paper behind them in a normal picture frame to display your pressed flowers! Use scrapbook paper, newspaper, brown paper bags, or whatever inspires you for your backdrop!
- Suncatcher - Use your pressed flowers in the window of your suncatchers!
- Paper bunting - Glue your pressed flowers to your homemade paper bunting for any spring or summer event!
- Paper lanterns - Decorate your paper lantern crafts with your dried flowers and leaves.
- Decorate the outside of beeswax luminaries - Add floral embellishments to your homemade luminaries.
- DIY bookmark - Save your flowers and save your page! These are lovely and easy DIY gifts.
They will last for years on end. Over time their color will fade. It is best to not leave them in direct sunlight as that will accelerate this process.
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What you need to press flowers in books
- 3-4 big heavy books.
- Flowers and/or leaves.
- Scissors.
- Parchment paper.
- Optional: paper and pencil.
How to press flowers in books step-by-step
- Cut two (2) pieces of parchment paper to size. They should be big enough to hold the flower and/or leaf on without any of it touching the pages.
2. Optional: note the page you are putting your flower in on a piece of paper. Place this piece of paper in the front of the book. This comes in handy when you have multiple flowers throughout the book!
3. Place one (1) piece of parchment paper down on the page. Position your flower on top how you would like. Make sure the petals and/or leaves are smooth and flat.
4. Place the other piece of parchment paper on top of the flower and close the book.
5. Put your book that has your flower in it in a stack of 3-4 books. Wait 3-4 weeks before removing your flower!
Tips for pressing flowers in books
- If your flowers and/or leaves are wet, gently pat them dry with a kitchen towel before starting this project.
- Writing down the pages you use on a scrap piece of paper and placing it in the front of the book is so helpful when you go to get them in 3-4 weeks!
- Write down the date you plan to take your flowers out of the books in your planner or set a reminder on your phone so you don't forget about them!
- If you are worried about protecting the pages of your book, cut your parchment paper the size of the whole page if not a little larger. It's okay if the parchment paper sticks out of the pages a bit so long as no part of your flowers and/or leaves hang out with it as they need that weight!
- If you don't want to risk a book in your collection of favorites, go to the thrift shop and buy a book you don't care about so that if any moisture does get on the pages you won't be upset! That's now your designated flower pressing book!
- For added preservation, you can gently coat your flowers and/or leaves in a layer of clear glue. Use a paintbrush and a light hand so you don't damage your blooms!
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What will you do with your pressed flowers?
Leave a comment below and share your upcoming project plans to inspire others!
How to Press Flowers in Books
Equipment
- 3-4 big heavy books.
- Scissors
- Parchment paper.
- Optional: paper and pencil
Ingredients
- Flowers and/or leaves
Instructions
- Cut two (2) pieces of parchment paper to size. They should be big enough to hold the flower and/or leaf on without any of it touching the pages.
- Optional: note the page you are putting your flower in on a piece of paper. Place this piece of paper in the front of the book. This comes in handy when you have multiple flowers throughout the book!
- Place one (1) piece of parchment paper down on the page. Position your flower on top how you would like. Make sure the petals and/or leaves are smooth and flat.
- Place the other piece of parchment paper on top of the flower and close the book.
- Put your book that has your flower in it in a stack of 3-4 books. Wait 3-4 weeks before removing your flower!
Notes
- If your flowers and/or leaves are wet, gently pat them dry with a kitchen towel before starting this project.
- Writing down the pages you use on a scrap piece of paper and placing it in the front of the book is so helpful when you go to get them in 3-4 weeks!
- Write down the date you plan to take your flowers out of the books in your planner or set a reminder on your phone so you don't forget about them!
- If you are worried about protecting the pages of your book, cut your parchment paper the size of the whole page if not a little larger. It's okay if the parchment paper sticks out of the pages a bit so long as no part of your flowers and/or leaves hang out with it as they need that weight!
- If you don't want to risk a book in your collection of favorites, go to the thrift shop and buy a book you don't care about so that if any moisture does get on the pages you won't be upset! That's now your designated flower pressing book!
- For added preservation, you can gently coat your flowers and/or leaves in a layer of clear glue. Use a paintbrush and a light hand so you don't damage your blooms!
tulipsandtwill
Julie,
Oh, how lovely! It's the perfect time of year for all things flower-related. Create something lovely!
-Mariana
Julie
Great ideas! We actually foraged for wildflowers today... Perfect timing. ??
tulipsandtwill
Bre,
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed!
-Mariana
Bre
What awesome craft ideas! I’ve always wondered how to press flowers correctly, now I know! Thank you.
tulipsandtwill
Barbra-Sue,
Thank you so much! It truly makes the most precious touch to countless projects!
-Mariana
Barbra-Sue
What a lovely post! This is one of those forgotten craft ideas. Good tips of how to preserve and how to use the flowers.
tulipsandtwill
Stacey,
That is so sweet and so special! I'm glad you've learned more about this from this post.
-Mariana
tulipsandtwill
Felicia,
I couldn't agree more! I hope you start a nature journal this summer, that would be so lovely!
-Mariana
Stacey
I remember a few years back I decided to press a floral bouquet, my son who resides out of state sent me for my birthday. To me it was such a monumental event seeing how I typically would receive a text wishing me a happy birthday. I thank his fiancé for saying, “send your mother flowers”. I recall placing each flower in the pages of a book for 30 seconds or so, pulling them out and taping them into my journal. The next time I went into my journal the color from the flowers seeped through and it looked like a mess. It was a pretty mess, but I now see what I did wrong. This article was so helpful, and now I know what to do the next time I plan to press flowers.
Felicia
There is something so romantic about pressed flowers. I have been thinking of starting a nature journal so I love this idea of including pressed flowers or leaves.