What a better way to preserve the beautiful blooms of spring than to press them into pictures to keep inside all year round! Flower pressing is very simple, and with a little bid of Mod Podge, they can be preserved to almost anything. For the purposes of this DIY I'm just showing how to press them into a picture frame. Very easy, all you need is:

-Flower(s)
-Flower Press or Microwave Flower Press $9 at a craft store, or home and garden store
-Scissors
-Construction Paper, or any backing of your choice
-Paint Brush
-Mod Podge $4 at a craft store, and it lasts for a long time
-Picture frame, of any sort

Step 1: Step 2

First and foremost, you'll want to find some beautiful flowers and press them. If you have a microwave press you just slip the flowers between the slats and microwave them for a couple of minutes, and then they're ready to go, simple as that. If you just have a regular press like the handmade one I'm showing here, you'll need to press your flowers in between the cardboard slats at least 2 weeks before you plan to mount them. Make sure your flowers are almost completely dry before putting them into the press.

After your flowers are ready to roll, next you will need to cut out your paper and/or backing to fit the size of your picture frame.

The flowers I chose for my example are a Hellebore and a Pansy

Step 2: Step 2

Now assemble your flowers in the design you wish on the backing or paper.

This step is the hardest, but trust me on this. Mod Podge will become clear once dried, but when you're painting it on it looks like nasty white glue all over your beautiful flowers. I needed about a quarter sized amount of Mod Podge for this size image, which I poured onto the excess paper I cut the backing from. Take your paint brush and coat the entirety of the flowers with just one layer of the adhesive.

The image below shows how the initial painting should look like.

Step 3: Step 3

You need to wait about 20 minutes for the adhesive to dry

The whiteness is slowly fading away...almost there

Step 4: Final Step

Once the adhesive is completely dry on your flowers you are ready to add them to the picture frame. Just stick them in as you normally would a picture. I added the names of the flowers underneath so I wouldn't forget them. And Voila! A beautiful homemade preservation of flowers, complete with a gaudy blue picture frame!

Glue pressed flowers with mod podge onto cards, candles, vases, rocks, almost anything(!) and give them to your friends and family for any special occasion.