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Sunflower is one of the brightest of all flowers. It does justice to its name by its lovely, sunny look. A bunch of sunflowers always manages to give a sense of elation and dispels gloom. Hence, its not surprising that these worshippers of the sun (fresh and dried) are most popular with florists for making condolence wreath. Below we have given some simple instructions, following which you can easily make a dried sunflower wreath at home, thereby saving a few bucks.

You will need the following materials:

1)      Dried sunflowers- 7 to 10 flowers

2)      Willow wreath base (9 inch)

3)      Dried bunch of caspia

4)      8-10  yellow roses with stalks

5)      Glue

6)      Yellow ribbons

We will begin with caspia. Spray the flowers with yellow spray paint. Spray paint is easily available in any of the craft store. Leave it to dry. Now you will take the raffia and cut it twenty-four inch long. Keep it aside.

Make a medium to large bunch of dried yellow roses and tie with florist wire. Attach the bunch to the lower half of the wreath and once again with florist wire. Tie a yellow satin ribbon into a bow to cover the wires as well as to add beauty to the wreath.

Now you place two dried sunflower head at the top right and left position. Take another three sunflowers and place them the lower right side. You can also place the flowers at different direction depending upon your choice.

Now lets return to the caspia. Place it at the two sides of the sunflowers at all the points and stick with glue. Maintain the balance in color and other factors as well. Take the yellow ribbons and loop around the top of the wreath. You can also place it wherever you feel like placing it. You may add a small item which was a favorite with the deceased, as a token of love. Feel free to experiment with the choice of flowers, other materials and even the design and you will have created beautiful wreaths in no time.

A dried pressed flower is one of the beautiful forms of flowers. With pressed flowers you can make you can make numerous things. These pressed flowers give a touch elegance to even the most ordinary of things. For example a simple bookmark is an ordinary form of stationery. But if you make one using pressed flowers it becomes priceless. However, for makings articles using pressed flowers you need to have pressed flower first. That is, the first step of making pressed flowers articles is the pressing of flowers. Drying and pressing flowers is very easy. To do it you just need the following requirements:

·        A thick book (a phone directory will serve fine)

·        A set of blotting papers

·        Newspapers and

·        Fresh flowers and foliage to dry and press.

Firstly, start by selecting the fresh flowers and leaves that you want to dry and press. Then gently squeeze the calyx of the fresh flowers so that it flattens. Use your thumb and the index finger for this purpose. If you want to press your flowers and leaves in a desired design, then arrange your flowers and other flower materials on a tracing paper. Arrange your leaves and other foliage like moss and grass in the background of the fresh flowers. After arranging your fresh flowers in the desired fashion that you want to press them, place it in between two sheets of blotting paper. Then take out two sheet of your old newspaper and place one underneath the blotting paper, and one on the top. The newspaper will give a covering to your fresh flowers and leaves. After the covering you will have to get hold of some thick books like your phone directory. Place the thick and heavy books on the top of the newspaper. Leave the arrangement for about two weeks in a cold but moisture free place. This will help to retain the rich hue of the flowers.

With the completion of two your fresh flowers will be nicely dried and pressed. Though thicker flowers may take longer than two weeks to be well dried pressed. This is how to make fresh flowers into dry pressed flowers.

Drying and pressing flowers is a wonderful way of filling in your leisure time. Well-dried and pressed flowers make a good pressed flower art. There are many ways of preparing dried pressed flowers. In other words there are many methods of drying and pressing fresh flowers. But most of them are quiet complicated and tiring. For people who want to press and dry flowers, but do not have the necessary equipments for the purpose. For them here is a simple and easy through which you can dry and press your flowers. To carry out this method you will just need a heavy book, blotting papers and the fresh flowers that you want to dry and press.

The first step of this method of pressing flowers is getting your fresh flowers. To get the best out of your flowers choose flowers that are very fresh. Fresh flowers tend to have little amount of moisture on them and their colors are also extra rich. While choosing your flowers  for pressing, imagine how they will appear when pressed. This will help you to pick out the right flowers for pressing.

After getting hold of the fresh flowers, the next step is pressing them. The most easy way to press your flowers is by using thick and heavy books. For this you will have to place the flowers that you want to dry in between two sheets of blotting paper. Placing the flowers between the sheets of blotting paper will prevent the pages of the book from betting damaged. But before you do that, make sure you flatten the calyx of the flowers. Then put the flowers in the middle of anyone of your thick books. Place the book in a dry place with very less moisture. Leave the book for a couple of weeks, by then your flowers will be well dried and pressed.

After the passing of the two weeks, open your book and check your flowers. If they are well pressed peel them off the blotting paper very carefully. Now you may use the pressed flowers for any creative reasons that you have in your mind.

Dried flowers are beautiful and they last for many years. By arranging them in different ways you can enhance their beauty even more. There are many ways of arranging your dry flowers and plants. Some of the simple ways of arranging them are:

• Basic way of Arranging Dried Flowers: This is the simplest form of dried flower arrangement. To make this arrangement you will require some floral foam, dry flower and a vase to display your arrangement. To begin with wedge some floral foam into your vase. Then fill the center of the vase with filler flowers and foliages like ferns and dried leaves. After filling in the center with the filler materials, start with placing your large or focal flowers first. Then you can add your medium sized or smaller flowers around your focal flowers. Remember to space all your flowers evenly. You may add flowers like larkspur to give a finishing touch to your over all dried flower arrangement.
• Dried Floral Tree Arrangement: As the name suggests this dried flower arrangement will resemble a tree. To make this arrangement you will need real tree branches. Along with the tree branches you will require some Paris plaster, a big vase ( cardboard box will also do), moss, some floral pins and some tree decorations. To make our dry flower tree more charming you may use dry foam in the shape of a cone.

Firstly, place the floral foam in the container you are using. The softness of the foam acting as cushion prevents the pot from cracking. Then make a mixture of Paris plaster and water and fill the container by two-third. After that insert one of the thick branches into the container. The  branch will act as the trunk of your floral tree arrangement. Then add some more plaster to the trunk, this will firmly cement the trunk to the container. After the drying of the plaster, you have to fill in the container with more floral foam, this will act as a covering to your plaster. Use moss to cover the foam with floral pins to keep the moss in place. The last phase of this arrangement is to attach your dried flowers and plants to the trunk. Using hot glue decorate the trunk with dry flowers and leaves.

These were two creative ways of arranging your dry flowers. You may even use the second one to make a unique Christmas tree this winter.

You can make lovely stationery products with dried pressed flowers. With pressed flowers you can make pictures, simple gift tags, bookmarks and many many more things. Here is how you can make a greeting card with pressed flowers on your own.

The design of your greeting is up to you, you may either make a simple pressed flower card or try for a more complex one. For the basic method of making a pressed flower greeting card, just scroll on.

First things first, and the first you will have to do is to assemble the following supplies:

• Dried pressed flowers and leaves
• Card stock
• Ruler
• A paint brush
• A pair of tweezers
• Glue and
• Wax paper

• Now you have the requirements ready lets begin with the card stock first. Cut the paper accordingly to the size of the card you want to make. It is better to cut out the paper a bit large than the size of the card you want to make. Cutting out a larger paper also gives a more decorative touch to your greeting card. For cutting your card stock it will be better if you use a wet paintbrush and a ruler. Doing this will give a more natural tear to your card stock. After giving a natural tear to your card stock fold it into half, coinciding the torn edge with the backside edge of the card stock.
• The second step of making pressed flower greeting is arranging your pressed flowers. With the help of tweezers arrange the flowers on the card. It will be better if you start with the larger flowers and leaves and then with the smaller ones. By doing this you can experiment with arranging your flowers in different ways. One you have got the type of arrangement you want gently remove the flowers from the card.
• The next step requires you to stick the flowers to the card. Using a small paintbrush apply some glue to the backs of your pressed flowers. Then with the tweezers pick the flowers and place the one by one onto the card. Just like in the earlier step, only this time it will be for permanence.
• Allow your craft to dry for some time. After that place a wax paper on the face of the card and then place a heavy book on top of it. You should leave the arrangement this way for a day at least.

Your pressed flower greeting card ready, just finish it with a message on the inside.

We all want to save our favorite things forever. Be it an old pair of shoes or a torn pair of jeans. Some things are really hard to let go off. For instance, don’t you want to keep your first valentine bouquet as long as you live?  Yes, you want to. But the thing is you don’t know how to. Well here is a way on how you can keep your memorable bouquet forever.

To do so you will need the following items:

·        Tissue and newspapers

·        Heavy books

·        Sharp pair of scissors

·        Frame and mat and

·        Adhesive

After getting hold of these items just take the following steps:

• First and the foremost is the drying and pressing of the flowers. To do this spread a sheet of newspaper on the floor. Then on top of the newspaper spread a sheet of tissue paper. Take your flowers out of the bouquet and arrange them on the tissue paper. While arranging them make sure that one flower does not overlap the other. After the arranging the flower place another sheet of tissue over the flowers, followed with another sheet of newspaper. Now to press the flowers take your stock of thick and heavy books and place then over the flowers. To be proper pressing and drying your flowers will take about two weeks.
• In the mean  time you can prepare the framing materials. Your framing material will consist of a background paper, a mat and a frame.
• After the two weeks, your flowers will be ready. Carefully remove the books and the layer of tissue papers. Then pick out the best flowers from the pressed lot. Next, arrange your flowers experimenting with different designs. You may use your table for this. Then once you have zeroed on the kind of design you want, make use of the glue. Spread a layer of glue on the paper that you will be using as the background. Then gently and carefully place the flowers on the paper in accordance to your design. Once you have finished, leave the arrangement for sometime to dry.
• Lastly, just slip the mat and your pressed flower design into the frame.

Yes, by framing it you will be able to cherish the romance of the valentine flowers for as long as you live.

How about warm and refreshing summer wreaths for the year’s summer season?  Summer wreaths can easily be made keeping summer themes, color and flowers in mind. It is just perfect for hanging outside the door and welcome the warm summer. It will refresh your home and give the cooling effect on that scorching heat days. So let’s begin making one such summer wreath that will last longer and woo all the visitors.      You will need the following materials: 1)      Blue hydrangea2)      Styrofoam or wreath base3)      Floral wire4)      Glue5)      Bunches of greenery6)      Berries7)      Yellow satin ribbon First of all take a floral wire and wrap it all around the wreath base made of Styrofoam. Now make a loop in the foam using a wire so that you can hang it on the door. Now take some blue hydrangea and separate the flower into single florets. Hot glue all the florets one by one in the wreath base. Make sure you glue them all over the base evenly. Make it tidy and well balanced. Here you can also add some dried heads of roses. Now take some colorful berries and stick them too.   Next, insert some springs of greenery in between the hydrangeas. The greenery will produce some cooling effect and also gives depth to the arrangement.  Make sure to stick all the florets at the regular interval. Distribute the florets evenly. You can also tie the florets in tiny bunches and stick them too. This will bring clarity in the wreath. To add to the beauty of the wreath, what you can do is, just tie a ribbon and a bow on a wreath.  You can lessen the contour of the wreath by adding some spiky dried flowers as well. Try larkspur or delphinium.  Finally, add the extra embellishment to the wreath, fir which you will use a ribbon. Tie the ribbon and fold it to form a large bow. You can also attach a large ready-made bow anywhere on the wreath. Look for different variation and be creative. You can simply hang the wreath on the door or a wall and enjoy the summer.    

Summer holidays, sometimes, can be too boring and you need to break the monotony. And you thought, summer holidays is all about relaxing and getting sun bathe, chilling out in the beach or trying out some water sports and you end up being lazy. Just look around your house and who knows it might want some refreshing renewals or redecoration. Wreaths can be great thing to decorate your house’s door or wall. It’s also a fun filled craft and relaxing too. Read further to make fresh green summer wreaths for the door. You will need the following materials: 1)      Bunches of greenery2)      Floral wire3)      Straw wreath base4)      Large satin ribbon First of all get the straw wreath base and tie a floral wire on its back. Simply tie a knot. Gather different kinds of fresh greenery. Now arrange the greenery into bundles and bind it with a wire or a string. The number of bundles will depend upon the size of the wreath.   Next place the first bundle on the wreath and secure it with a piece of wire. Continue with another piece of bundle by overlapping it on top of the first bundle. Make sure you work clockwise and stems face the same direction. You will place this bundle in such a way that the wired portion of the each bundles are not visible.  Repeat this process until the entire wreath base is completely covered. However see that the inner and outer circumference of the wreath is also covered with greenery bundles. Take some time and finish it up beautifully. If there are any gaps then fill it with some springs of greenery. Be careful when you are with the final bundle. Here, at this time, you with pull the first bundle and tuck the final ends of the bundle under it.  See that the entire wreath is full and well balanced. Add the final touch to the wreath by tying the ribbon. Just fold the ribbon to form a bow. Leave the two ends of the ribbon slightly hanging and longer. You are finished!  

 Spring is about to end and summer’s approaching!  Give your home a super cooling effect this summer with summer wreath that will beat all the scorching heat. This wreath is beautifully made using roses, hydrangea and berries. It is vibrant with yellow roses, red berries, fuchsia hydrangea and green ivy. This summer door wreath will definitely woo all the passer-bys and visitors. So, surprise everyone with this lovely and stylish wreath. Here’s how.  

What you’ll need the following materials:

1. Bunch of reeds, 1″ thick and 2′ long
2. String
3. Scissors
4. Long piece of ribbon.
5. Freeze dried hydrangea and roses
6. Large ribbon for bows
7. Fresh berries

Direction:

First of all get the reed from any craft stores or basket supply stores. Then fill the bucket with warm water and soak the reeds in the water. Leave it for about half an hour or until they are supple. You will do this in order to make the reeds flexible and easy to work with. After the reeds are soaked and supple remove them from the water and dry the surplus water. Use tissue paper or a soft piece of cloth to soak the water. , Now bend the reeds to form a circle by putting ends on top of another.

The number of overlapping of reeds will depend upon desired thickness. So, it’s all up to you to decide the thickness of the reeds wreath base. Then after, you will secure the reed with floral wire or a string. Tie the wreaths properly. Cut off the excess string. Now take a long piece of satin ribbon and wrap it loosely all around the wreath.  However make sure that some parts of the reeds are visible.

Now take a small bunches of hydrangea and cut it unto the length of about three inch. Either knit them on the wreath or stick them on with the ribbon using hot glue. After you finish up with hydrangea, continue with roses. Cut the stem of the roses unto the length f about three inches and weave it too on the wreath. Use floral tapes or wire or strings. Add some extra finishing touch by tying ribbons or bow and may be some fresh red berries. Here I used a large ribbon and folded it to make a bow. You are done!

So, bid goodbye to the spring and welcome the summer with this refreshing summer wreath.

Floral wreaths during the Valentine’s Day are very popular and common and so, why not try some unique variation to make Valentine’s Day wreath like cookies wreath. Valentines Day cookies wreath is easy to make and easy on the pocket. Read further to know its direction.

You will need the following materials:

1. A cardboard sheet
2. Two round plates.
3. Red colored ribbon
4. Scissors
5. Hot glue gun
6. Paint
7. Cookies

Begin by making the frame of the wreath and for this you will cut the cardboard sheet. Place the bigger round plate on the cardboard and draw its outline.  Then place the smaller plate inside the bigger circle and draw out similar outline on the cardboard. Now you will get a circular frame after cutting out the circle using a scissor. The wreath frame is all set.

Now paint the frame with acrylic paint or spray paint of any color of your choice. Leave it to dry. After the paint dries up weave the ribbon round the wreath frame. When you begin weaving the ribbon, glue end of the ribbon to the frame and begin weaving from that point.

Now take the cookies and tie them one at a time to the wreath using ribbon. While tying them, make a fold the ribbon into a small bow in front of each cookie. This will make the entire wreath more attractive. Continue the process but place them at equal distances. Tie one large bow on the wreath where the last cookie is placed. Arrange all the things properly and you are ready to hang it. Valentine’s Day is a great time to seek out some unique treats to surprise your guests during the Valentine’s Day party. This wreath is not only the token of love but edible too. And the proud smile on your face is something priceless!