Creating a Handmade Christmas (in July)

I had decided that I wanted to do a "handmade" Christmas this year. In order for that to happen, I must start VERY early. So today's the day. I'm starting simple....so as to not overwhelm myself. (That might sound funny, but it's true.)

I got this set for $2.50 on clearance at a craft store some time ago. I've been wanting to try pressing and drying flowers to make into gifts. It comes with lots of little "cutsie craft things", too, that I'm sure my younger daughters will enjoy, but I wanted it for the flower press. One of the bushes in front of our house is blooming with these flowers:

I didn't plant the bushes, and I haven't been able to identify them, yet, so I'm afraid I don't know what they are. But they are pretty and definitely worth pressing. So I got out the press and put it together. Then I laid the flowers on it.

Then it was back out to the yard to find something else to press. And with all the wonderful, delicate and dainty wildflowers I've been seeing along the highways, would you believe clover was the only other thing I could find in my yard that was small enough to fit in this press?

So I layered cardboard, then paper, then flower or leaf, then paper, then cardboard, and so on. It was pretty simple. Then you put the top on and screw it down.

And that's it. Then you wait. These are small, delicate flowers, so I imagine a week will be plenty of time.

I'm anxious to see how these turn out. I plan to use them in making some gifts for Christmas. I'll follow this up with another post on another day, once the flowers come out of the press, to show some of the different gifts you can make with pressed flowers.

TTFN

~Tina