This press is somewhat of a special edition, and while the most expensive item on the list, it is one to own if you’re a seasoned crafter seeking memorable collector-like pieces to add to your craft station.

If you like this then you may also like my Dried Flower Bird Craft, Hey Clay Modelling Kits and Cool Maker Kummikreator review What’s In The Instant Flower Press BoxThe easiest way to press flowers is definitely using a book, as described above. It’s a simple method that’s accessible to almost everyone, with no special supplies or techniques required!

Naturally flatter flowers, like daisies, aster and chamomile are easiest to press. I also found filler flowers like statice looked beautiful when pressed while left on the stem. Some other flowers that work well for pressing are violets, baby’s breath, lilies, hydrangeas, Queen Anne’s lace, buttercups, lavender, cosmos, pansies, daisies, and larkspur (aka delphinium). You can also dry small herb stems or fern leaves. As with all things there are no hard and fast rules and you need to experiment a little to find out what works best for each flower. I found that turning the felt sheets over in-between microwave oven sessions (a bit like a bed mattress) helped the flattening of large flowers as the flower made an indent in the felt. I also started playing with the power setting (low, medium, high) for larger flowers. A great gift idea would be to gift a beautiful frame alongside a flower bouquet, like the gorgeous FruitFlowers below to give the recipient an easy boost towards preserving their flowers for years to come! Hang the pieces as you would any other art. They look beautiful on their own or as a part of a gallery wall! You can also lean them on a mantle, shelf or dresser.

For large flowers with layered petals, consider separating the petals before pressing and then “reconstructing” the flower later, if desired. The next consideration on your mind should be how much you’re willing to spend on your flower pressing kit. They’re available in a wide range of prices, so spend accordingly. This is a really good method for pressing flowers, but it requires either buying a press or some woodworking know-how to put one together. If you’re only pressing a few flowers at a time, the book method is much easier. Press flowers in the microwave:

Place your flowers in a single layer between two paper towels and set them on the turn table of the microwave. Place a microwave proof container over the flowers, covering the paper towel and flowers entirely. We used a Pyrex 9x13 which worked well (I have a large microwave). As mentioned previously, using a flower press might just be the easiest thing you’ll ever do in arts and crafts. In an earlier post, I wrote about how to press flowers the old-fashioned way using the book pressing method. That method worked great. The best thing about the book method is that you don’t have to buy anything as long as you have a few heavy books. However, the downside is time. It takes on average 3 weeks for flowers to dry using the book method. In this post, I write about how to create perfectly pressed flowers using a microwave flower press. More specifically, I will show you how to use the Microfluer microwave flower press. Using a microwave and cooking the flowers for short periods of time, you’ll be able to see a difference in a matter of seconds versus waiting weeks using the old-fashioned methods. Perfect for impatient folks!You can buy special microwave presses, which may give better results, but we haven’t tested those. Iron the flowers to press them: Choose flowers that have recently bloomed and are still fresh over those that are beginning to wilt. Cover the flowers with the second piece of fabric — again, think flower sandwich (this time with fabric instead of paper).

Place the sealed press in the microwave for an initial short burst (follow directions to the T with this kind of kit!) Create candles that smell as pretty as they look with wax, a glass jar, your favourite essential oils and pressed flowers. The faster methods sort of work, but the flowers don’t get fully dried and they end up much more fragile. Flower presses flatten and dehydrate flowers by removing light and extracting moisture through the use of absorbent paper, platens, and pressure. The colour of the flowers may either be faded or intensified by this process.

3. 4M Green Creativity Pressed Flower Art Kit

While this method is successful at pressing the flowers flat, it doesn’t truly dry them. You need to leave the flowers under a heavy object for at least several days after microwaving them for the flowers to dry out. All in all, it’s fun to experiment and see how each flower changes as it dries, both in size, shape and hue! Follow these step-by-step instructions on how to press flowers in the microwave for great results! You’ll need a microwave flower press, scissors, tweezers, lining paper, and something to store your flowers in. I like to use glassine bags or sealed reusable bags like this. You can also start with a microwave press kit, as I did.