Flower Pressing and Floral Designs History

Flower Pressing and Floral Designs
Fourteen of the Flower Girl Greeting cards are designs
composed of pressed flowers and pointed-pen
calligraphy.
Twelve of these cards are found in our three Floral
Collections that contain four cards each - Florals 1,
Florals 2, and Florals 3.
The other two cards are available individually - The
Fountain and Floral Thank you.
On the Shop Page of our website, you may click on
each card thumbnail to see the details on the front and
back of each card.
History
In the mid-1990s, Elisabeth, a beautiful German baker,
who thought I pressed flowers, came to my door one
fall day with baking pans filled with water and huge
pansies of every color. She wanted to save them before
the winter set in. I learned that if I placed the pansies
in phone books for a few months, their color would be
retained, and I could use them in designs.
Instructions
1. Use paper that absorbs moisture. Newsprint and
phone books work well. Do not use wax paper,
because the flowers will mold; they need to
breathe. Place the flowers in the books any way
you want them to be pressed.
2. Lay the books flat and stack them. You can stand
on them for the initial press. After 2 to 3 months,
the flowers are ready to use.
3. Store the flowers in flat boxes.
4. Create a floral design using a gluestick to fasten the
flowers, leaves and stems in an arrangement on
a paper of your choice. Place the glue on the paper
first, then place the flower on top. Leave plenty of
room for your calligraphy.
5. Lightly sketch your words with a pencil. Wrap
the letter flouishes around your design, taking
advantage of the organic shapes of the flowers.
6. Calligraphy your words, then erase the pencil
marks.
Pansies, delphiniums, and other petals retain their
colors well. Spring flowers such as crocus, gladiolas,
daffodils and tulips turn brown quickly.
Press foliage, too. In the spring, pick leaves from trees
just as they begin to bud while they are small and
delicate and have all the characteristics of a larger leaf
that is too big for your design.
Flower Girl Greetings was created to magnify the beauty of God’s Word by spreading His hope and joy with large, thick, vibrant greeting cards that express His Word through art.
For beautiful greeting card designs, please visit www.flowergirlgreetings.com
©2014, Flower Girl Greetings, LLC. All Rights Reserved.