How to Press Flowers With Glass

Flowers come in a kaleidoscopic array of colors, scents, shapes and sizes. They add life and interest to any environment, and they are used to commemorate many of life’s most important moments, including births, marriages and deaths. Fresh flowers, however, are fleeting; once cut, they have a relatively short life span. By preserving flowers, however, we can hold on to their hues, fragrances and forms, as well as the memories with which they are associated. One way of preserving flowers is to press them. Flower presses and heavy books are common tools for pressing flowers. Glass can also be used to press flowers.

2 panes of glass

Assorted fresh flowers

2 sheets of wax paper

Heavy objects (optional)

Gather the fresh flowers you want to press. Choose flowers that have not yet turned brown or dry or thoroughly wilted.

Remove the petals from some flowers to press separately. Leave other flowers intact and attached to their stems to press the complete specimens. Use your own judgment and taste when determining which flowers and parts of flowers you wish to press.

Note that flowers with large, bulbous centers, such as certain varieties of daisies, will not press easily. Pull the petals from such flowers and dry them separately. Discard the bulbous centers.

Lay a pane of glass on a flat surface in a place where it can remain undisturbed for 2 weeks.

Line the pane of glass with wax paper. Arrange the flowers and flower petals that you wish to press on the wax paper. Keep the flowers and petals from touching each other; allow them space. Place a second sheet of wax paper over the flowers.

Lay the second pane of glass over the wax paper and flowers. Add heavy objects, such as books, rocks or paperweights, to the top pane of glass to increase its weight on the flowers and encourage good pressing. This is not necessary if the glass is already large or heavy.

Allow the flowers to remain pressed between the two panes of glass for 2 weeks. Remove the top pane of glass and the sheet of wax paper to check the flowers after 2 weeks. Verify that they are completely dry and pressed flat.

You can make attractive crafts by displaying pressed flowers between panes of clear glass, including a pressed flower glass pendant. Arrange pressed flowers in a pleasing design on a 1-inch square piece of clear glass. Top them with a second 1-inch square piece of clear glass. Seal all four edges of the glass pieces with copper foil, and solder them together, adding a metal bail, to make a pressed flower glass pendant.