How to press rose petals??

How do I go about pressing rose petals as I don't just want to throw away roses I was given. Do the flowers need to be still fresh or does it still work if they are not?



Thanks for all the answers!

How to press rose petals??
There are about a million ways, lol. My husband gave me beautiful roses for valentines and I just hung four of them upside down (one for every month we had been together at the time) and then gently pulled off all the petals from the others and separated them. Then I spread them out on a baking sheet and let them dry out. I got a clear vase and put the dried petals in the base,then put the dried roses in. It's cute.



Another fun thing you can do is lay them out in a design on a piece of wax paper (like a heart with your initials inside. Then you lay another piece of wax paper and iron them together on low (very low) heat. Then you can frame it.



My sister made a mobile out of hers. She hung someof the roses upside down and dried the other petals like I did. Then she used the roses as the sticks in the mobile. She used thin green thread and a needle and threaded the rose petals from the roses so they cascaded down. It's hard to describe but it's really pretty.



Anyway, good luck! Get creative!
Reply:No the flowers do not need to be fresh as long as they look OK good to have a flower press but can be put into pages of a book which you do not care for and other books stored on top to give it weight. Possibly seal book with plastic insulating tape on top and bottom so that you do not open accidentally also remember to label the book with a stick on label so that you remember the contents. The tape can be cut off when you want to look at them. It is not expensive and comes in arrange of colours even red. You could also use a large elastic to keep book from being accidentally opened. I wish I had done this with the roses I once received years ago so good luck--nice memories.
Reply:Well, the fresher the better. When you press, always be aware that the color will not be the same. I just took a big encyclopedia and put my rose pettles between two sheets of computer paper. Then I put the whole book under a big stack of dictionaries, atlases, art books, etc., etc.. I left it there for about a week. Open the book slowly so you don't tear any of the really thin pettals.

*Hint* Whatever flaws or spots caused by ware and tear and lack of freshness WILL apear in the pressed petals. Also, the pettals are very delicate and crumble easily, so I suggest keeping them in the book until you elaminate them, or whatever you're going to do with them.
Reply:The best way I have found is to lay the roses flat in the bottom of a plastic box and cover with a layer of silicone crystals. You need to gently pour silicone as it can move the petals and they won't dry flat. Make sure there is enough weight to keep petals flat. Leave petals in box for at least 7 days. They should be dried and still flat . This will preserve the petals for eons to come.



Another way is lay them gently between 2 sheets of wax paper and then place under a few books. remember to check every couple days to make the petals are drying and not getting mold on them. If they are, take them and lightly brush them with a make-up sponge applicator....return them to fresh waxpaper.



Good luck....:)
Reply:Cheapest and most efficient way I know is to spread whatever

you want to press between the pages of a phone book. I'm not quite sure what you'd do with rose petals after that unless you're a paper maker or such.



How about just stripping the petals off and letting them airdry in a

colander or basket, then using them as the basis of potpourri?

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