This project was born out of pure necessity. I’ve been pressing flowers all season long, tucking them into little books on my bookshelf. Honestly, I was pretty proud of myself, as pressing flowers is the kind of thing one loves but never remembers to do. But here’s the catch- I know I stashed dozens of Queen Anne’s lace blooms away, but I’ll be darned if I can’t remember which of my hundreds of books I used to press them. With my new flower press, I’m putting an end to this silliness so I can find my flowers when I want them!
What you’ll need:
– 2 rectangular wooden boards, mine measured about 6” X 12”
– power drill and 3/8” drill bit
– several cardboard boxes
– watercolor paper (to absorb moisture during pressing)
– 4 bolts and 4 nuts, preferably wing nuts
1. Find 2 identically sized thin, wooden rectangles (I found my on the street but you can use something from your local craft store or cut your own).
2. Drill a hole in each of the 4 corners of both of your blocks. Measure and drill 1” out from each corner so corresponding holes line up exactly when the blocks are place on top of each other.
3. Make a template for the sandwiched layers that will separate your flowers, ½” smaller on all sides than the measurement of the wooden block. Cut the corners of the template at a 45 degree angle. Cut out 5 sheets of cardboard in this shape and 4 sheets of watercolor paper.
4. Alternate cardboard and watercolor paper in a pile and sandwich between the two wood blocks. Line up holes and insert bolts in each corner. Screw on nuts to tighten. I used regular nuts because it’s what I had on hand, but using wing nuts would make it slightly easier to open and close your press.
5. And because I can’t help myself, I glued an old illustration of some zinnias to the top of mine. Now let’s all get out and collect some of the last flowers of the season to press!
source: designsponge.com
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