Making Handmade Cards with Pressed Flowers

Gathering and Preparing Your Blooms

There is something quietly satisfying about turning a handful of garden flowers into a card someone will keep in a drawer for years. Pressed flower cards need very little equipment, and the results look far more expensive than they cost. The secret is in the preparation: choose the right blooms, pick them at the right moment, and press them properly.

The best flowers for pressing are flat and thin. Pansies and violas are the classic choice, along with forget-me-nots, cornflowers, nigella, cosmos, single daisies, lavender, sweet peas and individual hydrangea florets. Fern fronds, small leaves and thin stems are useful for adding structure. Avoid anything thick, fleshy or sappy — chunky rose petals and succulents tend to go brown or mouldy rather than dry.

• Pick on a dry day, once the morning dew has dried but before the heat of the afternoon.
• Never pick wet flowers. Damp petals are prone to mildew in the press.
• Cut with sharp scissors and take more than you need; some will always disappoint.
• Press the same day if you can. A jam jar of water on the windowsill is fine for a few hours, no longer.

Handle the blooms by the stem rather than the petals, and lay them flat in a shallow box on the way indoors so nothing creases.

Pressing Flowers: Three Reliable Methods

The traditional press. Layer your flowers between sheets of absorbent paper — blotting paper, plain newsprint or good-quality kitchen roll all work. Place the sandwich between two pieces of stiff card, then weigh it down with heavy books or a proper wooden flower press. Leave for two to four weeks. Change the paper every few days for the first week, as it will draw out a surprising amount of moisture. This method gives the best colour retention and the flattest results.

The microwave method. Sandwich flowers between kitchen roll, then between two plain ceramic tiles or microwave-safe plates, held together with rubber bands. Microwave on medium in 30-second bursts, letting everything cool between each one. It usually takes two to four minutes, but check constantly — overheating frays the edges of the petals and dulls the colour.

The quick iron method. Lay flowers between two sheets of kitchen roll on an ironing board, set the iron to its lowest setting with the steam switched off, and press gently for ten to fifteen seconds. It is not quite as good as a slow press, but it works well when you need flowers ready the same afternoon.

However you dry them, store the finished flowers flat between sheets of paper in a lidded box until you are ready to use them. They will keep for months in a dry cupboard.

Choosing Card Blanks and Papers

Buy pre-scored card blanks rather than folding your own — a crisp, straight fold makes all the difference to how professional the finished card looks. Look for 250–300gsm card: heavy enough to hold the weight of the flowers without buckling, but not so thick that it cracks along the fold.

• A6 and 12cm square blanks are the easiest sizes to fill attractively.
• Ivory, cream and soft white suit most flowers; kraft card gives a lovely rustic look with ferns and seed heads.
• Smooth surfaces take glue more evenly than heavily textured ones.
• Choose acid-free card where you can. Pressed petals are naturally acidic, and acid-free card slows the yellowing that can appear after several years.

Always test a spare flower on a scrap of the same card before committing to a design. Some coated cards repel glue, and some dark card shows every speck of residue.

Arranging Your Design

Work on a loose scrap of paper cut to the size of the card front, not on the card itself. Lay the flowers out dry, moving them about with tweezers until you are happy.

Fewer flowers, well placed, almost always look better than a crowded collage. Odd numbers work well, as does grouping a small posy in one corner and leaving the rest of the card empty. A single stem laid diagonally, a delicate border along one edge, or a small wreath of tiny blooms around a handwritten initial all look charming. Think about the occasion too: birthdays can take brighter colours, while sympathy and new baby cards are best kept pale and simple.

Once you have a layout you like, photograph it on your phone so you can recreate it after you start lifting pieces. Use a cocktail stick to nudge petals into place rather than your fingers, which can smudge the colours.

Sealing and Finishing

Lift each flower with tweezers and apply the tiniest dot of craft glue to the back — a cocktail stick is ideal for this. Press it gently onto the card and hold for ten to twenty seconds. Do not slide it, or you will leave a smear.

When everything is in place, seal the design with a thin coat of PVA glue diluted roughly one part water to one part glue, or a decoupage medium. Brush it on from the centre of each flower outwards with a soft flat brush. Two thin coats, dried between, are far better than one thick layer. The petals will darken slightly while wet and lighten again as they dry, but do test on a spare flower first. Sealing protects the flowers from tearing and slows fading, though it does make the card look slightly glossier. If you prefer a matt, natural finish, leave the flowers unsealed and accept that they will fade sooner.

Write or stamp your greeting before sealing, or use a separate insert, so you are not pressing a pen onto fragile petals. Leave the card flat to dry overnight before folding or writing inside.

Storing, Posting and Giving

Keep finished cards flat in a dry box, away from direct sunlight, with acid-free tissue between them. A kitchen cupboard is ideal; a shed or conservatory is not.

Pressed flowers are delicate, so these cards travel best by hand. If you must post one, use a board-backed envelope or slip it inside a slightly larger greetings card envelope, and write Please Do Not Bend clearly on the front. Handing it over at your local post office counter and asking for it to be handled accordingly gives it the best chance of arriving intact.

Once you have the knack, it is worth pressing a large batch of flowers in late spring and early summer, then spending a few autumn evenings making cards for the year ahead. It costs very little, uses what the garden already gives you, and produces something genuinely worth keeping.