How to Make Beautiful Pressed Flower Art

Pressed flower art is the perfect way to use your dried flowers, after you've learned how to press flowers! You can decorate cards and bookmarks and double glass pictures for your home with the beautiful, pressed flowers you have saved.

A DIY flower press holds lots of flowers and after 2-4 weeks they are completely dry and as flat as they are going to be. That is just what you need to make these crafts with dried flowers as their decorations.

When I was pressing flowers as a kid, the spring and summer flowers and leaves were pressed between the pages of our encyclopedias (I had to explain what these were to my grandkids). We would run to get them out when we wanted to make cards for mom’s birthday in the fall. It almost seemed magical to pull out the colorful buds weeks later when the flowers outside may even be under snow!

Enjoy a video if you prefer!

Flower art with real flowers

Get your pressed flowers out of your press and place them on a plate or paper towel to see what you have available to use. You can make designs from them or just randomly place them on the art project.

How can I make crafts with dried flowers?

So, what art projects can we make with our pressed flowers? Let’s try a bookmark, a card and a picture framed in glass.

Supplies for pressed flower projects. Paper cutter, white glue, scissors, pressed flowers and picture frame.

1. Pressed flower bookmark

Cut a piece of cardstock to about 1.5 inches by 8.5 inches with scissors or a paper cutter.

Tip: This is a great way to use left-over pieces of cardstock from other projects.

If you want a message or your name on your bookmark, write it on the paper with markers or colored pencils before placing the dried flowers.

Attach your dried flowers to your bookmark with a very small spot of glue. You may even want to use a small paintbrush to place a bit of glue on the back of the flower or on the paper before positioning it.

Paper towel with pressed flowers on it near a periwinkle card, pieces of white paper and white glue.

Aren’t the flowers beautiful?

Cut a piece of clear contact paper 2 ½ times the width of the bookmark and a bit longer.

After the glue is dry, take off the contact paper backing. Place the bookmark face down on the center of the sticky side of the contact paper. Be careful to get it on flat to avoid wrinkles and air bubbles.

Wrap the extra contact paper on the sides around to the back of the bookmark. Press out as many air bubbles as possible. Trim the extra off each of the short bookmark ends.

This project makes me wish I had a laminator...that is going on my wish list!

Finished card with "you are loved..." written on it with pressed flowers decorating it.

2. Pressed flower notecard

Cut a piece of cardstock to the size desired for a card. If using 8.5 x 11-inch cardstock it works well to cut it in half and then fold each of the halves in half to make a card.

Use the same steps as for the bookmark to decorate and finish the card.

Tip: A tweezers helps to pick up and place the dried flowers.

When putting on the clear contact paper though, just cut a piece slightly larger than the front of the card. Take off the paper backing and place the card face down on the sticky side of the contact paper. Trim off the extra.

People will love receiving this pretty card!

My daughter sold her pressed flower cards when she was young. It was a great art project and a great small business experience.

A purple card saying "You are loved..." with pressed flowers on it as well as a bookmark with pressed flowers.

3. Pressed flower frame diy- pressed flowers in glass

So, I love how this project came out! The dried flowers are placed between two pieces of glass in this frame. It is so showy and looks nice either hanging on the wall or sitting on a small easel.

Glass frame for pressed flowers

This double glass frame for pressed flowers came from Hobby Lobby. They have a whole series of these in various sizes with this was the smallest one they had. It would be a perfect size for a gift. I’m sure there are a myriad of sizes and shapes online or in craft stores.

These frames are typically held together with a couple screws in the back. Open the frame according to directions and slide the double panes of glass out. Clean the glass if needed.

There are frames made specifically for pressed flowers too!

A traditional frame can be used as well

Note: It would work to use a traditional frame with a mat (one glass), cut a piece of cardstock to fit the frame and place your pressed flowers on the paper in the same way as instructed for the bookmark. Then just place it in the frame for display under the glass instead of using contact paper.

Assembling the pressed flower frame

I cut a piece of cardstock in a rectangle and wrote my message on it. The paper was about 1.5 inches by 4 inches. This is optional of course, but it worked well. Write whatever you would like, a message, quote, or a name. Place this on the glass where desired.

Place the flowers around the message in an attractive arrangement. I just did a random design.

Tip- If I did this again, I would attach each item (paper and flower) to the back glass with a spot of glue before putting the second glass over it. The flowers in my project are free floating, no glue holding them in place.

Place the second glass over the flowers and slide them back into the frame. Close the frame as shown in the instructions.

Note: The flowers must be quite pressed very thin in this project. Thicker flowers cause the two panes of glass to be too thick to get back into the frame.

Don’t you love the look of pressed flowers in glass? I can't wait to hang mine up.

Pressed flowers rest on paper towels to dry.

Making envelopes for your pressed flower cards

Did you know you can learn how make an envelope? It makes creating your own envelopes a cinch!

Be sure to join us next week to learn how to make envelopes out of fabric. I'm so excited for you to use try this with me and use up a few fabric scraps!

Flower Art for Gifts

All this lovely flower artwork, now it's time to share it! This is such a beautiful way to turn fresh flowers into something for a special occasion or special person.

These DIY botanical prints would be a great gift for Mother's Day, a bridal shower, or the birthday for a flower lover in your life. What a unique gift!

You could even use a flower arrangement or bouquet of flowers from a wedding to give to the bride as a special memory from their day. No matter if you use a frame for flower wall art, a shadow box, a card, or any other idea that you come up with, this is a great way to add a personal touch by gifting original pieces, made by you and your kids!

Pressed colorful flowers and leaves on white piece of paper rests inside rectangular wood block.

Learning How to Press Flowers

If you are wanting an easy tutorial on how to press fresh blooms, check out this tutorial for Pressing Flowers, 4 Ways!

You'll find step-by-step help for the pressing and drying process, with several methods so you can choose what fits you best. From using a heavy book, to making your own flower press, to drying flowers in a microwave, you can find tips and tricks for the best results.

Remember, have fun with this! There is no wrong way to go about it, so pick your method, grab your craft supplies, and turn your own flower arrangements into beautiful pieces of art!

More Flower Crafts for Kids

Looking for more fun flower-themed crafts for kids? Check out these ideas from around the blog, featuring all kinds of flowers!

How do you make pressed art flowers?

Pressed flowers are simple to make, and can be done multiple ways! Press your flowers between wax paper in a heavy book for a traditional method. Or you can microwave your flowers with just some paper towels and a dish. You can even make your own flower press from wood, check out the tutorial!

How do you seal pressed flower art?

To seal my pressed flower art that wasn't in the glass frame, I used contact paper! Place your part face down on the center of the sticky side of the contact paper. Wrap the extra contact paper on the sides around to the back and trim. Easy easy!

What paper to use for pressed flower art?

In order to make a pressed flower frame, bookmark, or card, I would suggest using a nice and sturdy paper. To me, the perfect paper to use is card stock! I used it for all of these crafts, it's one of my favorite crafting papers to keep on hand.

What glue to use for pressed flowers?

To secure pressed flowers to the card stock, I use clear drying Elmer's glue. Attach your dried flowers to your art with a very small spot of glue. You may even want to use a small paintbrush to place a bit of glue on the back of the flower or on the paper before positioning it.

Supplies for Pressed Flower Art

Pressed flowers
Card stock- white or a color
Clear Contact Paper
Frame- double glass frame (no mat) in the size of your choice
Scissors
Colored Markers or Colored Pencils
Glue
Tweezers (optional- help pick up flowers)