Pressed Flower Votive Candle Holder Gift Idea

Flower pressing friends, here's a cool Christmas idea gift idea for you to make, that's unbelievable easy.  

1.  Glue a pressed flower of your choice onto each side of a triangle or square votive candle holder.  I tend to prefer Perfect Paper Adhesive for gluing, but in this case any white glue should be fine. I also recommend using flowers pressed in a Microfleur microwave flower press since they tend to retain more of their color.

2.  Tear a piece of white/translucent tissue paper into a square that will cover each flower by at least 1/8".  You could also cut the square, but the torn edges give a much nicer, "artsy" look.

3.  Cover one of the flowers plus an extra 1/8" of an inch around it with either matte Modge Podge, or Perfect Paper Adhesive.  Place a tissue paper square on top, press out any air bubbles, and then carefully apply another coat of either Modge Podge or PPA over the tissue paper.  Make sure to cover the edges of the tissue paper, but avoid getting excess on the glass. Repeat for each flower.  Allow to dry.

There you have it!  The tissue paper lends a certain whimsical look to the pressed flowers, and also helps protect the flowers.  Avoid using greens since they readily fade unless you add some kind of pigment - with either water color, or markers such as Prismacolors. 

For the candle holder above I used osteospermum flowers (a type of African Daisy) in several shades of purple. Which ever flowers you choose to use, be sure to have plenty on hand - everyone you know will want one of these!

Friday Fun

Blogger has a fun new link out this morning.  You can plug in your blogger name, and try one of their new dynamic templates, for a vivid new take on your blog. Take a look at the "snapshot" view of Elizabeth's Flowers.  Fun! Don't you think?

If you have a blogger blog, you can plug in the name of your blog, and play around with the new templates yourself here.  I love things like this, especially when they're free!

Ok, now it's time to go back to work.
Have a great weekend,

Are you upgrading to the iPhone 4s?

I wish, but I'm sticking with my iPhone 3for awhile longer.

But, I did upgrade my blog so that it will look better on your iPhone, or any smart phone for that matter. 
Click here while on your smart phone and enjoy! 


P.S. Do you use blogger?  If so, go to Settings and select "enable mobile phone" setting.  I am thankful and pleasantly surprised when things like this are really easy.

New name, new site, new things to try!

New name:  Wooden Deckle paper making kits (formerly Going Green paper making kits)

New site:  Wooden Deckle Paper Making Kits and Supplies

New things to try:  Note card size mold and deckle , and a Rectangles Kit , and many other fun paper making things.



Special thanks to Nicole of Nicole Hacker Photography for providing photos of the paper making kits and mold and deckles.

Got Tomatoes?

When Tom and the kids came home one by one last night, each one wanted to know how soon supper would be - the aroma of  roasted tomato sauce  roasting in the oven sent their hunger soaring. 

A little sauce goes a long way with this recipe, because the roasting concentrates the rich flavors of the tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs.  It's the perfect way to use up tomatoes when you have limited freezer space like I do. 

Garden helper/hindrance

Gardening is more of a challenge with a husky. Apparently he likes cherry tomatoes.

- Elizabeth

Strange new flower

The first few of my new 'Henry Eilers' rudabeckia have just opened - aren't they odd? Can't wait to try to press them...

- Elizabeth

Lavender Bee Balm Pair

Here's a pair of the lavender bee balm I picked the other day, in an 8 x 10" acid free mat, mounted on my handmade paper.  The bee balm my neighbor friends and I have been growing for years is deep fuchsia or brilliant red, so I find myself really enjoying this laid back, peaceful looking native Wisconsin bee balm. 

native bee balm

I love this native bee balm I came  upon while gathering Queen Anne's lace near our local dog park. I temporarily pressed it in a phone book until I was able to pop it in the Microfleur.

New picture soon to come...

Handmade gift tag surprise...

As a heart felt "thank you," I send along a pressed flower gift tag in appreciation for each order.  During busy times I don't always keep up (if I've missed you I'm sorry), but recently a friend started helping me make the small pieces of handmade paper, so I've been able to stockpile quite a few.

Customers regularly tell me that they frame the pressed flower cards they receive from me, but here's a first - a framed gift tag!  I love it!

This tag is a calendula flower pressed in the Microfleur, mounted on a 2 x 2" piece of handmade paper from our gift tag mold and deckle kit.  I also cover each gift tag flower with PPA (a great pressed flower sealant), to help seal in the color, and protect it from handling. They are so much fun and so simple to make - instant gratification!
   

Creative Framing with Pressed Flowers

It's such a treat when my customers send pictures of my pictures in their new setting.  I love to see where my creations end up!

A customer friend from Pennsylvania requested four pressed flower pictures mounted on my 5' x 5" handmade paper, so that she could insert them into some shutters she had modified.  I was having a hard time imagining how they would look, but the results were absolutely beautiful!  The colors of the flowers she requested match perfectly with the fabric below - what a cheerful addition to her sewing room! 

Pressing crocus and wild violets in the Microfleur flower press

"Hi Elizabeth, I love your blog and website and am ordering a microfleur press in the next day or two. I'd love to make my mom a mother's day card out of wild violets, but don't really know where to start. I looked at your crocus tutorial, but can't tell if you split the stem and flower into two parts, remove some leaves, or press the whole thing at once. Can you offer any advice for wild violets? They won't be here for long. Thanks so much." Melissa - Lawrence, KS

Hi Mel,

Thank you for your questions! First, regarding crocuses, I snip the crocus flower at the base of the stem, and I press the crocus whole - with out removing any of the petals.  Sometimes, if I cut low enough a few of the leaves are attached, and I press them too, but usually I need to cut extra leaves and press them separately.

Regarding wild violets, cut the stem as close to the ground as you can, so that you get a nice long stem (violet stems are so perfect! I also use them for other flowers that have gnarly stems). Then cut off the violet flower at the back, where the stem and the flower meet.  Be sure to cut some extra leaves as well.

If you are using the Microfleur, you will find the flowers will need more time in the microwave than the stems and the leaves, so press them separately.  I gently press the flowers between my thumb and index finger before laying them on the Microfleur pads, so that they lay nice and flat. In my microwave, I give them about 3-4 30 second bursts on high.  When I do the leaves and stems, they tend to only need one 30 second burst.

I hope this helps!  As always, feel free to let me know if you have any more questions.