Q & A: How to use PPA with large flowers

This weekend Lucy emailed me with the following questions:

1. After you put a dot of perfect paper adhesive on the back of the pressed flower to position it on the card the rest of the petals are loose. When you are done with flower placement how do you actually paint the product over the loose petals without tearing them?

2. I envision that when painted on a large flower the flower becomes fixed to the product on top but not to the card. The larger the flower, the less of it will be fixed to the card. Is the product so strong that even if only painted on top of the flower (that is not affixed to the card) that the flower will not break or tear when the card is bent?

Lucy, I am always quite generous when applying perfect paper adhesive to the backs of flowers. Generally I place a dot in the center, and then outline the entire flower, including each and every petal with PPA. In the case of a wide flower like this pansy, I also radiate outwards from the center as well. If I was using a large petaled flower, such as a cosmos, I would outline each petal with PPA, and then I'd also "zig zag" it down the center of each petal. In the picture above I applied the PPA with the small 1 oz bottle, but for larger flowers, or even ferns, you might find it easier to paint it on with a small brush.

When applying perfect paper adhesive to flowers used in framed art it's not quite as crucial to glue the flowers down so meticulously, but when using them for cards, those poor flowers will be going through a war, so to speak. However, I have found that if the flowers are well adhered, and then another coat of PPA is applied to the top of the flowers and greens, they will withstand their trip through the postal system, and be able to tolerate normal flexing and bending of the card. For best results, let freshly adhered pressed flowers dry thoroughly before applying the top coat with a soft brush. Remember, the top coat should be a thin coat- if you see white when you're applying it your using too much.

Thank you for your questions, Lucy - I hope I answered them adequately. Please let me know if you have any others!