Pressed Flowers in the Microwave

Today I want to show you such a quick and easy way to make pressed flowers in a microwave in just two minutes!!

For this month’s Thrifty Style Team we all have great decorating ideas and DIYs for our readers! Every month a group of my blogging friends organized by Julie of Redhead Can Decorate come together to share thrifty and budget-friendly decorating ideas with you.

How to Press Flowers in the Microwave

OK, I saw this on Pinterest and thought to myself…no way that works!! I’ve had a few Pinterest fails in my time!! I’m still not over a few of them!! What I liked about this one is that it wouldn’t cost me a dime to give it a try…perfect!!!

Gather Flowers to Press

It’s Springtime now, so I went outside and picked the flowers that I had available right now which was mostly violas, pansies, geum, & lavender.

I figured I would try smaller flowers that would press well if I was doing it the old school way…in a big book.

Prepare the Flowers

Next I grabbed a dinner plate and covered it with a paper towel. Then I started placing the flowers on the paper towel. I gave the flowers a gentle press to slightly flatten them without damaging the delicate faces.

Once I had the flowers set on the paper towel I covered them with another paper towel.

Then I topped the paper towel with another one of my dinner plates that “pressed” down on the flowers.

Microwave the Flowers

Now I am not going to lie…this just felt plain weird taking the plate of flowers and shoving it into my mircrowave!!!!!

I checked the flowers every 30 seconds because I wasn’t sure how long it was going to take. Also, I was curious if I would be able to tell when they were “pressed”

It took my microwave 2 minutes to dry the flowers.

The cooking time will definitely depend on how powerful your microwave is and what flowers you are trying to press.

Just check every 30 seconds when you are trying this…you will be able to tell when they are ready ( they have the feel of dried, pressed flowers)

The picture below was at 1 1/2 minutes. They weren’t quite down yet!!

One thing that was quite impressive using the microwave pressing method was just how vibrant the flowers stayed!! Usually with pressing some of the colors fade away.

Arranging the Pressed Flowers

Now the fun part, making a pretty piece of artwork with the pressed flowers!

Any piece of cardstock or even a thick sheet of drawing paper would work for this; I used a natural cardstock that I had on hand.

I didn’t really have a plan in mind for how I wanted to arrange the pressed flowers…I just went with it and played around with the flowers until I glued them in place.

To secure the flowers to the paper I used a small ( I mean teeny!!) amount of white craft glue on the back of each flower and then pressed it into place on the sheet of paper. A toothpick with glue on the end works for the really small flowers

Making a Frame

This pressed flower art would look beautiful in a floating frame or regular frame. I wanted to try something a little different though.

First, I grabbed a Dollar Tree canvas, flipped it over, and separated the canvas from the staples using a small flathead screwdriver.

Once the canvas was separated from the frame I grabbed a pencil and traced the shape of the frame onto the canvas. Then I cut the excess canvas off.

To attach the pressed flower sheet to the canvas I used spray adhesive. Just a light coat of the adhesive over the canvas and then I placed the paper on top and gently smoothed the sheet without disturbing the pressed flowers.

Making the Frame

Instead of painting or staining the unfinished wood frame from the canvas, I used one of my absolute favorite crafting tricks…RIT fabric dye!!

You heard that right, you can use dark brown Rit fabric dye to “stain” unfinished wood!! It is soooo easy and only takes a few minutes! Bonus, no stinky stain smell to deal with.

In a container big enough to place the frame I added hot water (deep enough to cover the frame) and a few tablespoons of the dye.

Then I stirred the solution and added the frame, I had to use a heavy bowl to weigh the frame down and keep it underwater.

It took about 10 minutes to get the frame to the color that I was going for, then I did a quick rinse of the excess dye and wiped it dry with a paper towel.

You can see how I used this trick on other projects: Wood Bead Wreath and these Christmas Ornaments

Finishing the Pressed Flower Art

To attach the frame to the pressed flower canvas I added a strong craft glue to the back of the frame (the side with the staples) and pressed the frame down onto the canvas.

Look at how pretty it turned out!!! This is one project that I will definitely do again!! It was really easy and I had everything on hand to make it.

Please check out what the rest of the team is sharing this month!

Redhead Can Decorate – Milk Glass Fruit & Cheese Appetizer Tower

Our Crafty Mom – Bicycle Tire Sunflower Wreath

I Should Be Mopping the Floor – DIY Bulletin Board with Nailhead Trim

The How to Home – Shabby Chic Decoupage Plant Pot

DIY Beautify – Update Older Exterior Windows with Spray Paint

2 Bees in a Pod – Antique French Hat Boxes

Postcards From the Ridge – How to Decorate on a Budget

The Tattered Pew – How to Create a Simple Hat Wall with Hooks

Cottage on Bunker Hill – How to Press Flowers in the Microwave

Vinyet Etc. – Transform a Vintage Frame into an Antique Mirror

Amy Sadler Designs – How to Paint Flower Pots for the Porch

Songbird – How to Make Lace Napkin Rings Tutorial