preserving bouquets
SarahH
My sister handed me her bouquet yesterday and asked if I could dry it or
something :-/ She wont be too upset if I dont manage it, but if I can do
it, it would be nice. Any ideas??????
Sarah
Waterloo
dont you hang it upside down? better not take my word for it!
or there are professional places that do it.
but what a nice sister you are!
christine
Nic
sitting on the shelf away from everything and they look great....mind you we
haven't moved them since they came home...only once I think and that was to
make way for something else.
A friend of mine used to put her flowers or bouquets on the table under some
phone books and left them for a week or something like that and then frame
em....
Another friend of mine used to do single flowers and then when decorating or
covering books with contact would lay flower down first, then contact and it
keep the flower in place and preserved it, hence a beautiful outside to a
good book or folder...
I have no other ideas..... so I hope this helps
Nic
Mum to 2 children, a girl and a boy
"SarahH" <sarah....@pop.ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:3EF6D196...@pop.ntlworld.com...
Jarkat2002
I once accidentally dried a bouquet in my car. I forgot it in the car when I
parked in the airport parking lot for a 4 day trip in the summer.
When I opened the door, the car smelled wonderful and the bouquet was perfectly
dried lol
~Kat
Planet Claire has pink air
All the trees are red
No one ever dies there
No one has a head
toto
Found this
http://weddings.signonsandiego.com/advice/04182003/Wedding2003/forever_florals.php
******
Not all fresh flowers make good dried flowers, the florist said. So if
the bride wants to turn her bouquet into a keepsake select the right
flowers, Betson advised.
FOREVER FLORALS -- Many brides opt to preserve their wedding bouquet
by drying it. Floral experts say a clutch arrangement of roses is the
best candidate for creating a dried keepsake, which can be achieved by
simply hanging the flowers upside down in a cool, dark place. CNS
photo courtesy of Vera Wang.
"Roses are among the best fresh flowers to air dry," she said.
"Larkspur, peonies, hydrangea and baby's breath are also good. On the
other hand, orchids, gardenias and stephanotis are not particularly
good candidates for drying, at least I feel that way. They are
primarily white flowers that will brown when they dry."
Some bouquets can be preserved intact. But others may need to be
reworked.
****
Most bridal bouquets have little or no water source. They will wilt
quickly. If planning to preserve a bouquet, it's paramount that it be
done before wilting.
"One way to keep them from wilting quickly is to put the bouquet in a
plastic bag and put it in a refrigerator," Betson said. "They can stay
in pretty good shape for several days like that."
******
DRYING METHODS
The most popular method of preserving flowers is pressing them. This
entails sandwiching flowers and foliage between layers of an absorbent
material -- generally nonglossy paper -- and placed in a plant press.
Flowers like violets, pansies, larkspur and ferns preserve well in
this manner. And they can be arranged in framed displays. A
time-tested method is to press flowers between the pages of a book,
which is closed and weighted.
"One of the simplest ways to preserve a bouquet is to air dry it,"
Betson said. "A clutch (round shape) bouquet of roses is ideal for
this. The bride can easily do this herself. You simply turn the
bouquet upside down and hang it to dry. A cascade bouquet will have to
be broken apart and the flowers dried individually. Once they are
dried, you can put a cascade bouquet back together again."
In a warm, dark, dry place flowers will take a few weeks to dry. A
dark environment helps preserve flower color. Blue and yellow flowers
retain their colors best.
"Air drying flowers has a natural look," Betson said. "But flowers
that are dried are naturally going to shrink. You may have to tighten
a bouquet with a rubber band around its stems."
Burying flowers for drying is another common method. Silica gel is a
good drying agent for this method. It can absorb about 40 percent of
its weight with water. Flowers are placed in a bed of sandlike silica
gel in an airtight container. Once flowers are in place, gently add
more silica gel until they are completely covered, Betson said. Then
seal the box. When the flowers are dried, in about one to two weeks,
remove all the drying agent from the flowers with a soft brush. Silica
gel can be oven-dried at 300 F and reused. A less expensive drying
agent is borax and sand mixed in a ratio of 2-to-1.
"Burying them in a drying agent is one of the best ways to dry
flowers," Betson said. "The flowers come out with their colors looking
much truer."
--
Dorothy
There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..
Outer Limits
Astromum
I once tried to dry a rose bouquet by hanging the roses upside down in a
well aired dry place. After they were dried I used hairspray to fix the
leaves, it also gives them a nice shiny touch.
--
-- Ilse
mom to Olaf July 15, 2002
TTC #2
Night Owl
Depending on what it is it may preserve nicely....
What I did with a bouquet I had was to hang it upside down and let the
flowers dry out for at least 2 weeks. Make sure there is no moisture
anywhere on it or it will mildew/mold. When you turn it rightside up it
will be standing nicely. Roses work the best with this method. SOme other
flowers lose their petals or shrivel so it's a YMMV.
Anni
Somebody told me to put my bouquet from my brother's wedding in the freezer
and I did. BIg mistake!
SarahH
> on craft shows, but don't know enough to describe it. The idea is to
> use some flowers from the bouquet to make a picture to hang on the
> wall, instead of having the whole dried bouquet.
> Perhaps when she checks in tonight she can give you some pointers?
>
> Nan
I hope so, I thought I remembered Aula being knowledgeable about that
sort of thing.
Sarah
SarahH
I think you hang it upside down. Sadly we've left it too late to find a
professional place as I dont drive and dh is working. Would be nice if I
could do it properly.
Sarah
SarahH
>
> Not sure but we have ones from when I gave birth to DD.... We just left them
> sitting on the shelf away from everything and they look great....mind you we
> haven't moved them since they came home...only once I think and that was to
> make way for something else.
>
> A friend of mine used to put her flowers or bouquets on the table under some
> phone books and left them for a week or something like that and then frame
> em....
>
> Another friend of mine used to do single flowers and then when decorating or
> covering books with contact would lay flower down first, then contact and it
> keep the flower in place and preserved it, hence a beautiful outside to a
> good book or folder...
>
> I have no other ideas..... so I hope this helps
>
> Nic
>
Cool, that does help, thanks Nic!
Sarah
SarahH
Perhaps I should try that with my bouquet. Ive put my sisters in the
loft cos its dark and airy up there. I could leave Katherines on the
mantlepiece (ala Nics idea) and maybe one of them will work out.
Sarah
SarahH
Cool thankyou very much Dorothy. It sounds like hanging it upside down
in our lift might work.
Sarah
SarahH
Excellent, thanks Ilse, there are a lot of roses in the bouquet, it
sounds like at least those might be preserved.
Sarah
SarahH
Cool - thankyou Anni, Im giving it a go.
Sarah