Flowers are symbolic of beauty and inspiration to many. All flowers have to droop and lose their beauty after being harvested, unfortunately. Luckily, one may keep flowers without worrying about wilting if one dries them.
People dry flowers for a lot of special events. Most people do dried flowers after getting a lot of blooms as presents. Gathering wildflowers at the onset of spring is another occasion for starting craft projects.
Experts say the most basic dried flowers are made by the air-dry method. It is wiser to take off the leaves before tying the stems together, since removing them later may be troublesome. The bunches should be tied together tightly with a string or rubber band, and hung upside down from the ceiling or clothesline.
One crucial point here is that you should not clump flower bundles too much, or they might take longer to dry. A good way of maintaining the uprightness of flower stems is to hang them with the flowers pointing downwards. Be certain that the flowers hang with the heads pointing to the floor, or you might have to put up with sad, bent stems afterwards.
Dried flowers are best produced in spaces where there is no sunlight. If you keep your dried flowers in a place where the sun can get to them, they shall end up looking washed-out in color. Any humidity in the room must be avoided at all costs, or you shall rue it.
If you do settle on the simplest method, you shall need a month or so. The drier the room where you have hung them and the drier the blooms themselves, the faster you can collect your dried flowers. While it is easy to determine when the drying process is complete as a dried flower will feel stiff and dry, it is best to check on the buds every two to three days to be sure.
If the flowers you are using are naturally moist, you may turn to chemical agents such as silica gel. Pressed flowers are also popular, and are easy to make: you may even make them with newspapers. Most people prefer to do it the fast way, so desiccants are popular options: for those who do not mind waiting, pressing may be a viable alternative.
After your flowers have been dried properly, you can start thinking of applications for them. Wreaths, bouquets, topiaries and potpourri can be made using dried blooms. Even those who have limited time and creativity can simply place dried bunches in a decorative vase or basket, which can be used to adorn any table or wall.
Over time, you shall see dust building up on your dried flowers. This can be easily solved by dusting them off. If you are worried about unwanted "houseguests" damaging the flowers, put a mothball or two near them.
The most beautiful blooms may be kept much longer if they are dried, so you can still enjoy them out of season. You can get a lot of great decorative materials from flower drying. Drying flowers is a unique and creative way to hold on to keepsakes that would otherwise have wilted away.
If you need some help in making great valentines day flowers, I invite you to visit my blog and you'll be helped.
