Pressing flowers is a craft that dates back to the nineteenth century and is still popular today. Make sure that you have permission to pick your chosen flowers and then put them in a flowerpress or between the pages of a heavy book or telephone directory for about a week. When the blooms have dried out and are nice and flat, use them to create all sorts of pictures, like these pretty flower fairies that can be made into cards or put in a frame – a perfect handmade gift with love for Mother’s Day…
You will need:
■ Fresh flowers
■ Flowerpress or pile of heavy books
■ Gluestick
■ Coloured paper
■ Cream card
■ Coloured card
■ Scissors
■ Pencil and ruler
Step 1 Collect fresh flowers and lay carefully between two sheets of paper in the flower press. Tighten the flower press up and leave for at least a week.
Step 2 Cut out a fairy shape traced from one of your favourite books, then draw round it onto plain coloured paper and cut it out.
Step 3 Stick it on to a piece of cream card about 15cm (6in.) by 10cm (4in.), adding a piece of paper for the fairy’s hair.
Step 4 Open the flowerpress and carefully remove the flowers. Arrange them on the paper fairy to make a pretty dress and hat. When you are happy with the arrangement, carefully lift each flower or petal and dab some glue onto the paper and press the petal or flower down gently to stick it in place.
Step 5 Cut a piece of coloured card 17.5cm (7in.) by 12.5cm (5in.) and fold in half. Glue the flower fairy onto the front of it, making an even border all the way round.
Craft idea from Green Crafts for Children by Emma Hardy, published by CICO Books (£9.99) Photography © CICO Books