Valentines Day Ideas

I want to preserve the flowers my boyfriend gave me for valentines day. Right now they are in a vase with water and have blossmed beautifully. Should I just take apart the petals and put them in a frame? Or just place the buds under some books untill the flatten?

Or is there something else I could do? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

One way to preserve flowers and use in crafts is by hanging them to dry. If you decide to preserve your flowers whole, and intact, you will need to decide this before they have fully bloomed. If a flower has opened up too much, when it is dried the petals will fall off. The brighter and more vivid the fresh flower is, the better color it will have as it dries. If you want more intense colors, be sure to start with that trait in the fresh flower. If the dried flower will be used with it’s stem, it would be best to wire the stem while the flower is still fresh. Then attach the flower, upside down, to a wire hanger and leave in a dark place for two to three weeks. If the dried flowers will be stored a while before use, cover them with a light material, such as tissue paper to keep the dust off.

Flowers preserved in this way can be used for a variety of purposes. For a special event, such as a wedding, some people want to preserve their bouquets. After following drying instructions bouquets can be placed as a wall hanging next to the wedding photo, in a shadow box, or simply placed on a table or in a hutch. After flowers are dried they can also be put back in a vase and set on a table. If a single flower is preserved, perhaps to save on space, it can be laid over the wedding frame on in front of the wedding photo. Individually dried flowers can also be used when making a wreath.

More on How to Dry Flowers – http://www.craft-kits.net/drying-flowers.htm