Make your own Flower Press

It's been a while since I last blogged. It's been a very difficult last 6 months. 

My Mum passed away 2 weeks ago and my priority was to look after her.

I very rarely got my paints out but found that I was sewing more, this still fed my crafty craving but didn't tax my brain too much. I did make 2 really nice quilts though. I've added a few photo's at the end of this post of the sewing I've done.

I've had the blank wood for this flower press for a couple of years now. I was going to teach a class to make the flower press, but it just never happened. I finally got round to playing with my DecoArt Media Fluid acrylic paints, so made and painted up my flower press. This is my finished result.

Here is my walk through :)

I used some bull dog clips to hold my two pieces of wood together, then drilled the holes in for the bolts.

I then cut some cardboard to the same size of the board. But then cut the corners, to accommodate the bolts.

I put it all together to test if the bolts were long enough.

Here is the blank flower press.

I first mixed these paints and painted the first coat of paint on both boards.

I dried this coat before applying the next coat.

I painted a white second coat of paint.

Dried this coat, then sanded it back to reveal the turquoise blue.

I used the "Old French Script" Americana Decor text stencil and some Paynes Grey paint on some cut and dry foam. I did this on both the front and the back panel.

I dry brushed some white paint over the stencilling to knock it back a little bit.

On the front panel I used some texture paste through the "Dandelion" Americana stencil, and dried it with a heat gun. I then sprayed some Turquoise DecoArt Media Shimmer Mist over the dandelions and dry brushed some Titanium white paint over the top to catch the detail of the dandelion stencil. Love the contrast of the two colours. 

This is the finished back of the flower press.

I finished off the edges by stamping a crackle stamp with some gold paint, and darkened the edges of the board with some Prussian Blue Hue paint on a cut n dry foam pad.

This is the finished flower press with the cardboard, flowers, and the bolts in.

It also contains these flowers too :)

I filled 3 layers of flowers, making sure that none of the flowers are touching each other.

And placed cartridge paper on the bottom and the top of the flowers.

I've used Tim Holtz plastic letters and dabbed over white paint with my fingers.

Here is the finished front. I've added a bit of Treasure Gold on the edges and the raised parts of the flowers and stamped a flourish stamp around the outside with white Picket Fence Distress Stain on it.

I will come back to this flower press later in a few months and make something with my pressed flowers. :)

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Here are some of my sewing makes I've made lately.

A baby blanket. With some free motion quilting on the top.

A soft flannel raggy baby blanket

A pin cushion

And a Pan trivet for the kitchen.

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The Butterwick Hospice looked after my Mum as her cancer progressed and they are amazing people. I can't thank them enough for what they did for my Mum.

I made them this card to say thank you.  

Thanks for popping by

Take care

Michelle xx