Flower Pressing & Photo Daily Challenges

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great week. I needed the little pause I took for a few days. I feel a little more reset! I will first share some Flower Pressing that I started this past Tuesday and at the end of the blog I will share the last few days of my photo challenge. 

I started taking a big interest in flower and leaf pressing in May of 2025. At the time I was always in nature and hiking. I came across so many beautiful leaves and flowers and wanted a way to keep them. I just put them in some heavy books between tissue paper and it worked okay. I realized I would forget about them and because the heavy books I used to press them were rarely opened due to being vintage books I use for decor I hardly ever remembered them. It takes a while to press them. Weeks. I also realized I had them tucked away in so many books I lost track which book I pressed what in. I began to look for a flower press and received one for my birthday last June (2025) fast forward to now I am just now really cranking the thing out because a lot of things happened over the summer and fall. I never got around to pressing. Then winter limited me the foraging of those flowers and leaves. Spring came and my health went down. Anyway, I had a lot of beautiful flowers from bouquets people had given me for get well gifts. I decided to choose some of my favorite ones and press them.

First, I chose the ones I wanted to press and cut them and cleaned them up to press evenly.

Second, I pressed them gently to get any moisture I can off of them and run a blow dryer on low setting for 30 seconds. This helps with preventing mold as they are being pressed.

Third, after I put the press together, I placed the cardboard piece, then blotting paper made for specific for pressing, add the flowers spaced out, add another sheet of blotting paper, then another cardboard piece, and then start another layer.

Then once I had all my layers made I placed the last layer of the cardboard piece. You add the top of the press and then tighten the gadgets to press down tight but not too tight where it might crush them. Put in a place with good air flow and check once a week. By week three to four should be ready.

So, what do I do with these. You can create nature journals, use them for card making, decor, or frame them for a special home decor piece. You can add dried flowers or herbs to soaps or candle making if you do that. Which I have added lavender to soaps when I hosted a "Make Your Own Soap" night. 

Truly my favorite is do press leaves and make a neat fall collage frame for Autumn decor for my entry table. I like to collect them when I am on my walks and hikes. They must be special and unique!

So, I missed posting Tuesday-Thursday daily photo challenge so I will show that here. I will say these days were kind of hard. Well, not hard really but truly seemed kind of basic to me and I had a hard time being creative due to my limitations.

Here goes...

Tuesday- On the Floor

Yep, when you have had surgery in your abdomen dropping anything on the floor is a dread. I can't bend at the waist still. I dropped my lid to my water and had to use my little handy pick-up tool!

Wednesday- I skipped this day. I do not have really any signs in our home that I haven't already shown, and I can't get out yet to drive. So, no sign. Plus, I was not inspired today to be creative. I felt pretty rough this day.

Thursday- Indoors

My current view for mainly the last 3 weeks. Indoors was easy and yet again I felt less inspired to get up and be creative. I just haven't felt super this week. 

Friday (TODAY)- on the shelf

I had to share my sweet brass little ducks and swan I found this past winter at an antique store. It was a new to me store. It was PACKED. A little overwhelming to be honest. I did come across these precious things. I knew I had a place for these. I am a sucker for birds, ducks and etc. 

I found the wooden duck and the brass beauties on FB marketplace when I used to have social media. I love them so much!!!

Tomorrow's theme (Saturday) is Animal/Insect. I hope to pop in and share something. 

Until then....

Chrissy T