When I was younger, “florist” was one of the things I wanted to be “when I grew up”. I always thought it would be so much fun to work in a shop full of all sorts of gorgeous blooms, and put them together beautifully and in a way that would make lots of people happy! I still mess around with it a little bit here and there, but in the end, I don’t think I have “the gift” to be a florist. Albeit, I’m still very interested in floral arranging.

So when Lauren Fuller contacted me to see if I wanted to share some of her fantastic summer floral craft projects, all the happy flower feelings came to light once more! She’s got some great ideas! Check this out…

Summer weather has arrived and it’s time to brighten up your house with new designs and decorations to make it feel more summery in your space. Making your own summery floral projects is a great way to decorate your home in a cost effective way. You get the fun of first decorating your home with living flowers, and then you can reuse them for summer craft projects to make them last even longer, extending the money you spent on them in the first place.

Arranging Live Flowers

Before you use your flowers for crafting, make sure to keep them alive and flourishing for as long as you can. You can buy flowers individually at the store and arrange them yourself into nice bouquets or you can go online and order bunches of flowers in less expensive arrangements like these roses from ProFlowers.

Keep flowers flourishing for longer by removing any lower sitting leaves as these will quickly die and can leave bacteria in the water, causing the flowers to die quickly. Make sure to cut the stems at a sharp upwards angle to extend their life and stir into the water any plant food that came with your purchase. If you run out of flower food, you can supplement with sugar.

Dried Flower Crafts

One great and easy way to reuse your flowers for decorating once they’ve gotten old is to dry them. There are several ways you can dry flowers, ranging in the length of time they take. One tried and true method is to place your flowers between two sheets of wax paper and press them inside a heavy book. Set more books down on top to add more weight. You can dry flowers several at a time this way, but it will take several weeks to finish. Another popular method is to hang your flowers upside down and let them dry out naturally. While this method also takes some time, the flowers look nice while they are drying and can act as a decoration for your kitchen or living room

You can also dry flowers by ironing them or even placing them in the microwave if you want them finished quickly. Whatever method you choose, the key to producing beautiful dried flowers is to make sure they stay in a cool, dry area to preserve them. In addition, if you want to dry full flowers like roses, be sure to cut them in half lengthwise to make them easier to press flat (unless you want them to stay full for your craft project, in which case you’d do better with the hanging method of drying).

Another interesting method for preserving flowers is to coat them in paraffin wax. It takes a little bit more effort, but it produces lovely preserved flowers that are often able to stand up on their own.

Here are some crafts to consider when thinking about using dried flowers:

• Purchase a picture frame from the craft store and use hot glue to attach your dried flowers in even rows around the frame or make a summer wreath.
• Press your flowers between sheets of clear glass to make coasters.
• Place them down flat on dinner trays and coat them in laminate to protect them.
• Make potpourri bags to use in your home or give as gifts.

Flower Inspired Crafts

It’s true that live flowers don’t last forever, even when they are dried. If you still want to do some floral craft projects, try making your own flower alternatives. You can make cloth flowers using scrap fabric and a little bit of thread or you can knit or crochet flowers with some scrap yarn. If you want them to be slightly stiffer, try felting your finished flowers. If you’re not good with needles and thread, try paper flowers. Fold your own origami flowers to make into nice arrangements or cut our petals to paste into nice layered arrangements. You can even make some simple rosettes by cutting out long curved strips of paper, rolling them loosely, and gluing them at the ends.

Whatever method you like best, flower-inspired crafts are a great way to welcome in the summer, and if done right, they’ll last for seasons to come.

Preserving flowers in paraffin wax, that’s amazing! Thanks so much for all the great ideas, Lauren!

What is YOUR favorite summer floral craft? I’d love to hear about it!

Due to the amount of comments from all of my wonderful readers, it is not always possible for me to respond to each one. However, I absolutely do read them all, and if you’d like to address something specific, or have a question for me, please don’t hesitate to email me at Kristen@theroadtodomestication.com. I will respond to your email as soon as possible! Thank you for visiting the blog!