Being surrounded by plants doesn’t have to stop when you go indoors. Why not bring some of your garden inside with a pressed flower lantern. Sophie shows us how easy and fun they are to make. Subscribe 🔔 ab.co/GA-subscribe
Pressed flower lanterns are made of papier-mache and decorated with pressed flowers and leaves. They provide a soft light and cast interesting shadows on the walls of a loungeroom, bedroom or anywhere you want to create a cozy floral mood.
Materials:
Flowers and Leaves
Flower Press / Heavy books
Cardboard, newspaper
Balloon and Tissue paper
Flour and Water for papier-mache glue
Pot / Vase for balancing
Marking Pen and Brush
PVA glue
Skewer and String
Battery operated tea-light
Choosing Flora:
- Select flat flowers when decorating lanterns. Sophie use pansies, violas, statice, daisies, salvias and bougainvillea. Flowers with a thick stem or base, you may want to only press the petals.
- Avoid using fleshy flowers like camelias. They will struggle to dry out properly and are more likely to rot.
- Don’t forget to add some lovely colourful leaves.
Pressing Flowers and Leaves:
- Plan this process a few weeks in advance to make sure the fresh material has fully dried.
- For a quick-dry method, lay fresh flowers on a baking tray in the oven, set to a low temperature and leave the door open to check on them.
- Place flowers and leaves between layers of clean paper, newspaper and cardboard.
- Press the layers together using a flower press or under the weight of some heavy books.
Preparing materials:
- To make a simple glue, mix equal parts of flour and water in a bowl and stir well into a smooth paste. 1 cup of flour should be enough to cover 1-2 balloons.
- Tear up small pieces of see-through tissue paper into a bowl ready for applying.
- Blow up the balloon to a reasonable size, remembering that if you’re doing this with young kids the bigger the size the longer it may take to decorate.
Forming the Lantern:
- Mark a line around the balloon to indicate where the opening of the lantern will be. You can rest the balloon on a small round pot or vase and use this circle as a marking guide. The opening needs to be big enough to fit your hand inside.
- Paste glue onto a small section of the balloon and cover it with tissue paper, pressing the edges of the paper firmly down to secure.
- Continue adding pieces of tissue paper and glue, each piece slightly overlapping the previous one, until the balloon has an even coverage, stopping at the marked line.
- The lantern needs to have enough layers to form structural integrity, and not be too opaque that the light can’t get through. Three to five layers should give you the thickness you need.
- Let it dry completely before applying more layers.
Decorating:
- Use PVA glue to secure your dried pressed flora onto the lantern. Use your creativity and whatever you think looks good.
- Long pieces such as salvia will need to be flexible enough to curve around the shape of the lantern.
- Cover each piece with a thick layer of PVA glue to keep it in place. This may seem like a lot, but the glue will dry clear and ensure they stay on.
Finishing touches:
- Wait until the lantern is thoroughly dry, then pop the balloon and remove.
- Create a hole either side with a skewer and thread through enough string to hang it up.
- Place a tea light inside the lantern. Sophie uses a battery-operated tea light that looks like the real thing. Do not use real candles for these lanterns as these are a significant fire hazard.
Switch the house lights off and enjoy the treasures of your garden in a whole new light.
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18 дек 2022
