| Dry flowers are as beautiful as they are hard to | | | | blue when it is dry, and is composed of tiny |
| make. Here are the four possible ways of getting | | | | crystals. If infiltrated by water, its colour gets |
| flowers dried as soon as possible. | | | | more and more pinkish. When the flowers are |
| Air-dried flowers | | | | dried, the colour of the gel will automatically |
| This method is the simplest. It involves hanging of | | | | change. Unused silica gel must be kept in air-tight |
| the flowers upside down in a warm and dry place. | | | | containers. To dry the gel itself after using it with |
| Drying takes about two weeks, depending on the | | | | the flowers, you need to spread it on a tray and |
| specificity of the flowers. Wild and garden flowers | | | | bake it in the oven until the crystals are blue |
| can easily be dried. Dry flowers are also made out | | | | again. |
| of "everlasting" plants. For best effects, you had | | | | Talking about ovens, another great way to get |
| better bind the flowers together in bunches. | | | | your dry flowers is by putting the bunch in the |
| Dry flowers can be produced by mechanical | | | | microwave. It can take no more than several |
| pressure used upon them. This is the second way | | | | minutes but the effects are really magnificent. To |
| to dry a plant. It is easy although its main | | | | prevent extreme drying, you may put a cup of |
| feedback is that it leaves the dry flowers flat and | | | | water in the microwave before getting the |
| without shape. Take a heavy object and place it | | | | flowers inside. The bunch itself must by |
| on the wrapped flowers. For the wrapping you | | | | surrounded by spread crystals of silica gel. Put the |
| can use unglazed paper, such as newsprint or a | | | | flowers in a microwave container or on a flat tray |
| telephone book. The drying takes from two up to | | | | and keep the switch on up until three minutes. |
| four weeks to complete. | | | | The dry flowers will be ready depending on their |
| A wise way to prevent flattening of the flowers | | | | density and the size and number of petals. The |
| when drying is by burying them in drying | | | | heating time for denser plants with many petals |
| materials, such as mixtures from sand, or borax, | | | | will be about 3 minutes. Smaller flowers will take a |
| or corn meal. These three materials can be useful | | | | minute or less to dry. After procuring the dried |
| only in drying of specific kinds of flowers. A | | | | flowers, you should let them in the silica crystals |
| universal solution is silica gel. This gel is more | | | | for 12 to 24 hours, so that moisture can be |
| expensive than the above-mentioned materials, | | | | thoroughly absorbed. Keep the dry flowers in |
| but one of its basic priorities over others is that it | | | | air-tight containers, as microwave drying is |
| can be used over and over again without having | | | | strongly influenced by moist conditions. To |
| to replace it. It can virtually dry any kind of | | | | prevent the dried flowers from ruining, you had |
| flower. Getting dry flowers with the usage of silica | | | | better spray the petals with lacquer. |
| gel is very easy. The gel has special indication | | | | Dry flowers can be produced also by combining |
| when it is wet, so that you can conclude whether | | | | the four ways, depending on your own needs. |
| the flowers are dried. Usually the gel is white or | | | | |