Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. People will give flowers to their significant others and receive some in return. Blooms such as roses, lilacs, tulips, camellias, primroses, and sunflowers, are popular as they represent love in many cultures. They’re often arranged in bouquets wrapped in various crafting paper and ribbons.
Despite the beautiful flower arrangements, these blooms will eventually die as they’re no longer planted. On the other hand, their beauty can be revived and enjoyed again through upcycling.
Here are five creative ways to upcycle and extend the life of your Valentine’s Day flowers:
Pressed flowers are beautiful craft items great for bookmarks, scrapbooks, scented candles, journals, and greeting cards. If you don’t have a flower press, use heavy hardbound books to flatten your flowers.
Cut your flower stems short enough, so they’ll fit between your makeshift flower press. Leave a few leaves on the stems to have “whole” dried flowers for your craft projects. For nearly damaged flowers, separate the petals from the pistil. This step is great for roses that are nearly damaged. Then, press your flowers for three to five days to flatten them completely. Keep your flower press away from humidity to protect your flowers from further damage.
Dried flowers are a lovely and unique alternative to painting mediums. Arrange some of your favorite pressed blooms, leaves, ferns, and stalks. Use a small amount of glue or tiny strips of double-sided tape to stick the flowers onto the backing mat. Be careful when placing your flowers to prevent damage. Wear gloves when doing this step to keep your flowers dry; moisture will damage your dried blooms.
Framed press flowers are beautiful pieces of art ideal for decorating your walls and shelves. For your Bloomfield Heights residence, you can hang your framed bouquet in your living room or in your kitchen for a rustic touch.
Bring back the fragrance of your flowers by upcycling them into potpourri. Crush your dried flowers into smaller pieces to fit in your potpourri bowl. Leave smaller buds and blooms to decorate your container.
Then, spritz or drop some of your favorite scented oils to amplify the smell of your potpourri. Match the scents to your pressed flowers; roses, peonies, camellias, and citrus are fragrant and refreshing for your home.
Preparing for a party? Crush some of your flowers and turn them into confetti! Use craft punchers with different shaped blades to have various confetti pieces. For example, if you’re making confetti for a family member’s birthday, create star-shaped confetti to match the theme. Other shapes you’ll find are hearts, apples, snowflakes, umbrellas, butterflies, maple leaves, clover leaves, and musical notes.
Flower confetti is also eco-friendly and safe for outdoor use. You won’t have to worry about producing waste that further damages the environment. Plus, you’ll also give free compost to the ground and plants!
Keep your dried flowers safe from moisture and damage by putting them in a jar. Search how to dry your flowers properly. Some blooms will do with air drying alone, while others will need heat and preservatives. You'll need around two to three weeks for your flowers to dry completely.
Cut your blooms into pieces that will fit inside your jar. Place some sand or gravel to have a “ground” for some of your flowers to stick upright. Decorate your flower jar with ribbons, fairy lights, and a piece of brown paper tied with string.
All that said, your Valentine’s Day flowers don’t have to die and end up in the trash. Use these five craft ideas to upcycle your beautiful blooms and extend their lives and purpose.
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