Forgotten Treasures

Wildflower Cards, 2020

Flowers & Mod Podge on watercolor paper

4.75” x 7”

This project actually began months ago. It was the height of Wildflower Season, or what I then believed to be the height of Wildflower Season (see the Celebration of Flowers post for more on that).  I very diligently went around the property collecting specimens of my favorite blossoms for pressing. It was my hope to successfully preserve them for use in future art projects.

Pressing flowers is always a funny sort of undertaking for my forgetful brain. It goes something like this: 

1) Pick flowers 

2) Shake out bugs

3) Gently place flowers between folded sheets of parchment paper 

4) Place heavy object on top of flowers (I prefer the 11th edition of Gardner’s Art Through the Ages)

5) Wait with eager excitement and anticipation for about 1 week (no peeking) 

6) Forget about flowers for several more weeks

7) Randomly discover perfectly pressed flowers while looking for something else! 

This past week just so happened to have had one of those delightful discoveries in store for me. Ladies and gentlemen, the future is now. I was absolutely thrilled to find a whole bunch of forgotten flowers. A majority of my spring treasures survived the pressing process perfectly! The tiny forest pansies even retained their magnificently vibrant colors. This was a totally unexpected outcome as dried flowers typically lose their brilliant coloration (even if everything goes according to plan). The aroma was  also amazing! I knew with certainty which sheet held the wild roses, the moment I lifted the parchment. This surprise was just too lovely to keep to myself. I decided to create art that by its nature would be shared - greeting cards. 

Cards have a wonderful way of brightening someone’s day. Who doesn’t get excited when they see a brightly colored, hand addressed, envelope peaking out from behind their junk mail and bills?

I set about to create individual little compositions with my paper thin flowers… very… gently! It was important to me that each mini bouquet was unique and perfectly placed. After much careful consideration, I sealed the deal (every pun intended) with my trusty Mod Podge. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the name, Mod Podge is an all-in-one glue/sealant/finish… and it is awesome! It is also non-toxic, water-based, relativity fast drying, and made in the good old USA.

This process was such a joy that I literally couldn’t wait to do it all over again! Before my sealant was even set, I ran outside with my basket to see what I could press next. The rainbow bounty of flowers I collected this time was even more stunning than before! I can’t wait to see how this batch turns out… after I forget and re-discover them of course. ;) 

Want to make your own? Follow steps 1-7 and stay tuned for my future Mod Podge card tutorial!