Any general-purpose glue that will dry clear can be used for pressed flower projects.

Before gluing down the flowers on projects, you should sketch an outline for your design. Glue should be applied only when you are sure where to place the flower, because once glued down, it would be relatively hard to remove it without destroying the flower.

Some flowers and leaves are very sensitive to glue. Using a toothpick, apply only minimum amounts of glue (just enough to hold it) in the back base of the flower and joint positions of leaves. Do not apply glue all over the back surface.

Since glue contains moisture, always allow pictures to be completely dry before framing or sealing. The best way is to put the finished picture into a large box that contains silica gel. The picture should be dry in one day.

Tips about pressed flowers:

This is a two dimensional art form with flowers. You can hide small imperfections in the back. For example, if you do not have long enough stems, you can use several shorter pieces and hide the joints with leaves or small flowers. If petals fall off, you can repair it with glue. If you have a small brown spot on your main flower, you can hide it by gluing a small flower in front of it.

Copyright 1998 - 2008 Kate Chu