Dear Canada: A step back in time

Pressed Flower Bookmark

Wildflowers were often put around the house to brighten up dreary days in olden times. Use wildflowers of your own to brighten up your room, or your favorite book!

Materials:

• Glue
• Pen
• Toothpick
• One-hole punch
• Small bit of ribbon
• Clear vinyl adhesive sheets
• Dried Flowers, petals or grasses (any flowers will do, but small ones like rose buds, baby's breath, and buttercups work best)
• Textured paper cut to (approximately 2" x 8") to form your bookmark
• Scissors

Directions:

1. Choose your favorite blooms from your garden or local flower shop. Remove excess leaves and tie the stems together with string, yarn, or rubber bands. Hang the blooms upside down in a warm, dark place so they can dry. This usually takes a couple of weeks depending on the amount of moisture in the flower. Blooms must be dry before they are pressed or they will rot.
2. When blooms are completely dry, arrange your flowers between the pages of a heavy book or in a flower press if you have one. They should be ready to use in about 2-3 weeks!
3. Keep your design open and spacious - they can be centered, off-centered, top, bottom, or top and bottom - whatever you feel like doing. With your chosen arrangement in mind, select your flowers and place a small dab of glue with your toothpick on the back. After placement they can be moved around with your fingertip until you like their position.
4. When you are through placing your flowers, cut the clear vinyl adhesive and cover the front of your marker. Turn over and repeat covering the back. Use the scissors to trim away excess leaving a border of approximately 1/16" to prevent curling with use. Punch a hole through the center at the top approximately 1/2" from the top edge, pull a lovely piece of ribbon through and fasten with a slipknot. It's ready to use!