After losing a loved one, you may ask yourself, "What do I do with all the flowers after the funeral?" You hate to just throw them away because they hold sentimental value but they of course, won't last forever. The good news is that there are many things you can do with the flowers once you press them.
First, Preserve Funeral Flowers by Pressing Them
Preserving the funeral flowers is essential to giving them staying power. Pressing flowers is a simple process. You'll need the following supplies:
- Fresh flowers
- Paper
- A heavy book
- Microwave (optional)
How to Preserve Funeral Flowers
- Take a flower and place it on a piece of paper exactly the way you want to preserve it. If you use fresh flowers, they will be much more malleable and not so easy to destroy during this step.
- Once you have it set, take another piece of paper to lie on top of it.
- Take the heavy book and place it on top of the paper and flower.
- Keep the book on the flower for a few days until the flower is crispy dry.
- To accelerate the process, you can put the paper, flower, and book in the microwave for a few seconds at a time. Make sure to check it often so that you don't overheat it, which could ruin it.
Never freeze flowers! If you freeze them, they will come out of the freezer, defrost and turn mushy.
What Do I Do With Flowers From a Funeral?
Once you've pressed your funeral flowers, you're ready to use them on many different ways to preserve the memory of your loved one.
Frame Your Pressed Funeral Flowers
You can find a poem, quote or a photo of the deceased and place the pressed flowers around it. Frame it so you can hang it on your wall or give as a gift to a family member or friend.
Create a Bookmark
Remind yourself of your loved one daily whenever you pick up a book to read. Take the pressed flowers and laminate them into a bookmark. You can also add a poem, quote, or small photo of the deceased like in the frame example.
Decorate a Candle
Purchase or make a candle and acrylic matte medium from a craft store. You can then take your pressed flowers to decorate the outside of a candle by brushing the medium onto the pressed flowers and candle, which will glue it and give it a protective finish. If you're setting up a memorial for your loved one, this is a perfect addition.
Make Ornaments
Remember your loved one during the holidays by making an ornament that you can hang on your Christmas tree. Take the acrylic matte medium and use it to glue and protect the pressed flowers on a solid color ornament. Glass ornaments work best for this.
Create Refrigerator Magnets
Magnets are great for refrigerators, file cabinets or other metal items. It will keep your loved one's memory close to you wherever you are. You can either buy magnets that have a pocket to place the pressed flowers into or you can just buy the magnet and then laminate the pressed flowers to glue onto it.
Decorate a Jewelry Box
Did your deceased loved one have a love for jewelry and left many behind to you? Show your appreciation and create a sentimental jewelry box by decorating it with the pressed flowers using the acrylic matte medium.
Add to a Photo Album
Take pictures of your deceased loved one and place them into an album. Decorate the outside of the album and some of the pages inside of it with the pressed flowers.
Make a Scrapbook
Create a scrapbook with photos, quotes, poems, personal mementos and the pressed flowers for a wonderful book of memories.
Create a Shadow Box
Take some of your loved one's prized possessions or items that remind you of him or her and place them into a shadow box. Use the pressed flowers to decorate the outside and/or inside of it.
Make Homemade Journal Paper
You can make homemade journal paper so that you can write down your thoughts and memories you treasure about your loved one. It will help you with the grieving process and give your loved one close to your heart.
Offering Funeral Flowers to Others
After making some of the above items, you may have flowers left over and still wonder how to put them to the best use. Consider taking the extra flowers and offering them to other people who were close to the deceased. You may even offer to make something with them as a keepsake for them. You may think that they won't want them, but you'd be surprised at how many people would cherish it and appreciate your time and thoughtfulness during this great time of grief.
