Learn how to make a pressed flower suncatcher with leaves and flowers from your own garden and picture frames from the dollar store.
Making crafts, gifts and pretty home decor items with flowers pressed from your own backyard is so rewarding because they are almost guaranteed to come out beautiful.
Today I'm sharing a simple tutorial on how to make a beautiful flower suncatcher.
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Pressed Flower Suncatcher
The easiest way to press flowers involves using an old phone book. Hopefully, you haven't thrown them all out.
If you don't have an old phone book, you can make your own flower press. Also, you could try pressing some flowers between a few sheets of newsprint under a heavy book. In addition, you could buy a flower press online or at your local craft store.
It takes a few weeks to a month for fresh flowers to dry out in the phone book, so it's a good idea to collect flowers and leaves all season long and press them for future projects.
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Of course, you can also buy pressed flowers
if you are in a hurry.
For this project, I used the glass from picture frames bought at the dollar store.
After cleaning one side of the glass, mark them with a piece of tape so that you can keep track. Once the flower or leaf is inside there is no way to clean the panes of glass.
Place your flowers and leaves between the glass. If necessary you can use a tiny bit of glue stick to keep them in place.
For the suncatcher frame, I'm using some pretty metallic tape.
Use something to elevate the glass while you place metallic tape
around the edge, encasing the entire two pieces of glass.
Then, burnish the edges with your fingers to make sure the tape is secure.
Clean up the outside glass and use one or two pretty binder clips to hang the suncatcher in a sunny window. Then tie on some wire or ribbon tied to the clips to hang this fun flower craft from a suction cup or nail on the wall.
Note: The binder clips
above are not copper. They are rose gold but they look great with the copper tape.
You could remove the part of the binder clip on the front side if you like.
For smaller pieces of glass, you can use a single clip.
I like these leaves from a hardy begonia because they have pretty dark veins.
They show really well in the window. Even though the window itself needs to be cleaned.
This is why I titled this post "pressed flower suncatcher", however, they would look beautiful as a piece of pressed flower art hanging on a wall too.
Wouldn't this make a great gift for Mother's Day? Or for any flower lover in your life.
Pressed Flower Suncatcher: Easy and Inexpensive Gift to Make
Equipment
- Scissors
Materials
- Pressed Flowers
- 2 Pieces of Glass
- Metallic Tape
- Binder Clips
Instructions
- Clean both sides of the glass. Place your flowers and leaves between the glass.
- Place metallic tape around the edge, encasing the entire two pieces of glass.
- Burnish the edges with your fingers to make sure the tape is secure.
- Clean up the outside of the glass.
- Use one or two pretty binder clips to hang.
Notes
Brooke
Thanks for the tips. Love the binder clips!
Patti Estep
Thanks Brooke. Glad you like it.
Donna
How did you remove the "solid" part of the clip?
Patti Estep
Donna, that's the way they came. I bought them on Amazon and there is a link in the post.
Leah
Hi,
these are so lovely and such a fun idea. about how long do the pressed leaves last in a frame would you say?
thanks!
Patti Estep
They should last a long time. It's possible that they may fade if there is direct sun shining on them for a long time but so far mine still look great.
Jakeen
These are just lovely! Just wanting to verify that the width of the metallic tape you used is 1/4 inch? Didn't want to order it and not have it stick the two glass pieces together!
Patti Estep
Hi Jakeen,
Yes, the tape measures 1/4 inch but to be safe you may want to buy your glass first. Just in case they are not the same as the ones I used. I bought my frames at Dollar Tree which is a nation wide store but you never know.
Hope the helps and thanks for stopping by,
Patti
Jeanne
Using dollar store frames for the glass is genius...love the finished look...so pretty.
Patti Estep
Hi Jeanne,
Thanks for the kind comment. You may even have some old beat up frame laying around that will work but for $2.00 +tax it's not a bad price.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!
Patti
Pat Schwab
Patti, These look so pretty. Thanks for a great idea.
Patti Estep
Hi Pat,
I'm so glad you like it. Thanks for the nice comment.
Have a great week!
Patti
Karen
These are lovely, Patti, and I really appreciate how easily they come together.
Patti Estep
Hi Karen,
Thanks. It's great when the beauty of nature does most of the work.
Thanks for stopping by,
Patti
Carole
I don't even get a telephone book anymore if you can believe it. I use to dry flowers all the time when I was a kid and make book markers, I used encyclopedias and the sears catalog. I love this was just simple fun in the summer. That metallic tape you used is really neat, don't think I've ever seen that before. If I ever get a greenhouse these would look awesome hanging in the windows. Love the simplicity and clean lines.
Patti Estep
Hi Carole,
I've been doing this as a kid too. We always used phone books and sadly they still deliver them to us whether we want them on not. Catalogs and books are other great ideas too. I also agree that a greenhouse would be perfect for these. I don't know if I'll ever get one, though I'd love it. My daughter is having one built. Maybe I'll send a couple her way.
Thanks for stopping by Carole and have a great week,
Patti
Sandi
Patti, These are so pretty. Cutting flowers today to press so I can look at them when it's cold and blah outside. Thanks for the idea!
Patti Estep
Hi Sandi,
I'm so glad you liked them. I think they will be perfect for winter too. May end up making some for Christmas gifts.
Thanks for stopping by,
Patti