Flowers for Hours

If it hasn't already been established, I'm never going to be one of the world's cool people. This is a fact of life I came to terms with around the age of 5 and I've floated through on my uncoolness ever since. So it's really no surprise that, unlike cool people, I really like flower pressing. I think it's half because I really like capturing moments and memories (which is why I also really like photography) but it's also because whilst I like flowers I'm also ridiculously scared of the insects that pollinate them. By pressing the flowers, I get to admire their beauty and avoid the buzz, buzz, buzzing of bees and wasps. Like I said, I'm never gonna be cool. 

When I was a kid I remember having a flower press but I had neither the patience nor the inclination to use it properly. Now one or maybe even two houses later, I have no idea where my old flower press is, so last summer I managed to buy this one from The Works for about £5. It's incredibly simple to use; it comes with a series of white paper and brown cardboard all octagonal.When you find something you want to press, you slip it between two white sheets which are then sandwiched between two brown pieces of cardboard. Then you stack all the mini sandwiches together, fasten the top of press down and screw down the little bolts to keep the pressure in place. Leave it for a few weeks and that is literally the process from start to finish. Easy, right?

The end results are the best bit because, as you can see from a quick search on Tumblr, pressed flowers can be placed almost anywhere to make any photo even prettier. They also seem to be a great accompaniment to poetry which is something I would definitely like to utilise since I am partial to writing some poetry myself. But beyond pretentious photography, pressed flowers can actually be used to make cards, and wall art and other types of decor, so it's not a totally lame hobby for a girl in her early twenties to enjoy. 

Jade x