Receiving a beautiful bouquet of flowers is one of life’s ultimate joys, there’s just nothing else like a stunning bunch to liven up any space. Most people just throw them away once they start dying, but why not continue enjoying them by turning them into something else? There are a few different ways you can re-purpose old flowers, so lets start with the basics.
Dried flowers are great to decorate your house with, just remove them from the water and hang them upside down in a dry place. Once completely dry, you can place them into a fun jug or vase, just as they are for a vintage vibe, or tie them with string or a nice ribbon and leave them hanging.
They look great in a window or off a beam. They also look gorgeous as decoration for gifts, simply take a single flower or two and tie into your bow.
You can also use your dried flowers to make potpourri. You must make sure that your flowers are completely dry, as otherwise they can start to rot.
Pop your dried flowers into a bowl or container and add essential oils, fragrant cinnamon sticks, cloves or even dried pine and eucalyptus. Toss the mixture together and place into a cute vase or basket, or in little jars with a bow to make perfect gifts.
Pressed flowers add a boho vibe to any craft project. Start by picking out the flowers you want to press, whereas flat flowers, such as daisies, hydrangeas and lilies work best. Flowers that are round and bulky won’t press well, but you can utilise the petals. Make sure the flowers are dry, that you cut them off at the head or leave a small stem. Grab a heavy book and place a couple of greaseproof paper sheets on the pages to protect them, lay out your flowers and gently close the book. Place another big book on top and leave them for at least one week. Once they are pressed and dry, you can arrange them into a pretty frame as bespoke decorations or create beautiful hand make cards by gluing them onto a nice folded piece of card.
Small flowers and flower petals are perfect for jazzing up pillar candles. Melt a small tea light candle and use the wax to ‘paint’ the flowers onto the candle. Paint a layer of wax onto the larger candle, place your flower or petal on (tweezers can help with this) and paint a few more layers on top, allowing each layer to partially dry before adding another. And voila! You’ve got a gorgeous decorated candle.
So next time your flowers start to wilt and fall, don’t throw them out just yet. These simple techniques can refresh and bring new life to your bouquet, so you can keep enjoying them or turn them into great gifts.
Do you have any ideas on how to use old flowers?
