I preserved my bouquet for 18 years now...yes it becomes brown and very brittle but I cover it in a box and it is here as a sentimental value of my day
Hi Maria, I have not personally used hairspray, but I have heard that it can help preserve dried flowers. Make sure the flowers are completely dried before you spray them with the hairspray!! Thanks, Nancy
I am looking to dry a bouquet from my friends wedding for her to keep if she doesn’t have hers done. But my bouquet is getting dried by Austin preservations. It took longer than I expected due to me forgetting completely about providing my items🤦🏽♀️ but I cannot wait to pick it up!
You all prolly dont care but does anybody know of a tool to get back into an Instagram account..? I was stupid lost the password. I would love any help you can give me.
You can find it at a craft store (Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc), Amazon, etc. The brand name is Activa Silica Gel and it comes in 5 lb packages. Prices vary but you can expect to pay somewhere around $25/5 lb. I buy mine at a craft store because you can use a 40% off coupon. Activa Silica Gel lasts forever - it can be "refreshed" in the oven. It is an easy process with excellent results. I hope this helps!
+Maria João Oliveira - Yes, I have heard that this does help - just make sure the flowers are completely dried before spraying them with the hairspray. Personally I have not tried the hairspray!
+Fancy Florals by Nancy This is a great video :) Well explained. The silica gel I can assume I can use cat litter? I don't know if I can aquire in another way...
+Maria João Oliveira the cat litter is used for the microwave method and the silica gel will take a week or more for the blooms to dry. The larger the bloom, the longer it takes to dry.
I have not found a fixative that actually works. The way I prevent the flowers from drooping or falling apart is to dry the flowers while they are buds or blooming but still have a lot of life left. If you wait until the flowers have passed that stage, they tend to fall apart more easily. If they get to that stage, then I think the best method is pressing the flowers - but beware. Some blooms (especially roses) need to be cut in half, so they dry properly. It must just be me, but I find it impossible to cut the rose lengthwise and still be able to use it - I ruin it every time. However, carefully and gently placing the flowers in Active Silica Gel and covering them with the sand-like substance (spooning it gently down in between the petals) always produces excellent results for me - whether I go the traditional route by leaving them buried in the silica for a few days, or use the microwave. The instructions and a chart with drying times for specific flowers are included in the box of the silica gel. No, I don't work for Activa or any other crafting company - I've just done this for a long time and have found that to be the easiest, most reliable method for beautifully dried flowers. There are other silica gels on the market, but they are a crap shoot. If you try another brand, I definitely would test the effectiveness on a couple of similar flowers before drying meaningful flowers or an important bouquet. If you get lackluster results, you can always pull the petals off the flowers and use them as potpourri, in handmade paper, etc. It should also be noted that this method is about a million times better for drying bulky flowers, herbs, pods, etc. You need to cut the stems about an inch from the flower head, but the stems can always be reattached with floral tape. I hope this helps!
If you're grossed out by the thought of using clean litter in your microwave, you can always use Activa Silica Gel. Activa Silica Gel can be used traditionally (where you arrange the flowers in it and leave it for a few days) or in the microwave. When microwaving you reduce the microwave power to 50% and heat it for short periods (1-3 minutes). Either method requires the flowers to be covered entirely with the Activa, but I have had excellent results with the traditional and microwave techniques.
I preserved my bouquet for 18 years now...yes it becomes brown and very brittle but I cover it in a box and it is here as a sentimental value of my day
Hi Nancy which is better wax or silica gel to preserve roses? I’m doing a project and I want the roses to look and smell fresh thank you.
Hi Maria, I have not personally used hairspray, but I have heard that it can help preserve dried flowers. Make sure the flowers are completely dried before you spray them with the hairspray!! Thanks, Nancy
Hairspray has the same effect as air drying.
I have one dried rose which has lasted 29 years.
How
Diana, That sounds wonderful. How did you do it?
Nancy, I am from Brazil, and I'm working with dehidrated flowers. Please , can you tell me about how keep the insects out off dehidrated flowers?
I am looking to dry a bouquet from my friends wedding for her to keep if she doesn’t have hers done. But my bouquet is getting dried by Austin preservations. It took longer than I expected due to me forgetting completely about providing my items🤦🏽♀️ but I cannot wait to pick it up!
You all prolly dont care but does anybody know of a tool to get back into an Instagram account..?
I was stupid lost the password. I would love any help you can give me.
I'm curious why you did not mention the resin encapsulated bouquets.
Is it necessary to cut off the stems if you take them apart?
Im from central illinois too! Where can I find this silica stuff? Im looking to make a shadow box of flowers from a recent funeral
You can find it at a craft store (Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc), Amazon, etc. The brand name is Activa Silica Gel and it comes in 5 lb packages. Prices vary but you can expect to pay somewhere around $25/5 lb. I buy mine at a craft store because you can use a 40% off coupon. Activa Silica Gel lasts forever - it can be "refreshed" in the oven. It is an easy process with excellent results. I hope this helps!
my friend have her flowers dried over about 8 years
How?
Si vous pouvez traduire en francais merci
Will hair spray work as well?
+Maria João Oliveira - Yes, I have heard that this does help - just make sure the flowers are completely dried before spraying them with the hairspray. Personally I have not tried the hairspray!
+Fancy Florals by Nancy This is a great video :) Well explained. The silica gel I can assume I can use cat litter? I don't know if I can aquire in another way...
+Maria João Oliveira the cat litter is used for the microwave method and the silica gel will take a week or more for the blooms to dry. The larger the bloom, the longer it takes to dry.
Can you spray using a fixative to stop falling apart?
I have not found a fixative that actually works. The way I prevent the flowers from drooping or falling apart is to dry the flowers while they are buds or blooming but still have a lot of life left. If you wait until the flowers have passed that stage, they tend to fall apart more easily. If they get to that stage, then I think the best method is pressing the flowers - but beware. Some blooms (especially roses) need to be cut in half, so they dry properly. It must just be me, but I find it impossible to cut the rose lengthwise and still be able to use it - I ruin it every time. However, carefully and gently placing the flowers in Active Silica Gel and covering them with the sand-like substance (spooning it gently down in between the petals) always produces excellent results for me - whether I go the traditional route by leaving them buried in the silica for a few days, or use the microwave. The instructions and a chart with drying times for specific flowers are included in the box of the silica gel. No, I don't work for Activa or any other crafting company - I've just done this for a long time and have found that to be the easiest, most reliable method for beautifully dried flowers. There are other silica gels on the market, but they are a crap shoot. If you try another brand, I definitely would test the effectiveness on a couple of similar flowers before drying meaningful flowers or an important bouquet. If you get lackluster results, you can always pull the petals off the flowers and use them as potpourri, in handmade paper, etc. It should also be noted that this method is about a million times better for drying bulky flowers, herbs, pods, etc. You need to cut the stems about an inch from the flower head, but the stems can always be reattached with floral tape. I hope this helps!
Putting your flowers in cat litter is some classic trailer trash shit. Cat shit - endlessly useful!
Cat litter and a microwave. . ...😳😳. ... wth NEVER HEARD OF THIS METHOD!!! COOL!!!!
Yuck, cat litter in a microwave!!!!! How disgusting!!!
If you're grossed out by the thought of using clean litter in your microwave, you can always use Activa Silica Gel. Activa Silica Gel can be used traditionally (where you arrange the flowers in it and leave it for a few days) or in the microwave. When microwaving you reduce the microwave power to 50% and heat it for short periods (1-3 minutes). Either method requires the flowers to be covered entirely with the Activa, but I have had excellent results with the traditional and microwave techniques.
Do you know what cat litter is made of? Clean litter is hardly "yuck"