pressed flower placemats

Do you wish flowers would last for longer? Well, why not enjoy them all year round by making these useful placemats? You could even press flowers at different times of the year to create a range of placemats for every season.

You will need

• ✿ small flowers
• ✿ sheets of letter size (A4) paper
• ✿ sheets of newspaper
• ✿ heavy books
• ✿ large plate
• ✿ pencil
• ✿ thick card
• ✿ scissors
• ✿ contact paper or sticky-backed plastic
• ✿ white (PVA) glue

Step 1

Pick some small flowers from your favorite garden plants, remembering to ask a grown-up for permission first. Making sure the flowers aren’t touching each other, place them between sheets of paper followed by sheets of newspaper before pressing them between heavy books. You will need to leave them for two weeks so that they are fully dry.

Step 2

Draw around the large plate with the pencil to make a circle on the piece of thick card. Cut out the circle carefully using scissors. Also draw a round circle of contact paper or sticky-backed plastic using the same plate, and cut out.

Try this... You can make matching coasters by drawing around a large mug or small bowl to create a smaller circle.

Step 3

Arrange the flowers on your card circle and, when you are happy with the pattern, stick them on carefully by putting a small dab of white (PVA) glue onto the back of each flower.

Step 4

When your pattern is finished and the glue has dried, peel away a section of the contact paper, position it carefully over the mat, and press down. Then, start to peel away the rest of the backing, smoothing down the contact paper as you go.