This forum is for the discussion of drying and pressing flowers. ... I'd like to get a Sunwave flower press, but am having trouble finding sources? Anyone think of a substitute that is as easy as you can find it... Here is a link that might be useful: Next Day Flowers This post was edited by jacksparly on Thu, Jan 23, 14 at 2:04

I have been making greeting cards for years! I was using Perfect Paper Adhesive but here in Hawaii, unbenounced to me, there are little tiny almost invisible to the eye, BUGS! And, they ”continue to eat the flowers once sealed with PPA!“ I have found my best bet and failure free ”Mod Podge” is the BEST sealant! I use the matte, not the glossy and I must say my cards turn out beautiful and best of all, they last a lifetime! I have done a lot of experimenting with varios glues, adhesives and I always return to Mod Podge! As far as pressing flowers, try to use those that have the same thickness. This allows for even drying. The larger flowers with big, bulky centers, i.e,. cosmos cosmos, I take the centers out, press the petals and save the seeds to grow more cosmo’s. I am also a huge fan of placing the flowers beteen 2 pieces of Bounty paper towel. This is the only paper towel I can find that doesn’t have a design with depth to it. I am also a die-hard put my flowers in a big heavy book followed by several other heavy books then and I wait 4-5 days to check on them. I think the biggest thrill for me to this day is peeking under the paper towel to see how they’ve dried! Seriously, my heart flutters with joy when I first set look at them! I get giggly just before opening the book! As an added note, I seem to always use too much Mod Podge which nearly always makes me press the finished card back into the large book and stacking several more heavy books on top of them! This pressed flower card making has saved my life!! I have been suffering from debilitating fibromyalgia for over 15 years now and this is one thing that gets my mind off of the pain I feel every day! And, if I might be so bold, I have gotten better and better as the years go by! I hope any of the information I have shared will help or inspire anyone to make flowers which are already beautiful into a life-lasting treasure by turning them into something someone you love can have as a memory for life! Aloha * Liz

You might want to seal them first. Krylon makes a clear acrylic sealer, choose the matt so it won't change the look of the flowers.

This gift may be especially timely, as Grannie & Grandaddy are having some foundation work done in their apartment (they're in a retirement center), and they are just about at their wits end because of this. Grandaddy told my dad yesterday that, "This is the worst thing that's ever happened to us." And it's not, you know -- but at age 93, everything is magnified about 1,000 times, so the inconvenience of having to pack away some of their breakables and allow workmen into their home is sending them both into a tizzy. Nerves are frayed, instructions are being misunderstood, and my poor dad's trying to help them keep it all together ... trying to soothe them, and let them know it's not a huge deal -- "this too shall pass." It's hard for him, because G&G have reverted to being very childlike in many ways (displaying those characteristics big time these past few days!) -- and dad fights to keep his patience with them. Anyway - I said all of that to say that the memory jar and beautiful poem probably couldn't have come at a better time for them. They desperately are needing something positive and loving to cling to right now, and I am sure that this will fill that requirement beautifully.