There is a special dye made specifically for pressed flowers that looks very natural. It doesn't cover, it only colors, so you can still see the details like shading differences and veining. Here is a link that might be useful: Pressed Flower Dye

Hi...so glad you're pleased with and already having fun with your new press. Isn't it fun to see that all the details for some reason seem to show up more clearly when pressed...and that even tiny "weeds" are so intricate and pleasingly shaped. I've been missing online for a few days and now to catch up ...I'm curious about your experiment with the thistles. josh

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