This is how I look at paper for compost 1. brown paper. That could be thin cardboard brown paper bags and sometimes there are even brown napkins. I see those as being the best and the first option in using if in need of "browns" because the chance that they have been bleached or chemicaly altered are slim. 2. gray paper. That to me is things like newspapers and paper towels. If you use newspaper it's best to use the ones that have soy base or water based ink. They may use something a little different in singapore but you want something that has a natural base ink if possible. And the paper towels are usually fine becaue they have a cotten in them which is good. But don't throw in paper towels if you used them with cleaners. 3. White paper. A number of people use this. I will only use it if I'm in great need of browns. This consists of your typical junk mail. Make sure there is no plastic in it and that includes the window in the envelope and shread it. The reason I don't like to use it is because the paper has typically been bleached and who knows what else and the ink is hard to tell what that's made from. I typically recycle this instead of using it in compost. I never thought of a phone book though. That's a lot of work to get one of those compost ready so I would just recycle it. And to me they smell funny so I don't know what they have on them but it could be chemicals.

Hi Kate. Best for pressing are what I'd call "flat-faced, single-ply" flowers like Violets, Pansies, Geraniums, or ferns, leaves, etc. You can experiment with others as you mentioned with your Cat's Whiskers (lovely photo), but I don't think there would be any way to press Coneflower. I've no experience with fruit except for Pomegranate which will dry on its own unsliced. Well, I've had limes dry whole but it was unintended...and they turned a dark greenish-black...not pretty! I only grow the Hibiscus coccineus which is easily pressed but it is one of those flatfaced singleply fkowers...I think the others would do better dried in silica gel. Check out a couple of library books...just to get a good basic understanding of the different methods of preserving flowers. Then experiment...you have access to so many lovely plants that may not be found in books(like your Cats Whiskers). Good luck. josh

Most of my books are older, but some I haven't seen surpassed in good solid information by the newer full-color oversized books, so I'll list my favorites. Perhaps someone might like to seek one on the used-book sites. Penny Black's books are great! I have "A Passion for Flowers", "Dried Flowers", "Book of Cards & Collages" and "Scented Flowers". The first listed is a great read as well as inspiration toward imaginative use of all sorts of botanical treasure. Very well illustrated. My best illustrated (mostly in b/w drawings) and most wide-ranging book is by Maureen Foster, entitled "The Flower Arranger's Encyclopedia of Preserving and Drying". She shows a few finished arrangements but it's primarily a fine resource for how to prepare the material. An older book is Arno & Irene Nehrling's "Garden for Flower Arrangement". My copy is of a Dover reprint in 1976 but I'd urge that if you could locate a copy, it would be invaluable. Back cover states it covers methods for drying 371 different plants. Also covers fresh arrangements, and forcing 53 different types flowers/branches. Only a few b/w illustrations. Somewhat later book (1987) is Malcolm Hillier & Colin Hilton's 'The Book of Dried Flowers". Nice color illustrations and fairly wide selection of plants covered. A very useful book is the RD Handbook "Flower Arranging", also edited by Malcolm Hillier, which is about half-devoted to fresh, half to dried flowers. Very well illustrated. Mine is dated 1990 but may still be in print. I have even more, but these are the most thorough and wide-ranging. I haven't bought any in recent years...possibly there's a great new one that covers even more material. jo

Ive used sealant on decoupaged items. Best I've found is an Acrylic Matte Medium which I thin with water. It is white liquid which dries absolutely clear, no shine, and preserves true color of dried botanicals. It cleans up with water too but once dry is pretty much mosture proof. I've decoupaged wooden trays and kitchen canisters which I can just damp-sponge...I'm not sure I'd actually wash/soak them. The medium can be used as glue too. I use Liquitex brand but any brand would probably be fine. I've used this medium on cards to go thru mail...works fairly well but I really don't send many cards. If I did I'd experiment by sending some to myself to test. I've done a couple of wooden plaques which were fine but mostly now I leave my arrangements unsealed..just use acrylic box frames to protect them temporarily and change often. (Or no cover of any kind...often last beyond the time I tire of them or have new material I want to experiment with...plus I often add a few seedpods or bits of bark, moss, etc. to make it more 3-D than flat). A friend used wax to decorate candles last Xmas..she used some of my pressed Japanese Climbing Fern to coil around the candles and they are lovely. I haven't burned the candles, though...not sure about safety. josh