I would never use a water based dye on flowers that are already dried. This site sells dyes specially formulated for dried flowers, It's alcohol based and easy to apply using an artists brush. I use these dyes with my pressed flowers after trying many other ways to color and it's so much better, like night and day. Get the dyes in the web store and there's a page that gives simple instructions to use. Here is a link that might be useful: Flower Dyes From Preserved Gardes

Well, most any craft glue that dries clear will work, if used sparingly. Squeeze out some slow drying glue into a small cup and apply with the stick (remove the cotton) from a Q-tip or use a toothpick to apply glue to reverse of the dried flowers/foliage. I usually lay out dried or pressed leaves or ferns to outline the underlying shape of the arrangement; then apply glue to the reverse to tack them into place on the mat or mounting paper. Let dry for a while and then arrange the dried or pressed flowers over the top until I get a pleasing arrangement-glue them down. I then spray the entire thing with a layer of clear drying craft glue; it will bring out the colors and protect everything from moisture. Be sure not to make the arrangement too heavy; it's better to leave some "air" for a natural look. You also want to be sure that you have considered the depth of the frame or shadowbox so that you don't end up crushing everything when you put it together. Let the arrangement dry overnight before putting it into the frame so that it doesn't mold. You can use "leftovers" to embellish some all occasion cards for the newlyweds or to make smaller framed pieces for the Moms or for small pictures for "thank you's" for the wedding party.

Hi Lu I'm so sorry for your loss and I can totally understand how precious those flowers are to you. My father died a month before I got married and I saved one of the funeral boquets and used the blue statice as my something blue, tucked in my gown next to my heart so that he was walking with me down the isle. These types of flowers are just so priceless and precious. While I again agree with Redhead, a very soft paint bursh is best, but for something this priceless I would strongly recommend that you actually contact a professional, if not to actually clean and protect them then to give you the best possible advice for them. But I do love your ideas for them, I think they are wonderful. My Mom passed away 2 years ago and we dried her fowers (yellow roses), and we had lots of petals that broke into pieces. These we didn't throw away but turned into potpourri. We used both flowers and leaves for this. We then went to the craft shop and bought some clear hearts that could be opened and filled. We decorated the outside with a bit of ribbon and each family member got one. I have mine hanging up on the wall away from direct light and at Christmas time I hang it on the tree where everyone can see it. I don't know if this is something that you might be interested in doing if you should have any petals that crumble as it would be such a shame to not keep them all. One last thing, if you decide to use some material behind them, please put a piece of glass between the material and the flowers. Also if you decide to use colored paper instead, make sure that the paper you use is acid free and lignin free to protect the flowers. The acid from the dyeing process for clothing as well as in some paper-making can cause these delicate things to break down much quickly. If you do decide to opt for paper, please feel free to contact me and I can provide you with whatever color(s) you want (for free) and they will be safe for it, if you wish. My email is shelltel@aol.com and you can contact me anytime. Again, my deepest sympathies for your loss! My thoughts and prayers are with you. Warmest Wishes Shelley

I live close to Disneyworld and the Polynesian resort has a lot of Plumeria trees on the property. Well my roommate has an obsession with them and has gotten me quite obsessed myself. I picked a few blooms and took them home but I forgot to take them out of my truck, leaving them on my dashboard. They stayed in my truck for about a day in the sun and the next morning for work I noticed they had shriveled up and dried out. They shrunk in size but their color and fragrance were preserved. This is the best way I found to preserve the blooms. I've tried pressing them but in doing that it tends to make the petals paper thin and they turned a bit brown as well. I've taken to drying them in the car with natural heat works best and I've now got quite enough to use as homemade potpourri. Hope this is helpful for you. They look awesome and definitely bring a nice touch to my home decor. And it's been pretty fun for my nieces to do when they come to visit