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

Dori, I've used Acrylic Matte Medium as the "glue" and finish coat(s) for decoupaging on wooden trays, canister sets, etc. which get handled frequently and it's held up well. I just use damp cloth to clean... The acrylic medium is supposed to be waterproof once dry, but I just use damp cloth, no damage so far. The medium can be thinned with water if you'd like....best to practice a little first. It comes in small jars...mine is Liquitex brand from art supply store. I like the matte as it has absolutely no shine, but it's available in gloss and semigloss, too. 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

laminate will be lumpy and bumpy with air pockets-there is no way to press them flat enough. And yes it will stick to the flowers and the paper so either one sheet of laminate over the top or one on each side back and front that is slightly biger than the paper. IHMO the better way to protect them is to mount them and put them behind glass.