Does a microwave flower press also press leaves as well?

Old telephone books work great! I pile them in and up and throw them on a stand...
some times I take a look at them and switch them around and take some out as they dry. that way any mold is caught right away. My sister gave me a mini flower press that I leave on my desk and put viola flowers in....I have a few new ones in there already this year. It gives me something to look at in the winter. I am thinking of scanning some and making my own seed packets and cards this fall as xmas gifts. we'll see as time allows...

I used telephone books also back in the late '70s and up until we moved here - had almost 150 of them filled to the max - big fat Chicago phone books. Everything came out so beautifully.

But here in the South, no luck. Mold and mildew even attack the phone books as well as the flowers. And those that are usable don't have the same color. I've even had flowers mildew after I've made them into beautiful pictures. So I don't even try anymore now. Just can't wait to move. Sorry to sound so down.

I used 3/4" plywood sheets cut to the size I wanted and in between I put the flowers using blotters between the layers. I clamped the boards together with medium sized clamps all around the boards.

Hey CanaryPeeps, Did you know that there's a pressed flower forum here on gerdenweb? It's one of my favorites, the people on it really give great advice. They may be able to help you. Sorry about your humidity problem. It really sucks to want to do something & you can't. I was wondering if my favorite way to use pressed flowers might work for your problem. I decorate piller candles with my pressed flowers. My designs sometimes cover the sides of the candle completely. I use melted wax to glue them in place then roll the entire candle in hot wax to seal it. Use pantyhose to sand it all smooth. I wonder if sealed in the layer of wax, the flowers wouldn't mold. I use my candles in my bathroom & I take lots of hot baths, plenty of humidity. Plus we live on a lake & it gets super steamy around here for about 3 months & I've never had one problem. Hope this helps. Good Luck!!

Thanks for all the suggestions. I apologize for posting here. I did look for a forum on "pressed flowers" under "P" and didn't find anything. But now I see it's under "Dried and Pressed Flowers" I will go there and start reading up. Thanks again. Christine

Hi! I know this really has little to do with your question, as far as drying, but have you or anybody else taken dried pressed flowers and made pendants from them (ie.: by attaching them to stained glass or mylar and a stable surface)? I have seen a project illustrated on tv. where they had adhered the flowers to stained glass and wrapped the border with stained glass foil to make suncatchers, but not pendants. I have also heard that exposing the flowers to direct light or placing them under acrylic will fade and destroy them. I would love to hear from those of you who do pressed flowers... I enjoy using pansies. We have them in our area. They hold up very well and have vibrant colors. I also enjoy making flower wall-art using wedding cards as a matting. Sometimes I cut the cards apart and use only pieces. They look really dainty!..I use the blotter paper and phone books also. I don't have too much of a problem with mold. However, if I'm too anxious or use too bulky of a flower, they get moldy. I wonder if letting them dry out for just a short period before you place them in the phone book might work. Have you ever placed the phone book near an indirect lighting source? Do you have Master Gardener's in your area? Sometimes they do crafty projects. Maybe they could offer suggestions. Good luck on finding a solution!