Pressed Flowers: Forever Flowers by Bernice Peitzer and Pressed Flowercraft by Sylvia Pepper

Reviewed by Jeanne

Recently while going through some donated books, one of our staff members found some pressed flowers which had apparently been forgotten. It took me back to the time when I did a flower collection for a science class. This sent me to our shelves to see what we had on the topic. 

 Pressed Flowercraft: A Practical Guide to Techniques, Design, & Presentation by Sylvia Pepper offers a very thorough description of the process, from building a flower press to how to select and collect the flowers. She advises either taking a press along as you gather or else to take plastic bags along, blow into the bag, and then seal it so the air will cushion the flowers until you can get them in the press. Pepper offers suggestions of good flowers and plants to press, and when and how to press each. The last part of the book is devoted to “presentation” and how best to use these items. Bookmarks, necklaces, wall plaques and more are suggested. It’s a lovely book. The tone is somewhat formal, and a few phrases suggest a British origin, but it’s still a very useful resource for American audiences. 

 Forever Flowers: A Flower Lover’s Guide to Selecting, Pressing, and Designing by Bernice Peitzer covers some of the same ground, though she includes a section on growing plants from seeds as well. While that’s a bit much for me (I most definitely do NOT have a green thumb!), I liked the somewhat more casual tone in this book and found the layout appealing. Peitzer offers several suggestions for ways of drying flowers, including using a telephone book—so we know this book is a few years old. She has design tips for the dried flowers and suggests numerous projects, from jewelry to candles to framed pictures. Of course, the bookmarks were the item that caught my eye! 

 Both books offer instructions on building your own flower press which I can pretty much guarantee I won’t get around to doing on my own. However, in October the Jones Creativity Center will help you make a customized flower press using the Glowforge. The cost is only $10! Come by or call 276-645-8790 to schedule a time. This is a good time of year to get not only those last flowers in bloom but some of the beautiful colored leaves.

Note:  We hope to have a Nevermore report next week!