DIY canned flowers for the soul and for a gift
For flower lovers, it is often difficult to throw out beautiful bouquets. However, thanks to a special technology, you can make canned flowers from them, which will stand for a very long time. The most common methods are embalming in gelatin, glycerin and salt. And their special advantage is the ability to change the color of plants. Let's take a closer look at each of them.
Canned flowers in glycerin
Choosing flowers
Flowers must be used dense and not very young; young leaves are not suitable for this either. Please note that they should be free of midges and any damage. The chosen flowers, blades of grass, leaves and petals will determine how your bouquet will turn out.
Young foliage cannot be preserved in glycerin! She does not lend itself to this method and the result will not please you.
When choosing twigs, such as cherry, apple or lilac, peel them 7 cm from the bottom and split them so that they will absorb the solution better and cook faster. Cut the stems of the selected flowers obliquely.
The embalming method itself is that the moisture in the flowers is replaced by glycerin. Thanks to this, the plants remain practically intact for a long time. You can buy it in pharmacies, after which we make a special solution for preserving flowers.
Preparing a solution for preserving flowers
It is necessary to dilute glycerin with hot water in a ratio of 1: 2. Pour the solution into the previously prepared high container and place the flowers selected for embalming. Submerge the stems 3-5 cm. The solution should reach about 20 cm for everything to work out correctly. Then we put it in a dark and cool place. If you are placing flowers in an open container, watch the solution level. It must be topped up as it is absorbed. In closed containers, the liquid level practically does not change.
If you want to give the flowers a certain color or make it more saturated, add a water-soluble dye to the solution!
Flowers preserved in a jar
If you want to embalm flowers in a jar, do not forget how to rinse it with boiled water and dry it. Flowers selected for canning can be folded there in advance, having previously prepared, pruning and splitting the stems. After you fill them with a solution at a concentration of 1: 2 (we add hot water twice as much as glycerin), straighten the flowers with a stick, giving them the desired appearance. Flowers preserved in a jar must be tightly closed so that air does not get there.
The jar can be decorated in different ways, giving it even more sophistication, for example, adding shells, various pebbles, sparkles, figurines or figurines, and whatever you want. You can decorate the jar from above by tying twine or ribbon, or by gluing some pebbles or sparkles on top.
Preserving roses
Many, having watched the film "Beauty and the Beast", have repeatedly thought about how to preserve roses in glycerin, so that they also stand in such an original container, without water and at the same time do not fade.
To do this, you need to select the desired flower and place it in a solution, which we prepare according to the above recipe and adhere to the same rules. In it, he must stand until it is completely saturated. After that, it can be placed in a special container, the fallen petals, as in the film, are also embalmed by placing them in a solution together with a rose. Then we spread it out as a decoration. The decoration is ready.
The flower preservation process takes from two weeks to two months.
Whiten flowers
It often happens that during the infusion of flowers in a solution of glycerin, spots appear on the leaves. Do not be upset - this situation can be corrected for several days by holding them in a special solution.
This is useful for this:
- 500 ml of water;
- 160 g of acetone;
- 120 g sodium bisulfate;
- 10 g 99% acetic acid;
- 160 g denatured alcohol;
- 50 g of oxalic acid.
We mix all the ingredients and place the flowers with spots there. After a couple of days, you can continue to preserve them.
Canned flowers in gelatin
Preserving flowers in gelatin is much easier and less time-consuming. It is necessary to cut the flowers, place them in a container, while they should not fit tightly to each other.
Mix gelatin with sugar 1: 1 and fill with hot water, dilute the concentrate and let it brew. Stir the solution, then add it to the jars of flowers. If you want to add color, add dye to the mixture.
For the best effect, you can add a little glycerin or a few spoonfuls of salt. Let it brew.
In this case, we make a solution in the ratio:
- 100 ml hot water;
- 100 ml glycerin;
- 25 g of gelatin.
Let the solution brew, stir it and pour the flowers into containers. You can also make a colored background, it can be either one-color or consist of several colors. However, for this, it is necessary to prepare the solution one by one, adding the desired color to it. Fill with layers and let it brew. When the first layer is taken, fill in the next color.
The solution will not run out even if the finished container is turned upside down!
Making a flavor
Making a do-it-yourself fragrance is quite simple, while it will look original and fill the house with the aroma you choose yourself.
For this we need:
- 25 g of gelatin;
- 100 ml hot water;
- 2 tablespoons of water;
- essential oil (to your taste).
Mix gelatin with hot water and add salt. When this solution is ready, you need to add essential oil there at the rate of 10 drops per 2 cups of liquid. However, if you want to achieve a stronger aroma and you like these scents, then feel free to add more.
Canned flowers can become not only a beautiful decoration, but also a great gift. Making them is not at all difficult, but they will delight you for many years.