Pressed Flower Ornaments

I am a big believer using things found in nature to decorate with. I even wrote a whole book about it! Today I am sharing ornaments made with pressed botanicals. They are sweet, simple and perfect for a whimsical Christmas tree or even for year long decor. These pressed flower ornaments are also a perfect nature craft to do with kids! This budget-friendly project also makes the perfect handmade gift. Here are the step-by-step directions on how to make these pressed flower ornaments.

This post is sponsored by Digz Gardening but all ideas and opinions are 100% my own. 

Pressed Flower Ornaments

Before you pull out your craft supplies, you first need to grab your gardening gloves! Go on a little nature walk and collect leaves and flowers from your yard. I collected mine at the end of November before we had our first snow. There were still a surprising amount of flora and fauna alive and green to choose from. I even had some flowers in bloom. If you didn't collect leaves and flowers in time before your weather got cold, you can always collect leaves from your houseplants. Another idea is to buy a bouquet of mixed flowers from a florist or the grocery store and use those. 

The best flowers to press are ones like cosmos where they are more delicate. You'll get the best results with less bulky flowers and leaves. Thicker flowers like zinnias are harder to press and don't look as good when they dry. But if you aren't sure, just try it anyway and see. It's fun to experiment!

You can buy an actual wooden flower press for a good price online but I have always just used heavy books. I have found that for leaves, you can simply place them in between the pages. If you have flowers, it is best to put parchment paper (or wax paper) between the pages first to protect the book pages from pollen or moisture. The time they need to dry out will depend on your home's humidity level and the thickness of the plants you are pressing. It will take at least a week so take that into account for when you want to make the ornaments and plan ahead. You may want to press flowers a couple of weeks in advance, especially if you are hosting a craft night or doing this activity with kids.

Once you have your pressed flowers and leaves ready, it is time to create the ornaments!

Wood Slice Ornaments

Supplies:

• Wood Slices
• Craft Paint Brush
• Mod Podge
• Craft Paint (Optional)
• Drill and Small Drill bit
• Pressed Leaves and Flowers
• String

I used a miter saw and a branch we trimmed off one of our trees this year to cut a bunch of wood slices. If you do not have access to a saw, you can easily find these in craft stores or online. If you are cutting your own, make sure the branch has had time to dry out or you risk the wood slices splitting as they do eventually dry out. 

You can leave them as raw wood or you can paint the center of the wood slice. I chose to leave some plain, paint some white, and paint a few gold. You can paint the entire wood slice but I like to leave the bark unpainted to keep the rustic vibe.

Once the paint has dried completely, you are ready to add the mod podge. I add a thin layer of mod podge directly to the wood slice using a craft paint brush. This allows the surface to be sticky enough that your flowers will stay in place for the next step. Press them into the mod podge. You can wait for the mod podge to completely dry, or you can start to add the top layer after the flowers are placed as long as they don't slide around. Make sure to cover all the flowers and leaves evenly and brush out any air bubbles. 

The mod podge will dry clear. There are different options for the sheen. Mod podge comes in gloss, satin, matte, and ultra matte. I chose satin for this project.

Once it has dried, you can drill a small hole in the top to feed string through. It is best to place a scrap piece of wood under the wood slice so you don't accidentally drill through your work surface.

More Ideas For Pressed Flowers and Leaves

These simple pressed flower ornaments look great on Christmas tree. They could work as home decor all year as well. I just love their natural beauty! And these ornaments would make a beautiful gift for the flower lover in your life. It is a fun way to preserve flowers from a special event like a wedding or anniversary too. The wood slice ornaments could even be gift toppers or gift tags! 

If you are going to hand them somewhere all year, make sure to keep them out of direct sunlight so they don't fade. 

Aside from Christmas ornaments, some other creative ways to use pressed leaves and dried flowers are to make flower bookmarks or birthday cards. I have made resin leaf knobs for my boy's bedroom dresser. I have also made another resin craft with pressed leaves by turning them into magnets for my fridge. And I have framed them for wall art.

What flower crafts have you made with pressed flowers and leaves? I'd love to hear about your flower art! 

PIN For Later:

Check out the Digz website to see another pressed leaf ornament I made with pressed flowers and leaves! Which do you like more?