When flowers are given to us as a gift, or for a meaningful occasion, it can be hard to throw them away. Why not find a new purpose for them and keep them forever as a fond memory of the person they were honoring or the reason they were given to you? Here are a few fun ideas to try!
- Put them in a shadow box or picture frame. You can put a stem or even a bouquet of a few flowers in a shadow box or picture frame and hang it somewhere to remind you of your loved one. Use an acid free glue to stick them to the inside of a clear photo frame that looks beautiful hanging on a wall. Be sure to choose colors, textures and sizes that compliment each other and you’ll have a new piece of art.
- Dry the petals. Take the petals off of the stems and put them in a cool place where they can dry for a few weeks. Once they’re dried you can make several different things out of them, giving them a fresh new look. You can make homemade soaps or candles and sprinkle petals in, use them to make potpourri or press them in books to use them as bookmarks.
- Make a candle. Melt down a candle and layer the hot wax and flower petals little by little into a new jar. You can buy a new wick at any local craft store.
- Make potpourri. After drying out the flowers you can add several drops of your favorite essential oils, place them on a baking sheet and bake at 200 degrees for about two hours. The flowers should be dried and crispy, but not burnt. Let them cool and then place anywhere you’d like to freshen up!
- Use them for gift wrapping. Adding sprigs of dried flowers to any gift bag or wrapped gift adds a touch of elegance.
- Tape flowers into your journal. Add some whimsy to your journal pages by taping or gluing flower petals or small flowers to the pages.
- Compost them. Composting your flowers is a great environmentally friendly and simple way to help the soil
- Leave them just as they are. Flowers are beautiful at any stage and can even be made into a nice arrangement to admire once they’ve died.
Trying one or more of these ideas is a nice way to keep enjoying your flowers and repurpose them instead of throwing them away long after they’ve wilted. One bouquet could be turned into several different things!
