Valentine’s Day is approaching…ready?

I’ve always appreciated receiving flowers, but let’s be honest, they’re overpriced and die quickly. I’m frugal and feel bad about anyone wasting that kind of money on me. Unless…

I recall being at work one day and received a ridiculously large bouquet of flowers from someone I was dating at the time. They smelled exceptional and I wanted to remember these forever, not to mention the exquisite vase. I shared this with a coworker, and she sparked an idea that has been a tradition since. She wanted to save all of the flowers from her wedding and that’s how she first came across the concept. I’ve not thrown away flowers for the last ten years.

This is an easy project that anyone can do! The nice thing is that you don’t have to pass on the burden of someone else turning your gift of flowers into something creative. You can make potpourri yourself, and that will make a much better and thoughtful gift.

There isn’t much needed to make this happen, but it can take time depending on the type of flowers and the amount used. I’d choose what smells best so that the scent lingers.

Here’s what you need:

• Bouquet: choose vibrant colors as darker tones don’t stand out as well after ☠️.
• Vase
• Scissors
• Plastic
• Time
• Patience

Those last two are important. Waiting for flowers to dry out can take weeks. If you live in the same house as the person you’re gifting this to, you’ll want to keep it in a separate room.

It can be frustrating waiting for flowers to dry, but I promise it’s worth it!

Here’s the process:

Disclaimer: I’m by no means a botanist, so this is an “easy” method that anyone can do based on me picking this up as a hobby.

Find somewhere with plenty of space to lay out your plastic. I use a standard kitchen sized trash bag. Cut it in two if you need extra space.

Remove the flowers from any vase, rubber bands, or other closures that may prevent it from breathing. If you leave wet flowers in a constricted space they may start to mold which isn’t safe and takes away the smell.

The plastic is useful to catch the leaves and petals as they detach and fall apart. Here is when the most time is needed. Once the flowers are completely dry you can make your creation!

I start by choosing the prettiest flowers and colors. I then separate any stems and leaves that I find appealing but cutting them into small pieces. There are some flowers that I leave together but others I pull each petal apart. It’s really personal preference at this point. The vase will fill up faster than you think so you may not use it all, but I use leaves if I have extra space. Or, you can leave space to add to it when you get more flowers!

I add the leaves and stems as a final touch and put the flowers that stand out the most on top. Throw away any extra leaves or stems that are unused. intruded. There you go!

This doesn’t have to be expensive. You can always get grocery store flowers and a Dollar Tree vase. The time and thought that went into this gift should make it much more valuable than any money you can spend on a large bouquet. But, if you do give or get a bouquet of flowers, at least now you know what you can do with it.

I hope this is helpful for someone out there, especially those actually giving flowers. I know I personally would love to get this as a gift. But I’m also glad I discovered how to retain flowers in the future.

Like or follow my blog, and tag me on Instagram to let me know how your creation went! @naturesexplorers