What if I can’t start preserving my flowers for a few days or even a week later?

If you can’t start your preservation immediately, just put them in water and place them in the fridge. They will keep fresh until you are ready.

How do I get roses to bloom bigger and quicker?

Just place your roses in warm water for a couple of hours to help encourage blossoming.

When I begin my drying process, should I face flowers face-up or face-down on the Quick-Dry Paper?

Always lay your flowers face-down on the Quick-Dry Paper, if possible.

Are my Perservation Boards usable if they warp after repeated use?

Warping boards do not effect the outcome of your floral preservations. They will naturally wrap inward over time because of your flowers between the board. Simply flip your Preservation Boards over to the opposite side so they buckle outwards. When securing using the Wrapping Cord, this will help re-straighten the boards. Our Preservation Boards will last for hundreds preservations with the right care.

Can I stack flowers during the drying process?

Yes - you can stack up to 3 layers at a time, using a sheet of Quick-Dry Paper between at the bottom, top, and between every flower layer. Work with what you can manage easily in one drying session. Stacking flowers helps on overall drying time.

What can I do if my Wrapping Cord keeps slipping?

To ensure a secure wrapping, make sure a knot is securely made at one end of the string. Place that knot snugly into one of the slits on our Preservation Board. As you pull the Wrapping Cord tightly around the Perservation boards, be sure you use the V-shaped indentations to keep string centered. Secure the other end of the string with a knot placed into the closest slit, and rework the Cords to even the distribution and ensure a snug fit.

What is the best way to preserve hydrangeas?

Hydrangas make for beautiful preservations. I like to preserve hydrangeas by starting with a cluster and microwave for 20 seconds. After removing the cluster from the microwave, I cut individual hydrangea blooms and place them randomly on the cluster and rewrap the Preservation Boards. They go back into the microwave for 15-second incriments until dried. After you have several individual clusters, you can also preserve several clusters together! Just arrange these new clusters together onto one Quick-Dry Paper in the way you want, and re-wrap with the Presrevation Boards. Place in Microwave for 15-second incriments until fully dried. These larger cluster groupings help the hydrangea present better in albums. A helpful tip is to pinch hydrangea blooms together so they life flat when arranging on the Quick-Dry Paper. See the related photo below to see how.

How can I make roses thinner and not so bulky when I’m trying to preserve them?

To achieve a flatter preservation, I remove the center of the rose and fan out the petals like shown in the related photo. It should be microwaved for 30 seconds for the first drying incriment, then in 15-second incriments after that until dried. They present nicely when you take out these layers and they will dry a lot faster as well.

What happens if I have to stop my preservation mid-way?

That is no problem, just “ Set Them and Forget Them!" Just be sure to place each of your preservations in the microwave for at least 3 preservations to set the color and shape. Your first drying time will be for 30 seconds, followed by 2 15-second increments. From here, they can finish drying naturally. As a helpful tip, I bought several inexpensive cookie sheets so I can create my arrangements and stack several on top of one another as a make-shift drying rack. Drying naturally can can take from a day to a week, but if you are not in a hurry, just “ Set Them and Forget Them!" If you are using cookie sheets, just line the bottom with paper towels first. Then, I arrange my semi-preserved flowers on the cookie sheets before adding another layer of paper towels on top of the arrangements. When you stack, the weight of the sheets gently presses the flowers into place. Next, “ Set Them and Forget Them!" Once completely dried naturally, they are ready to be placed into an album or frame.

What is the best way to preserve a flower with a bulky stem or stalk?

I recommend cut the blooms off the stems and dry them individually, so they preserve flatter and present nicer.

What if my flowers are too large for my Quick-Dry Paper?

Large flowers like lillies can still be preserved using our kit! Simply arrange two Quick-Dry Papers on the bottom and overlap to accommodate the size of your flower so the flower does not have contact with the Preservation Boards when wrapped.

Use the same number of Quick-Dry paper from the bottom on top of your flowers before placing the top Preservation Board in place and wrapping. As a reminder, flowers should not make direct contact with the Preservation Boards.

Now, you’re ready to preserve the flower as usual.

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