How long do we normally press flowers? 4-6 weeks the traditional way, is it? With those microwave flower pressing sets, it apparently takes “no time at all”. But I can’t afford, or make one. So here’s an alternative.

When positioning them, I’ve found it easier to iron them out between a few paper towels. Yes, iron. Strange as that proposition sounds, I can effectively arrange them the way that I want them to appear and even change their positions if, in case, I change my mind.

It probably also speeds up the pressing/drying process by evaporating some of the moisture. If you do attempt this, keep these in mind:

1. It works best with smaller, less bulkier flowers and leaves. I don’t recommend ironing a rose.
2. Remember to keep the heat at low-medium, or else you’ll end up turning them into charcoal. If they burn too quickly, consider layering the top with more paper towels.
3. If you’re going to use textured paper towels (like I have in that example), you’ll realize that the texture often transfers to the flowers. You can either avoid this, or use it to your advantage.
4. If the flowers stick to your paper towel, just iron over until they’re a bit more drier.
5. If they’re dry enough, they tend to curl. Place them in your book to flatten.

And since I don’t know if they’re done pressing, I just use this technique to flatten, position and partly dry them before placing them in an old book and let the rest be done naturally, albeit a little faster.

I just spent and hour and half converting a tiny little address book into a portable key chain. The address book was a gift from my sister (it was 10 Rs which is around 2 cents). At it’s price it wasn’t much to see. So I took out my scrap booking stuff, punched a hole and transformed it into a key chain.

The silver ribbon that goes across the middle from the front to back is actually from an old birthday present; it effectively covers an ugly telephone icon on the front. The stickers are glow-in-the-dark ones that my friends and I obsess over. The letter “A” charm is one of the two that my sister and I bargained for at an exhibition a few years ago (both our names begin with A).

The shiny silver paper on the underside of the front and back covers (that you see in the fourth photo) is just more wrapping paper from past presents. The textured beige paper that you see in the second and third photos are actually cut pieces of sample wallpaper that my cousin and I collected in large amounts on a crazy whim from Office Depot over two years ago.

So while it doesn’t look like much, it has a lot of sentiment attached to it. Now you also know how much of a pack rat I am.