DIY: Preserved Flowers For Valentine’s Day

There are only a few things better than receiving a bouquet of fresh blooms—and one of them is getting preserved flowers for Valentine's Day. These pretty things are making their rounds on Pinterest as they are perfect gifts to show your appreciation to someone for any occasion.

However, if you get store-bought ones—they can be a little pricey. The solution? Make them yourself! To help you out, we created a step-by-step guide on how you can preserve your own roses and daffodils. Check it out below: 

What you need: 

• Fresh flowers of your choice
• Silica gel
• Medium or large airtight container (depends on the quantity of flower)
• Gardening shears
• Gloves

IMAGE A Bride On A Budget

How-to: 

1. Pat the flowers dry gently to make sure they don’t have any condensation or water in between their petals. Remove any loose petals and proceed to trimming the stems (Filler flowers like baby’s breath don’t need to be trimmed).
2. Fill the container up to an inch with the silica gel then fill each flower with enough silica gel without overfilling it. Place flowers in an upright position (for filler or untrimmed flowers, just lay them down on the silica gel), leaving enough spaces between each flower. You can add some greens too.
3. Pour in enough silica gel to cover the whole layer and leave for around 3-10 days, check if drying/preserving is complete as preserving time varies depending on the flower.
4. Remove flowers and greens from the container and gently shake the excess gel off.
5. Store in another airtight container or place in a display box or globe.

IMAGE A Bride On A Budget

SOURCE and PHOTO: A Bride On A Budget, Le Vow Bridal (Main Photo)