The Flowers of Summer Forever in Bloom

Sometimes I will do anything to keep from cleaning the house…..so I went in search of projects on Pinterest.

One that caught my eye was using flowers to create art. I kept reading and knew I had to try this. it involved pounding the flowers with a hammer. 😳

Yes, my vase is a black antique doorknob painted a navy blue and distressed. The flowers are a type of miniature petunia called Millionbells.

I actually saw two different tutorials. One was to use watercolor paper and wax paper. The other was to use a piece of fabric and tape. They used a white paper-like tape. The only thing I had was wax paper and packing tape. And no watercolor paper or fabric that would work.

I started looking around and my eyes fell on some storage boxes I bought at Dollar Tree. Those collapsible fabric type ones. I’m not sure they are exactly fabric, but I figured they would work to practice with. I didn’t have white tape, but I did have some packing tape, so I thought I’d try it, too.

The storage container had two different weights of material, so I thought I would try both.

I have to say straight up, my practice became art. I am so amazed! I wish I had known about this at the beginning of summer. Anyway….on with the tutorial.

I gathered my supplies, including a hammer.

For my first try I used wax paper, the lighter weight material, and a bunch of flowers and stems.

I covered the flowers with the waxed paper and turned it over so I would be pounding on the material itself.

When finished, I removed the wax paper and the flowers and let it dry. It was like a beautiful, muted watercolor.

I then used the heavier material and this time used the packing tape and taped the flowers to material, trying to make sure the flower head was face down as much as possible. I then turned it over and started pounding again. I pounded until it looked like I got most of the flowers and stem.

The photo above shows what it looked like when I turned it back over and started removing the tape. Beautiful!

So then I had to figure out what to do with them. I cut around the flowers on the first one and decoupaged it to a tile. When dry I sprayed it with a couple of coats of spray matte lacquer. I can display it or use it as a coaster. For the other one, I framed it in a vintage frame I had. It looks like it has always been in that frame. It looks so vintage!