Can I Press a Fresh Flower Lei?

Flowers Pressing

• A method of preserving flowers, pressing makes them paper-flat while retaining their shapes and colors. When you press flowers with a frame its vice-like handles screw two flat plates or boards together tightly with the flowers between them. You can also place a flower between two heavy books or the pages of a heavy, hardbound book to achieve the same effect.

Leis

• Anyone can wear a lei anytime, but they're most special when given as a gift and made of fresh, fragrant blossoms. A friendly gesture started by Polynesians, receiving and giving leis is a part of Hawaiian tradition that has never stopped. Receiving a lei is an important event that you will want to preserve.

Lei Flowers and Pressing

• Some flowers are easier to press than others, depending on the sizes and textures. Ordinarily, fresh flower leis comprise textured, exotic blossoms like lilies and orchids. These flowers may be difficult to press without busting the pulpy, grandiose petals. However, flowers like daisies and other "flat" variety blossoms on a lei are easy to press. It is possible to press a lei of any variety if great care is taken.

Pressing for Display

• One way to press an exotic fresh lei without breaking the blooms is to press it permanently between clear acrylic sheets for display. This way you won't have to remove the flowers from between the sheets after you press them. You can easily find clear acrylic sheets in craft stores, and once you have pressed the lei adequately between the two sheets, you can drill screws into the corners to adhere the sheets permanently together. This turns your pressed lei into a wall-hanging memory. This is also the most adequate way to press intricate lei flowers like orchids and lilies.