Drying Fresh Flowers Using Silica

Learning how to dry your fresh flowers will allow you to enjoy them for months or even longer * Silica can be purchased at most craft shops.

1. Get a plastic box about the size of a shoebox and lay about an inch of silica along the bottom
2. Gently place the flowers in the silica for support. Your flowers will be dried in the shape they form in the box, so you may need to hold them in place temporarily.
3. Gently sprinkle more silica over the flowers until they are covered. Be careful to keep them in the shape you ultimately want them to stay.
4. Softly tap the box to make sure that the silica has settled and covers the flowers completely.
5. Place the box in the microwave for 2 minutes on high.
6. Leave overnight to cool.
7. In the morning, remove the flowers from the silica, softly removing any excess silica.
8. REMEMBER: flowers get darker when they are dried, so try to choose a lighter colored bloom.

Using this method you can preserve the fresh beauty of flowers for years in their natural vivid colors.