All About Pressed Flower Art

Making Pressed Flower Jewelry

I used to work with resin a lot. Then, I have developed an allergy to resin about 5 years ago. I have searched for many alternative methods making pressed flower jewelry. Some work pretty well too but none could compare to the versatility of Magic-glos. Magic-glos is non-toxic and with no odor. It dries in minutes under the sun. I had doubts about how far one little bottle would go. Well, I still have some left in the bottle after creating all the pieces shown here. I really like the fact that there is no mixing needed. I can take my time to work on each piece and work whenever I want to.

A few notes before we start:

1. Always choose flowers that would not fade. Unlike framed art, pressed flower jewelry must be wearable and long lasting. The worst thing is, flowers fade when you wear your beautiful creation outdoors.
2. When using dyed flowers and you use methods 1 or 3 that flowers are exposed to Magic-glos directly, you need to use flowers that were dyed by absorption. If you are not sure, choose method 2.
3. Method 3 is advanced. If you are just starting with pressed flowers, you want to try methods 1 and/or 2 first before trying method 3. However, method 3 gives you the most unique pieces that are very satisfying when you are done. I am very grateful that Lisa Pavelka has taught me this method in person during Winter 2009 CHA. Credit goes to Lisa.

1. Using findings with disc shape blanks.

It is very easy to incorporate pressed flowers with findings that have a disc shape. This bracelet only takes about 15 minutes to make.

Materials needed:

1. Magic-glos (from my website)
2. Findings with blank disc.
3. Pressed flowers
4. optional glitter

I have added blue glitter into 1/2 drop of Magic-glos. You can control this by not forcing the bottle too hard and use a toothpick to take down the drop. Mix the glitter with Magic-glos. Then I add a small blue flower. Add 1/2 drop of Magic-glos on top of the flower. Add a little more Magic-glos if necessary. Expose the piece under the sun or a UV lamp for 10 minutes. Note: amount of time depends on size and thickness of your piece. Increase time to 15 minutes if you work on a larger piece. The color of the base of the finding can be painted with acrylic color instead of using glitter like I have done. You have something beautiful with real pressed flowers in a matter of minutes.

2. Pressed flower necklace

This great looking necklace is very easy to make. It takes less than 1 hour from start to finish.

Materials needed:

1. Magic-glos (from my website)
2. Hot lamination pocket
3. Pressed flower
4. optional flat back crystals
5. Beads or crystals
6. Jump rings and necklace

Start with a hot laminated flower and then cut to shape and size. I then use a micro hole punch to punch holes on two sides diagonally. Put a few drops of Magic-glos on the front. Spread it with a toothpick. Make sure you go around the tiny holes. Put Magic-glos one drop at a time unless you know how many drops for this same size. I then put a few small flat back crystals in the center to make the flower stand up more. Expose the piece to UV ray (either under the sun or under a UV lamp) for 10 minutes. When it is hardened, flip over and do the backside. Attach jump rings, beads, and finish with a necklace.

3. Pressed flower with foil stamped patterns

Materials needed:

1. Magic-glos (from my website)
2. Optional foil (also from my website)
3. Pressed flowers (prefer smaller flowers so you can see the foil stamp). You can find many small flowers from my website suitable. Some of them are even on sale.
4. Polymer clay (soft or regular any color - available in any art/craft store).
5. Small piece of glass or acrylic (for holding the jewelry pieces while working)
6. Optional stamp (prefer finer patterned ones since we are working on small area) This is needed if you want to try out foil stamps.
7. Roller or glass bottle (for rolling clay)
8. Small cookie cutter or bottle cap for cutting shapes (you decide how large or small and shape for your jewelry pieces). Optionally craft knife and ruler for straight edge cutting.
9. Optional UV lamp (from EBay if it rains a lot in your area or if you need to work at night). Black fluorescent light also works.
10. Optional flat back crystal (available in craft stores)
11. Optional jewelry drill (hand held ones works well) if you want to make dangles or pendants. Or get findings that you can glue on one side such as making pins.
12. If you are to make dangles or pendants, you need to get bails and jump rings. You can find them in craft stores or get them from www.firemountaingems.com .
13. Other findings such as ear wire, beads, or necklace are your own choices depending on what you want to make.

Let's make it!

	I use a small piece of acrylic to hold the pieces while working. Glass or mirror will work too.
	I like to work with soft polymer clay. It is easy to roll. I use an acrylic roller and a straight blade for clay. You can use a glass bottle for the roller if you just want to try a few.
	I cut out a small piece and work it with my fingers. You want to work it a little so it is even and easy to roll. Clay will not dry out.
	I used the roller to roll the small piece out. Since we are not baking the clay, thickness is not critical. Generally, you want it to be about 1 - 2mm.
	Burnish the foil onto clay by using a piece of tissue to rub the foil. Make sure there is no visible air bubbles. The friction of rubbing will generate some heat which will cause the metallic foil to stick to the clay.
	Hold one side of the foil and pull to the opposite side quickly to release the clear protective sheet from the foil.
	I like this stamp that has very fine lines. You can use any stamp you like.
	I have imprinted the stamp pattern on the clay. Do not force the stamp too hard on the clay.
	Cut the clay into shapes for your design.
	Put the sticky side of a piece of packing tape on the clay pieces. Pad it lightly so it contacts the surface of the clay. Lift it up to get rid the of extra foil. Now you only have the foil sitting in the indented pattern of the clay (see the middle piece).
	Add a drop of Magic-glos. If you are working with small pieces, make it half drop. You can control this with a toothpick. Note: Do not shake the bottle or you will have air bubbles.
	Add pressed flowers. I have used dyed purple bridal wreath for this demo. Add one or 1/2 drop of Magic-glos on top of the flowers. Use a toothpick to spread it out to cover the entire clay surface. Since Magic-glos has a natural doming effect, it tends to pull away from the edges. Add more drops if necessary. Add one drop at a time so you would not have a spill to clean up. Once you see all the edges are covered with Magic-glos, which is the signal that you have enough. Note: if, for some reason, you have air bubbles, use a lighter to get close to the surface of Magic-glos. Make sure you are doing this in an uncluttered area so you will not catch on fire. Do not get too close to the surface with the lighter. A little heat will take away all the air bubbles.
	Now, take the acrylic or glass piece holding all the jewelry pieces as a whole to expose it under the sun or under a UV lamp. It takes about 5-15 minutes to harden depending on size and thickness. Note: you should go outside under the sun. Putting the pieces next to a window would not work well since many homes have UV protective glasses in the windows.
	After Magic-glos is hardened, you can lift it up easily from the clay base. The clay base has an oily residue. Use tissue to absorb the oil. It can be re shaped and re-used again and again.
	The piece you see at this stage would have a little rough edge. This is going to be smoothed out later. Now, flip the piece so the foil pattern side faces up. Fill this side with Magic-glos one drop at a time. Use a toothpick to spread. As soon as you see all sides are filled, you can expose them outside or under the UV lamp. It is important that you hold the acrylic or glass piece, which holds the jewelry pieces and examine them from different angles of light to make sure all sides are filled. Sometimes it is a little difficult to see looking down since the pieces are clear.
	Use a file to smooth out all the sides after hardening. Make sure your hands are clean when doing this so you do not leave finger prints on your pressed flower jewelry piece. The edges will have a frosting effect. If you like it this way, the piece is now done. If you like the piece to be thicker or you want the piece to be completely clear, you can add another layer of Magic-glos on either or both sides. You can embed a piece of flat back crystal by adding it in before exposing the piece to UV ray. You can also add some glitter. These are all optional.
	Drill a small hole. Attach bail on the piece. Now it is ready to be used for your final design.

Copyright 1998 - 2009 Kate Chu