Creating Herbal Fun Via Recycling - How Tuesday

We recently did a Green Gifts with Herbs program for which I created a whole new selection of gift ideas.  I wanted to be creative and I wanted to use up a number of items that I was collecting in a stash.  

We are going to be adding this program to our Workshop Programs this year and have presented it as part of the Garden and Green Living Expo in Madison, Wisconsin for 2026 (Feb 13 to 15).  This allowed me to have fun with pressed flowers and also try a new technique for flower pounding.  Here is what I mean:

Previously I used grass and flowers to make napkins and table cloths, as well as a few cards.

Now I am making more cards and using a clear cover so I can be more accurate with my designs.

The clear material is salvaged from plastic berry boxes, spinach containers and other thin plastics.  Type 2 recyclable plastic is not accepted in my municipality, so this is a great way  to reuse those items, so less goes into the landfill.

Flower Pounding

• Recycled item: card stock, plastic fruit containers

• How to create: trim card stock to the size of a note card envelope or post card size.  Trim the fruit container plastic to give you small or large flat areas to use for pounding. Take fresh flowers, herbs and plant leaves. Lay the plant materials out on the card stock, cover with a  clear piece of plastic and lightly pound with a hammer.  Remove the plastic and peel off the now pounded plant material. Allow the card to dry.

• How to Use: Send a note to friends or family. Or use as a gift tag on another hand created gift.

I love to press flowers.  I especially love to press pansies.  This year I obtained a lovely pansy locally that is purple and yellow with the purple an  outline around the petals and the yellow on the face.  They are stunning in the containers on the porch. And to my great surprise, when pounded all the color transfers giving great images.

I also created bookmarks, pressed flower cards, and these great pressed flower stickers with these and other flowers.

Leaf Stickers

• Recycled item: dry pressed leaves or herbs, clear tape, wax paper

• How to create: Gather pressed flowers, herbs and leaves.  Place a sheet or wax paper shiny side up on a flat surface.  Cover the wax paper with clear packing tape, sticky side down.  Add pressed items to the packing tape, holding them in place with a dot of glue. Cover the items with more strips of packing tape and press down well to fuse the layers and work out wrinkles or air bubbles with a smooth-edged tool or finger tips.  Trim the individuals leaves / items from the sheet. 

• How to use: When ready to use, peel the wax paper from the tape revealing a clear sticker with the leaf, flower or herb that can be used in planners or scrapbooks. 

Keep your eye out for more of these as a How to, as I sort through the videos and photos from my Expo presentation.

Special additions to your Garden Journal in Autumn

As Fall arrives I get melancholy about the sleep of my garden and the fact I cannot visit it daily and enjoy what it has to offer.  Since weeding and other tasks slow in the fall I have time to do a special recording project with my plants. 

You will need an old dictionary, a telephone book, or other large tome, or a plant press if you have one.

As the growing season draws to a close, go out to your garden and snip a sample of your herb plants.  About 1 inch of stem will be enough or a branch with two to three leaves. Or you can snip off a flower.  Press each sprig between the pages of the book or in the plant press and leave in a cool dry place for 2 to 3 weeks.

  

Once you remove the plants from the press, mount each one on either an index card or into the pages of your garden journal.  A bit of white Elmer’s glue should do the trick.  Beside each sprig write the name of the herb, its progress in the garden for that growing season and note what you did with the herbal harvest.

If you use index cards you can slide them into photo sleeves for added protection and preservation.  You can add photos, recipes and other details as you see fit and time permits.

I have a Garden Journal that I make for the Backyard Patch that has Plant pages that allow me to record all these different details.

Here is an example:

Sage – grew three varieties, purple, tri color and garden.  Used the fresh leaves to create vinegar for eating and cleaning.  Dried them in bundles for use in arrangements and winter cooking.  One set of leaves won a 1^st place ribbon at the Garden Club meeting plant competition.

I also like to add a photo of the plant to the listing as well if I have room.

Made the following recipe:

BATH BAG FOR FLU AND COLDS

1 cup dried sage

1 cup dried thyme

1 cup dried lemon balm

Mix herbs together and use ½ to 1 cup in a small muslin bag per bath. Let steep in the bathtub. For additional benefit, use the herb filled bag to rub over your skin.

Making Herbal Gifts Series - quick and easy

In the continuing series of Making Herbal Gifts, I am giving you something quick and easy to do.  Many people want to make gifts but children and family time is a premium, so these few suggestions are quick and easy.  Especially with the holiday so close.

Spiced Door Sachets

Materials:
6″ diameter circle of cotton fabric
broken vanilla bean
2 whole nutmeg crushed
10 whole cloves
4 cinnamon sticks, broken
ribbon

Method:
Place all items in the center of the fabric. Gather the fabric up to enclose the spices and tie with one end of a 12 inch long piece of ribbon. Tie the other end of the ribbon to a doorknob. Whenever the door is opened or closed, scent will be released into the room. You can use other winter scented herbs and spices in place of the ones above and tie several sachets together to give a stronger scent, the small bags can be hung individually on the tree as decorations. A couple of drops of orange oil is also
nice and the sachets can be freshened up with the addition of a few drops of a suitable festive essential oil.


Scented Cards, Tags & Writing Sets

Materials:
a large seal-able box
cards and envelopes or tags or stationary
blotter paper
cotton fabric or cheese cloth
your choice of essential or fragrance oils

Method:
Cut the blotter paper to the size of the bottom of the sealable container.  Place a few drops the oils onto the blotter paper.  Wrap the blotter in a fabric so the oil does not mark the cards, paper or tags.  Place the items over the wrapped blotter paper and seal the box. Leave the fragrance to permeate the cards for approximately two weeks. I use Glad containers, place the items inside, wrap them and give them as gifts.  While the gift waits to be delivered and unwrapped the cards inside become scented. You can use any combination of scented oils, from just a plain pine scent to a spicy or herby concoction. Or for stationary something brighter, like lavender, citrus or mint.

Herb Decorated Candles

Materials:
simple pillar candle
pressed flowers and herbs
or fresh fragrant herbs

Method:
Two ways to do this one.  Use Fresh herbs and tie them around the candle with raffia and include a note saying to remove the herbs before burning the candle.  Use pressed flowers and leaves by attaching them with thinned white glue to decorate the surface of the candle.  Do not use hot glue as this is flamable.

Don't forget to vist the ADVENT CALENDAR for more tips, recipes and holiday ideas using herbs.  We even include a few discounts as well.  Visit each day until December 25th for new daily additions.

How Tuesday - Using a Plant Press

Writers in the Family

My husband is working on two books.  My Sister in Law crafts novels in her head.  I write articles on herbs and gardening and my Brother-in-Law was recently published in the Beacon, the magazine of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association (http://www.gllka.com/)  In the Winter 2010/2011 issue his article “Return to Crisp Point” included reminiscences from his time in the U.S. Coast Guard maintaining this lighthouse.  The article will soon be the cover article in another lighthouse publication.  If you enjoy lighthouses, this publication is one I would recommend as it supports restoration and history preservation of lighthouses.  Subscriptions start at $35.00/yr.

This month I had an article on how to make paper sachet’s published in the Essential Herbal Magazine.  (If you love eclectic writings on all things herbal from cooking to medicine and everything in between, check out this link to subscribe to this wonderful bi-monthly – only $25.00/year)

I wrote the article during the time I was experimenting with How To-sday ideas.  It was my first exercise in photographing something as I made it.  I think I am getting better at it, but let me know if you think I should take the photographs differently.  This Tuesday I am going to show how to use a plant press.

Pressing Flowers

Today I thought I would examine making pressed flowers and leaves.  This time of year the pansies, violas, and perennial herbs are at the perfect age for pressing.  The most important tool to press herbs is the press itself.

You can buy a press at craft stores or make your own.  I have a purchased press that my mother bought me as well as several that my husband made for me out of plywood cut in 10 inch squares.  You need two squares of plywood with 4 carriage bolts (al least 4 incheas to 5 inches long) and 4 wing nuts.  You can use regular nuts, but I hate getting those off, wing nuts make me much happier.

In addition to the press parts you need:

• acid-free tissue or blotting paper (water color paper works well)
• absorbent paper (I just use newspaper)
• cardboard

All should be cut between 8 and 9 inches square so they fit inside the edges of your press. 

You can also use a phone book, an old encyclopedia or dictionary, or just a pile of old paperbacks if making a press is not in your plan.

Harvest your flowers and leaves.  You must collect them fresh and press immediately.  I use my sharp gardening shears to cut the flowers and leaves, removing them from the plants, and then trimming the stems as short as possible so they do not add bulk to the press.  Good choices include Queen Anne's Lace, pansies, violas, pineapple sage, or herb leaves like basil, tarragon, lemon verbena, thyme, etc.

To press plants, you are going to create layers of cardboard and absorbent material with a sheet of tissue to lay the flowers on.

Steps:

1.      On the base piece of plywood (with the bolts inserted into the corner holes), place several pieces of newspaper, then a sheet of cardboard, then a piece of tissue or blotter paper.

2.      Lay the flowers and leaves on the tissue or blotter paper.  Use tweezers to help position smaller items. 

3.      Layer tissue, newsprint, tissue, herbs/flowers, more tissue and another layer of newsprint then add a flat piece of cardboard and create more layers in the same way.  Continue layering in the same way, like making lasagna, until you have created 5 to 6 layers.  If using books, place flowers on tissue, top with another tissue layer and slip between the pages.  Leave 10 to 12 pages for space and add another layer to the book the same way.  Continue layering inside the book until it begins to bulge.

     4.    Once you have made a selection of layers that is about 3 inches to  

          4 inches high, cap the press with the second piece of plywood (fitting

          it down over the upright bolts), screwing it down hard.  If using a

          book, place weights or other heavy books on top of your press

          book. 

     5.   Leave the items in the press for at least 2 weeks, longer if it is humid. 

    6.     When you remove your flowers and leaves they will be nicely flat and

         should retain their color.  Folds and curls happen.  You get better at

         stopping that with practice. 

Once you have flattened the plants, you do not need to leave them in the press.  I take them out of the press and store them in small Tupperware dishes so I can refill the press with a new set of whatever is then in season.

Here are a few examples of projects you can use your pressed flowers to create.

~ Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh