Squished flower background technique

All of these cards were made using the squished flower technique!

Several people have asked me for a tutorial on how I do this, so here it is.

• Take some fresh  flowers and leaves and arrange them on a sheet of absorbent card, placing a second sheet on top.

• The sandwich I used in my Cuttlebug for pressing the flowers is 

Baseplate

B plate

2 pieces of card with the flowers between them

Tan Mat

B plate

• Run the sandwich through the machine. It needs a reasonable amount of pressure, enough to make some of the juice run from the plants. Remember to clean the rollers carefully afterwards.
• Open the sandwich and lift off the debris of the plants.
• Clean any residue left on the card with a brush.

• The finished result may look a little dreary, but when sections are used either with dies or other shaped panels the effects can be most satisfying.

In the above photograph, the card at the left of the picture was pressed without the addition of the tan mat and the effect is much gentler and less vibrant as less liquid was extruded from the plants.

I hope that this helps!