Pressed flowers are naturally beautiful, and lend themselves to a variety of craft projects. Once you have your flowers pressed and dry, get them out for some of these great crafts.

1. Placemats

You can also use this craft to make a window decoration or wall art. You’ll need:

* Pressed flowers
* Clear contact paper
* Scissors

Cut a placemat-sized piece of clear contact paper (it’s up to you as to what “placemat-sized” means). Lay it sticky-side-up on your work surface. Arrange pressed flowers on the sticky side. When you’re finished, place the sticky side of another, slightly bigger sheet of contact paper down on the flowers. The two sticky sides should meet. Trim the edges, and you have a lovely springtime placemat. If you want to put it in your window, attach with small balls of white beeswax in the corners.

Variation: Use strips of contact paper (or cut the above craft into strips) to make bookmarks.

2. Coffee Table Perk-Up

Perk up your glass-covered coffee table by placing pressed flowers under the glass.

3. Decoupage

Pressed flowers look wonderful in just about any decoupage project. Using decoupage medium and a brush, try applying pressed flowers to some of these items:

* Flower pot (you can’t get it wet, so it’s purely decorative)
* Picture frames
* Clear votive candle holders
* Glass bottles (to make a lovely flower vase)
* Wooden jewelry boxes

4. Pretty as a Picture

Using a store-bought picture frame, remove all the cardboard and paper, leaving only the glass. Using white glue, gently glue down pressed flowers directly onto the glass. Turn it around so the flowers are on the back and place the glass back into the frame. The front will have flowers behind glass. Place it in a sunny window.

5. Stationery and Cards

This is a great craft for Mother’s Day or just to make stationery for note-writing. Here’s what you’ll need:

* Card stock
* White glue
* Paintbrush with stiff bristles
* Pressed flowers

Cut card stock in half or fourths. Then use the paintbrush and white glue to decorate the corners and/or edges with pressed flowers. Lightly brush some glue onto the place where you want the flower, then lay the flower on top. Touch up the edges with a little more white glue, brushing gently outwards. Some ideas might include one flower in the upper left corner; a border of flowers all around; or, a row of flowers across the top edge.

6. Bookmarks

These make a great gift as well. You’ll need:

* White or light beige card stock
* Scissors
* Clear contact paper
* Pressed flowers
* White glue
* Paintbrush with stiff bristles

Cut the card stock into strips the size you want your bookmarks to be. Then attach various pressed flowers to one or both sides, brushing on glue and laying the flower on top. When finished, lay the bookmark on the sticky side of a piece of clear contact paper. Lay another piece of clear contact paper on the other side. Trim edges to create a “laminated” bookmark.

 
Planting a native flower garden is a wonderful way to create a low-maintenance, eco-friendly garden. There are various benefits to planting native species, so let’s take a look at some of those benefits and some tips and guidelines on going native in the garden.
Benefits
There are all kinds of benefits to planting a native flower garden. [...]

 
Spring is a season when animals, plants and trees come to life. Springtime crafts that build on this theme are educational fun for kids. Here are some ideas for living springtime crafts for kids.
1. Live Easter Grass
This is a lovely way to create a living Easter basket or springtime scene. It’s easy, and it’s fun [...]

You may have heard rain gardens referred to as “sunken gardens.” This is because they are planted in a depression in the ground, which acts like a bowl for holding rain water.
Rain gardens capture storm run-off from non-porous surfaces like roofs and driveways, directing it to a garden where it will nourish plants rather than [...]

 Allergic asthma is different from exercise-induced asthma, or asthma due to other causes. Allergic asthma means that asthma attacks are triggered by allergens, just as nasal symptoms are triggered.
In sensitive individuals, harmless substances (that is, substances that are not disease-causing pathogens) such as pollen, mold, animal dander, dust, etc. cause an immune response normally reserved [...]

 Moms really appreciate homemade gifts; they often become keepsakes. No one is too young or too old to make Mom a gift by hand, even if you have to help. Here are some ideas for homemade Mother’s Day gifts for all ages.
1. Toddlers and Preschoolers
This age will obviously need some help, but some of the [...]

 
Gutter cleaning is not a particularly pleasant task, but it is a very necessary one. For most homeowners, gutter cleaning needs to be done twice a year, in the spring and in the fall. It’s important because clogged gutters can cause a host of problems, such as:
* Insect infestations (they will make their homes and [...]