Every woman delights in receiving flowers, be it for a birthday, Valentine's Day, or an anniversary. The combination of flowers and food seems to capture the essence of life's special moments.

However, the inevitable wilting of beautiful flowers often leaves us feeling reluctant.

If someone special gifts you a bouquet on a joyous day, so splendid that you want to preserve their beauty and cannot bear to see them fade away, why not consider a thoughtful way to keep them?

Floral Ice Cubes:

Preserving flowers in ice cubes is a delightful method, especially perfect for summer gatherings. It adds a touch of charm to your home party, ensuring your guests are pleasantly surprised.

Ingredients:

Ice cube tray, water, assorted flowers (lavender, rosebuds, chrysanthemums, etc.).

Steps:

1. Select edible flowers and clean them thoroughly.

2. Boil water for 2 minutes, then cool it to room temperature to remove air.

3. Add a thin layer of water to the ice cube, submerge flowers, and freeze.

4. Repeat until the ice cubes are fully formed.

This yields frozen and fresh flower ice cubes, a delightful addition to your gatherings.

Embossing:

Pressing flowers, a common childhood crafting activity is an easy and artistic way to preserve small flowers or petals.

Method 1: Book Embossing

Materials: Flowers/petals, kitchen paper, heavy books.

Steps:

1. Choose a small flower/petal and trim excess leaves.

2. Sandwich between two sheets of paper (kitchen or writing paper).

3. Press between heavy books for 1-2 weeks until completely dry.

Method 2: Ironing

Materials: Flowers/petals, writing paper, iron.

Steps:

1. Place a small flower/petal between two sheets of writing paper.

2. Preheat a low-temperature iron (no steam) and gently iron flat.

Method 3: Microwave Drying

Materials: Flowers/petals, tracing paper, microwave oven.

Steps:

1. Sandwich petals between tracing paper with a weight on top.

2. Microwave for 2-3 minutes for quick embossing.

Dried Flowers:

To preserve flowers permanently, two methods are commonly used: natural air-drying and using a desiccant.

Natural Drying:

Suitable for three-dimensional flowers like roses.

Steps:

1. Select light-colored flowers and unbloomed buds.

2. Peel the outer petals, leaving the inner freshest part.

3. Hang flowers upside down for about a week.

Natural Air-Drying + Desiccant:

Ideal for preserving whole flowers.

Steps:

1. Pick flowers before full bloom.

2. Sun-dry for a week, ensuring complete evaporation.

3. Store in a transparent jar with a desiccant.

Decorating with Dried Flowers:

Dried flowers offer strong decorative potential.

1. Insert stems into a fine-mouthed vase.

2. Attach dried flowers to a rattan ring to create a wreath.

Transforming flowers into unique decorations adds a touch of inspiration, ensuring the sweetness of received flowers lingers. Just like relationships, flowers, when cherished, possess enduring beauty.