Nature Printing

One of the most noticeable delights of Spring is how colourful the scenery gets. This simple activity can be so versatile in what you create with it, from flower and leaf identification squares to bags, framed pictures or wall hangings. It is a playful creative experience that makes for beautiful gifts.

I recommend having an experiment with what flowers work well before testing them out on a piece you're making for your home or a gift.

What you need

• Pre-washed material - we like to use calico.
• Hammer or mallet
• Soft leaves
• Flowers 
• Masking tape (optional)

Printing

1. Lay your material down on a clean, hard surface. If using concrete, I recommend adding a layer of thick material underneath to prevent the material you're printing on, from getting holes.
2. Arrange leaves and flowers as you wish whether it is a random selection or you're trying to create a picture. 
3. There are two options for this step, you can put masking tape over your arrange botanics to hammer on top of without plant sticking to your hammer and mixing. Removing the tape also removes the excess plant. The other option, is to lay another sheet of material carefully on top and create two prints from the one arrangement. You will need to remove the excess yourself but the result of both options will still be beautiful. 
4. Leave your prints to dry and then you can decide what you would like to make with them.