Floral crafts
UDAYA T V
UHS19PGD337
I Ph.D.
Introduction
• Value addition is a process in which for the same volume of a primary
product, a high price is realized by means of processing, packing,
upgrading the quality or other such methods.
• Value-added floriculture refers most generally to manufacturing process
that increases the value of primary commodities.
• Value-added floriculture may also refer to increasing the economic value
of a commodity through particular production process eg. organic
produce, or through regionally branded products that increase consumer
appeal and willingness to pay a premium over similar but differentiated
products.
• Floral crafts are the value added products that are the outcome of skilled
work with the use of available ornamental or floral resources.
Janakiram et al., 2012
• Dry flowers and plant materials have tremendous potential as substitute
for fresh flowers and foliage for interior decoration as well as for a
variety of other aesthetic and commercial uses.
• Although, India is rich in its biodiversity in native ornamentals, at
present the industry is not properly established and depends on plant
material available in forests and no systematic growing of specialized
flowers for drying exists anywhere in the country.
• In India, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, and
Kolkata have emerged as major hubs of dry flowers industries in recent
times.
Janakiram et al., 2012
Advantages of dry flowers
◆ Available year round.
◆ Cheaper.
◆ Eco friendly and biodegradable.
◆ Easy to transport and can survive heat and cold.
◆ Much higher shelf life compared to fresh flowers
◆ Number of value added products can be made.
Some flowers that are air-dried and used include
• Dahlias (Dahlia hortensis),
• Poppy seed heads (Papavere somniferum),
• Roses (Rosa),
• Delphinium,
• Larkspur (Consolida ambigua),
• Lavender (Lavandula augustifolia),
• Golden rod (Solidago canadensis)
• African marigold (Tagetes erecta)
• Strawflower (Helichrysum bracteatum),
• Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus),
• Statice (Limonium sinuatum),
• Globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa),
• Lotus pods etc. Janakiram et al., 2012
Wild sources for making dry flowers and plant parts
• Dahlias
• Marigold
• Jute flowers
• Wood roses
• Wild lilies
• Helichrysum
• Lotus pods, etc.
Janakiram et al., 2012
Greeting cards
• The greeting cards can be prepared by pasting the
already press dried flower petals, leaves, ferns,
grasses etc.
Preparation
Requirements: Ivory sheet, craft paper, fevicol (glue), forceps, dried leaves
and petals.
Procedure:
• Take a piece of Ivory sheet, fold and cut it into a dimension of
4x6" or 5x7" or a size of your choice.
• On the front portion of card paste a piece of any good quality craft
paper over the card leaving one centimeter border from all sides.
• With the help of forceps arrange all the pre dried leaves and petals
over the craft paper in artistic manner.
• Now lift the petals/ leaves one by one and apply fevicol on the
back side of the leaf/petal and paste it on the craft paper.
• After completion of pasting, slightly press the card and keep it in
blotting paper folds.
Janakiram et al., 2012
Making of Floral Bookmarks
• Similar to greeting cards, bookmarks can be
prepared by pasting pre dried leaves or petals or
grasses etc. on ivory sheet or any thick craft paper
of appropriate size.
Preparation
Requirements: Ivory sheet, craft paper, fevicol (glue), forceps, dried leaves
and petals.
Procedure:
• Take a piece of Ivory sheet, cut it to a desired dimension
of bookmark.
• With the help of forceps arrange all the pre dried leaves
and petals over it in an artistic manner.
• Now lift the petals/ leaves one by one and apply glue on
the back side of the leaf/petal and paste it on the
bookmark.
• After completion of pasting, slightly press it and the
bookmark is ready.
• To increase the life of this bookmark it can be laminated
without affecting its quality.
Janakiram et al., 2012
Wall hangings
• Wall hangings and sceneries can be prepared by
pasting press dried flowers and leaves on thick craft
paper.
Preparation
Requirements: Ivory sheet, craft paper, fevicol (glue), forceps, dried leaves
and petals.
Procedure:
• Cut the craft paper according to the required size of wall
hanging.
• Arrange all the pre dried leaves and petals it in artistic
manner with the help of forceps.
• Now lift the petals or leaves one by one and apply glue on
the back side of the leaf/petal and paste it on the craft paper.
• After completion of pasting, slightly press and keep it in hot
air oven for 30 minutes at 40-45°C for drying.
• After half an hour take it out and frame it as preferred.
Janakiram et al., 2012
Dry flower display container
• These can be prepared by arranging embedded
dried flowers in an artistic manner.
Preparation
Requirements: Glass or plastic containers with base (Various sizes), thermo
Cole sheet, velvet paper, glue, pre dried embedded flowers
Procedure:
• Take base of glass container, cut thermo Cole sheet and velvet
paper of its size, paste the velvet paper over the thermo Cole
sheet with the help of glue.
• Arrange the embedded dried flowers of single species/ variety
at two or three tiers according to the height of the containers.
• After this apply the glue on the rim of the glass container and
fix it on the base of the container.
• Keep it in hot air oven for 1-2 hours at 40-45°C in order to
remove the excess moisture collected inside the container due
to the pasting material used.
Janakiram et al., 2012
Dried Flowers in a Shadow Box
A shadow box is an ideal way to bring a hobby to use in your home.
Anything that you enjoy doing can be incorporated into a shadow box
display.
Flower bouquet
• A flower bouquet is a collection of flowers in a
creative arrangement.
• Handheld bouquets are classified by several different
popular shapes and styles, including nosegay,
crescent, and cascading bouquets.
• Flower bouquets are often given for special occasions
such as birthdays or anniversaries.
• They are also used extensively in weddings.
• Bouquets arranged in vases or planters for home
decor can be arranged in either traditional or modern
styles.
• Symbolism may be attached to the types of flowers
used, according to the culture.
Flower bouquet making
Wreath
• A wreath is an assortment of
flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or
various materials that is
constructed to form a ring.
• In English-speaking countries,
wreaths are used typically as
household ornaments, most
commonly as an Advent,
wedding and Christmas
decoration.
Singh, 2017
Floral CANDLES
Floral Jewellery
• Apart from metals the jewelry can be made from flowers,
flower parts, seeds etc.
• Orchid flowers are widely used in Thailand, Singapore and
Malaysia to electroplate with gold and platinum to make
exquisite jewelry.
Corsage
• A flower or small arrangement of flowers worn by a person as a personal
ornament.
• Typically worn by women on special occasions (like anniversary
celebration, wedding), a corsage may be worn pinned to the chest, or tied
to the wrist.
• It is usually larger or more elaborate than a buttonhole.
Buttonhole
• A small flower or bunch of flowers worn in a
buttonhole or pinned to the lapel of a coat/jacket is
known as buttonhole.
Epoxy resin
encapsulation
STEPS
Step 1: Get the Flowers and Leaves
Flowers, seeds and leaves of native plants as well as
roses, chrysanthemums, gardenias, asters, carnations,
marigolds or tulips were collected.
Step 2: Drying of flowers
Step 3: Sealing With Glue
Step 4: Preparation of epoxy resin (Basics of
Using Resin)
Step 5: Embedding flowers in resin
Floral frames
Wax flower
• Cut flower arrangements and bouquets
brighten up rooms and lend a special
meaning to momentous occasions such
as birthday, anniversaries, graduations
and weddings but unfortunately they
only last for a week or 10 days.
• Preserving cut flowers with wax can
offer a helpful solution to ensure the
longevity of your bouquets.
• It involves dipping the flowers in
paraffin wax and hanging them to dry
until the wax is completely hard.
STEPS
• Step 1:
Heat the water.
• Step 2:
Prepare the paraffin.
• Step 3:
Melt the paraffin.
• Step 4:
Prepare the flowers.
• Step 5:
Dip the flowers into the paraffin wax.
• Step 6:
Hang the stems after wax treatment.
PRESSED FLOWER LANTERNS
Steps
Petal soap
SKELETON OR
SKELETAL LEAF
Dried Flower and Herbal Sachets
• Your garden may be good enough to eat, but those
wonderful fragrant flowers and aromatic herbs can be
put to other uses.
• Dried flowers and herbs tucked into bags and pillows
have a fragrance that will let you travel back to the
glory days of your garden.
• Herbs, especially, hold on to their fragrance. Use
your sachets to scent a drawer, the clothes in the
dryer or tuck one under your pillow.
Time Required
• On average, sachets take about 30 minutes to one
hour to make. Once again, it all depends on how
extravagant you choose to get. If you have all your
materials together, you can make several in no time at
all.
How to Make Sachets
Select or make a small bag with a somewhat open
weave. Be sure to leave one side open, if you are
making bags.
Mix enough dried herbs to fill the bag.
If you’d like to enhance the scent, a few drops of
essential oil can be added.
Fill the bag with the flowers and herbs.
Either sew or glue the bag closed or tie the end tightly
with ribbon or string.
Enjoy. Rubbing the bag gently will further crush the
herbs and release their fragrance.
Plants to Use
Flowers: Herbs:
Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides)
Hyssop (Agastache spp.)
Lavender
Jasmine (Jasminum officinale) Lemon balm
Lavender (Lavendula spp.) Mint
Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
Rosemary
Lilies (Lilium spp.)
Lily of the Valley (Convalaria majalis) Thyme
Magnolia spp.
Mock Orange (Philadelphus spp.)
Peony (Peonia spp.)
Roses
Scented Geraniums
Potpourri (Pourri – rotten).
Potpourri is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant materials,
used to provide a gentle natural scent, commonly in residential settings. It
is often placed in a decorative bowl.
Lifespan
Dried flowers can last anywhere from two months to 20 years,
depending on the chosen blend. Properly made potpourri will last longer
when stored in closed containers.
Preparation
Requirements: fragrant flowers, petals, fruits, fixative like orris root powder,
essential oil, satin bag or covered glass or plastic container.
Procedure:
• Collect fresh flowers, their fruits if any, leaves, petals, etc. Dry all
the material by air drying.
• Mix two parts of dried flowers with one part of dried leaves, dried
leaves, buds, roots, flowers and put this mixture in glass container.
• Add three table spoon of fixative (Orris root powder) to this
mixture (1TSP For 1 cup material).
• Mix 9 drops of any essential oil to this mixture and close the lid of
the container.
• Keep this mixture in cool, dry and dark place for 5-6 weeks for
curing.
• After six weeks, the product is ready and can be packed into a
satin bag with a small essential oil vial.
Plants to Use
Allspice Lemon balm leaves and flowers
Cedar wood shavings (toxic, a moth Lemon peel
repellent)
Cinnamon bark and cassia bark (smells Marjoram leaves and flowers
like cinnamon only less potent)
Mignonette leaves and flowers
Cloves
Mint leaves and flowers
Cypress wood shavings (toxic, another
moth repellent) Mugwort (toxic, adds a musky note
Fennel seed to the mix, another moth repellent)
Incense-cedar wood shavings Orange peel
Jasmine flowers and oil Pelargonium leaves from the scented
Jujube flowers and blooms varieties
Juniper wood shavings (toxic, a moth Pinyon pine shavings and cones
repellent)
Lavender leaves and flowers Rose flowers, hips, or oil
Rosemary leaves and flowers
Loose flower craft
• In Indian tradition fresh loose flowers are used for crafting in
form of garlands, flower ornaments and hair decoration.
• Loose flower craft in form of garlands, String, veni, bridal
crown, Jadai (Hair adornment), loose flower based corsage
for hand wrist etc, have great demand especially during
festivals and South Indian weddings.
• In South India, flower garlands have an important role in
every festival, when the deities are decorated with garlands
made from different fragrant flowers (often jasmine) and
some specific leaves.
• The quality flowers with fragrance and aromatic leaves are
used to make garlands to worship Hindu deities.
• Some of those fragrant flowers include jasmine, plumeria,
lotus, lilies, nerium, chrysanthemum, roses, hibiscus, etc.
Singh, 2017
Veni
Bridal crown
Garland Jadai
String
Conclusion
Crafting in floriculture through dry flower making, floral
decor, bouquet making, dry flower frames and articles,
potpourris by using the ornamental plants is considered as an
ideal venture in the recent past for livelihood and women
empowerment.
Crafting in floriculture can serve to showcase the uniqueness
of flowers as communities.
If properly explored, flower crafting can develop into a
successful cottage industry by the prospective women
entrepreneurs in our country wherein a great potential for
improved livelihood is foreseen.
Reference
• Janakiram T, Ritu Jain, Prasad K V, Namita, Raju, Kishan
Swaroop and Kanwar Pal Singh. 2012.Practical Manual on
Value Addition in Ornamental Crops.
• Singh Alka. 2017. Floral crafts for improved livelihood and
women empowerment. International Journal of Information
Research and Review. 04:4160-4163.
