Pressed flower craft consists of drying flower petals and leaves in a flower press to flatten and exclude light and moisture. Pressing flowers makes them appear flat, and often there is a change in color, ranging from faded colors to a greater intensity of vibrant colors. It has long been practiced as an art form in Japan, where it is known as Oshibana (押し花) 押し花, and in China.^[1] Outside of Asia, the art gained popularity in England during the Victorian eraand has experienced a revival in the last 30 years or so. It is also currently also popular in the United States, with some recognizable artists including Cellestine Hannemann and Janie Gross, and Australia.^[2]

The pressed flowers and leaves can then be used for a variety of craft projects. They are often mounted on special paper, such as handmade paper, Ingres paper, Japanese paper, or paper decorated by marbling. With meticulous attention to detail each leaf and flower is glued onto a precise location. With a creative approach to the use of materials, a leaf becomes a tree and petals form mountains.^{[citation needed]}

Washes of watercolor painting are sometimes applied to the backing paper before the pressed material is attached to it. It is also popular to mount pressed material on fabrics, such as velvet, silk, linen or cotton.^{[citation needed]}

Petals and leaves can also be applied to wood furnishings using the technique of Decoupage.^{[citation needed]}

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressed_flower_craft