The Best Way To Preserve Your Gorgeous Summer Flowers, According To Joanna Gaines
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Not quite ready to say goodbye to summer? Same! And neither is HGTV "Fixer Upper" star Joanna Gaines. That's why she says she's "bottling up summer" the best way she knows by making sure our favorite thing about summer stays around for a little while longer. Gaines revealed the perfect way to preserve summer flowers so we can still enjoy them when the temperature cools.
While we can enjoy bright blooms in other seasons, including winter, summer is the season when plants experience the most rapid growth, creating vibrant displays that attract exquisite creatures like hummingbirds and butterflies. So, Gaines decided to dry flowers and store them in an airtight glass jar to preserve the beauty experienced in these warmer months.
Her adorable DIY dried flower jar would look darling as coffee table or bathroom decor. Gaines even tied a tag to the jar, labeling it "Summer 2023," making it the perfect keepsake to share with friends and other loved ones to remind them of good times spent together.
How to make a dried flower jar
To recreate Joanna Gaines' charming craft, start with your favorite fresh summer flowers. You'll need enough blooms to fill a jar or whatever container you're putting them in. You can either dry or press your flowers, but you'll likely need a lot more flowers to fill a jar if they are pressed. Gaines opted to dry her flowers in her video posted on Instagram.
To dry your flowers, first remove any leaves and anything other than the flower from the stems. Next, you'll tie your flower bunch together at the end and hang them upside down to dry. Keeping them in a dark and dry space with proper ventilation will help them stay bright and prevent them from getting moldy.
It should take about two or three weeks for your flowers to fully dry. After drying, spray them with some hairspray to help preserve them further. Cut the stems off your flowers and add them to an air-tight glass jar. Gaines used a glass hinge or clip-top jar. You can get a set of four of these 32 oz. jars from Amazon for $25. Gaines used leather cord, which you can get on Amazon for $6, and some manila shipping tags, also $6, to label the jar with the season and year. This project couldn't be easier or cuter to complete.