This attractive and inspiring book shows families how to preserve and press flowers and leaves, and then turn them into gorgeous crafts. Instructions for sensational sun catchers, flower glass magnets, decorated light switches, flowery tins, beautiful bookmarks, and more, are laid out in a casual yet informative manner. Inspiring photographs and illustrations help bring the crafts to life.

Squashing Flowers Squeezing Leaves comes with a sturdy flower press bound right into the book, and an envelope of supplies to help kids get started with some of the suggested crafts. Copper tape, rubber bands, acetate sheets, a sheet of laminate (for the bookmark craft), and a sheet of sticker paper may leave craft lovers a little wanting (a trip to the craft store may be necessary), but they are enough to get them started.

Plenty of tips for picking flowers and plants are provided, and suggestions for selecting the right kinds to press are given. Of course, parents should be on hand to ensure that children are picking safe plants, and to oversee the more difficult steps in the crafts. Probably the most difficult part of the whole process is the waiting--it can take 2-4 weeks for the pressing process to complete. In the playful manner that will be familiar to fans of Klutz kits and books, children are told to "wait impatiently" before they can begin their crafts.

The sample results of the crafts in the book are extraordinarily creative--birds and hearts made of flowers decorate a light switch, an elegant waxed paper window hanging features a collage of leaves and beautiful flowers, the entire alphabet is created out of plants, and stationery is decorated in both silly and stylish ways.

Keep in mind that the process of pressing flowers and handling them once pressed requires a degree of delicacy that many young children are simply not ready for. The projects presented in the book require quite a bit of involvement from parents. The included flower press is an especially useful one, allowing families to neatly do their "squashing" and "squeezing". Simple materials found around the home can be used for pressing as well, and some families will want to press more flowers at once than the included 3-panel press allows.

This book is especially ideal for those new to the art of flower pressing. The creative quality of the sample crafts are shown in beautiful, full-color photographs, and the instructions given are clear--the projects practically beg to be attempted.

Dollar Value
This book and flower press craft set retails for approximately $20 US.