Make your own wax flowers

Fresh flowers are always a beautiful addition to any room. Of course, since they are fresh, they will not last as long as you may like. The good news is that there are ways of preserving floral beauties. One great way is by making your very own wax flowers. With a few basic supplies, you too can preserve blooms in wax by following these simple steps.

Things you need to make wax flowers:

• Open roses
• Soy wax flakes
• A microwave-safe container
• Candy thermometer (optional but recommended)
• Wax paper, empty bottles or vases

Directions:

• Start by selecting flawless roses that have opened completely. You don’t want to use buds because they will not open once the wax is applied.
• Cut the steps to a length of 8 to 10”. This will make it easier to dip them and place the wax flowers in a bottle until they dry.
• Protect your work surface with some scrap paper and place some under your bottles or vases too.
• Fill a microwavable container with wax flakes and microwave for 2 minutes. Stir the flakes and check for any white or unmelted wax. Microwave for another minute before removing and stirring again. If necessary, you can add more flakes and continue heating to melt them until you have the right amount of melted wax for your wax flowers.
• A great tip to remember is to use a taller container so that you can completely submerge the roses rather than have to roll them around in the hot wax.
• You can use a candy thermometer to ensure optimum temperature before dipping. Ideally, the wax should be 100 degrees. If the wax starts to become cloudy when you start dipping your flowers, you should heat it up a little bit more to prevent it from hardening before you’re done.
• Now, dip each rose one by one and allow any excess to drip off before placing the flower in a vase or similar container. You can place them on wax paper but remember that they will maintain their shape much better if they are set in an upright position.
• Once the wax has cooled and hardened on the flowers, you can use them to create amazing and memorable floral works of art. Use for centrepieces, tablescapes and you can even present them to loved ones as a thoughtful gift.

Roses are the best blooms to use when making wax flowers because they are not likely to fall apart. You can, however, experiment with other blooms once you get the hang of the technique.