Carmen Born - Pressed Flower Prints

Carmen Pont Born of Sant Cugat, Spain contacted me via Facebook to share the link to her shop, CarmenBorn (site is no longer active), where she sells vintage-inspired giclée prints of arrangements she makes with her own natural, preserved flowers.

Nearly a year goes into each composition as the flowers are first planted and harvested, and then pressed. No chemicals are used to speed up the drying process.

What's especially unique about Carmen and her online presence is that she is well into her 80s! After studying at the Master School for Applied Arts in Erfurt, Germany, she became a pioneer in fashion drawing in Barcelona and worked in that capacity for many years.

Today she continues to utilize her creative talents by preserving flowers as digital art prints on high quality rag paper. I think it's safe to say the rich colors in the prints will be much longer lasting than that of actual pressed flowers.

On a related note, if you've never pressed flowers, there's something almost magical in their resemblance to delicate, translucent paper. I went through a phase of drying flowers one summer and loved seeing how each little experiment worked out. Some hold their color beautifully; others not so much. And whether you use them on note cards or in a frame, they're a nice reminder of summer all year long.

Giveaway:

Leave a comment below as a chance to win my wood and corrugated cardboard flower press, perfect for small flower heads like violets and pansies, and sprigs of greenery. It's been gently used, but still has a very long life ahead. I'll randomly choose and notify the winner on Monday, September 9, so please be sure to include your email address or another way to be contacted within your comment.

Random.org selected Melanie (#4) as the winner - congratulations, I hope you'll enjoy pressing flowers!