5 Funeral Flower Keepsake Ideas & How To Make Them

Not sure what to do with flowers after the funeral? There are lots of ways to preserve funeral flowers so that you can keep them for longer and share them with other family members and friends as a special keepsake.

Here are some ways to create keepsakes made from funeral flowers.

Dry the funeral flowers and display them

If you want to preserve the flowers after the funeral so that you can display them at home, here’s what you need to do:

Find somewhere dark and dry with good ventilation to dry the flowers. Keeping them out of the light will help to preserve their colour.
Choose the ones you really want to keep. You might want to keep some for your home and some for other family members too, if you have enough.
Cut the stems down to the length that will comfortably fit the vase you’re going to use to display them.
Now tie the flowers individually or in small bunches at the bottom of the stems.
Carefully hang them upside down and leave them to dry for 2-3 weeks.
Take care as you remove them once they’re dry. When you dry flowers in this way they can become fragile and brittle.
Spray them with hairspray to help preserve the flowers for longer.
Arrange them in your chosen vase and put them in the spot you have in mind. This can be a space that reminds you of your loved one, or somewhere out of the way of any children or pets who might be around.

Make pressed flower art

Another way of creating a funeral flower keepsake is by making pressed flower art. This is a clever way of preserving smaller, more delicate flowers. Here’s the process and how to make them into something personal and unique:

Pick the funeral flowers you want to preserve as a keepsake as soon as you can after the funeral. The fresher the better.
To keep their colour, re-cut the stems if you can and run them under cold water. This will help keep them fresh.
Put your flowers to one side in a vase filled with fresh water while you get everything else ready.
Get some heavy books together, and some absorbent paper like newspaper or parchment paper.
Select the flowers you want to press. Keep in mind that flowers that are already quite flat like pansies are easier to press. But that doesn’t mean you can’t press other larger flowers like roses too. You might just have to select a rose that is more open and easier to press instead of a large bud that’s not in bloom. You can add in leaves too.
Open one of the books and place a piece of newspaper or parchment paper on both pages. This will absorb any moisture that comes from the flowers as they dry.
Arrange the flowers in the way you want. Once you’re happy, place them on the absorbent paper on the right side of the open book.
Close the book, taking care to not to shift the flowers and place more heavy books on top.
Wait at least one week before opening the book. At this point, you might want to replace the absorbent paper you’re using so that more moisture is drawn from the flowers.
Wait another 2-3 weeks until the flowers are completely dry.

Now that the flowers are dry, you can arrange them and frame them. You can repeat the process several times so you can give a funeral flower keepsake to other family members and friends too .

Make a glass bauble

If you have a lot of flowers to preserve, you don’t have to stop at just framing them. The good thing about pressing flowers is that you can make other personalised funeral keepsakes. A glass ornament like a bauble is good way of preserving the flowers and creating a keepsake for other family members. It could be added to your collection of Christmas tree decorations (if you celebrate it) so that you can remember a loved one who’s passed away during the holidays.

Once you’ve pressed your chosen flowers, all you have to do is add them to a clear ornament. You can buy these online or at most craft shops. You can also personalise it further by painting the name of the person who’s passed away onto the bauble. Or you could get it etched on by a professional. You could also add a ribbon in their favourite colour or place the date of birth and death of the person on the bauble too. It’s a good way of preserving the funeral flowers and making a unique funeral keepsake.

Create a piece of jewellery

A similar idea to the glass bauble, but this is a funeral keepsake that you can keep close all year around. Using your pressed funeral flowers, you can create a unique ring or pendant as a memorial to your loved one.

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

Buy a resin jewellery making kit that includes everything you need to make the piece of jewellery you’d like. You can buy lots of different kits. All of them should include either a ring or pendant blank, the resin mixture and mould you need to set the flowers in, plus instructions on how to use the resin.
Follow the instructions carefully. You’ll need to get the ratios right with the resin mixture, especially if you’re experimenting with colour too.
Take your time with the process. Make sure you’re happy with the placement of the dried flowers before you pour the resin.
If you have enough of the mixture and more ring or pendant blanks, try the process more than once. You’ll have a slightly different outcome each time. This type of funeral keepsake jewellery can be a thoughtful gift for another family member or friend coping with their loss too.

Make a floral memorial candle

If you’re looking for funeral keepsake gifts to give to loved ones who helped you plan the funeral or for those who attended, this is a simple but thoughtful choice. Here’s how to make a memorial candle out of the funeral flowers you’ve pressed and preserved:

Gather everything you need to make the candle. You can buy wax making kits which may be useful. But if not, you’ll need organic wax, a clear glass or container like a mason jar, a cotton wick, and your dried funeral flowers.
Slowly melt the wax on the hob.
Take your see-through glass or container and place some of your pressed flowers around the edge of the glass. You can make a pattern or add them around the edge of the glass in any way you like.
As the wax is melting add some more of the dried flowers and petals to it and gently mix them through.
Add a few drops of essential oils in a scent that’s similar to the flowers or that reminds you of your loved one.
Now you can pour the wax into the glass or container.
Drop your wick into the wax making sure it’s centred. You may also want to wrap the end of the wick around a pencil and balance this on the top of the glass. This will stop the wick from dropping into the wax as it dries.
Wait for the wax to fully dry.

Now you know how to make a keepsake from funeral flowers you can choose one that’s most fitting. We hope it helps you preserve the memory of your loved one or helps you say thank you to friends and family who’ve helped you since your loss.