Flower Pounding Art

A tutorial, a short visualization, and a bonus: our pressed flower stickers live.

Jul 23, 2026

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✨This letter is for the reader who loves flowers in any form, growing in the garden, tucked in a teacup, or pressed flat and saved for later. And it's for the one who thinks she isn't creative, because I promise this project will change her mind. Everything here is simple on purpose. A few blooms, a hammer, an afternoon, and something beautiful to show for it. That's the kind of creativity I love best: easy on the hands, generous to the heart.✨

I had good intentions of delivering my flower pounding demo live on Substack this morning. Truth be told, I ran into some technical difficulties and decided to deliver it to you in a newsletter instead. I did go live, shared some behind-the-scenes challenges, and spoke about the difficulties I've been having and the Substack Live learning curve. I love going live. It's great practice, and I'll keep at it.

What is Flower Pounding?

Flower pounding is a natural art technique where you gently hammer fresh flowers or leaves onto fabric or paper. With each tap, the plant’s natural pigments are released, leaving behind delicate, one-of-a-kind botanical imprints.

This meditative craft invites us to slow down, connect with nature, and create something beautiful with our hands. No two pieces are ever the same.

You can use your imprints to make heartfelt cards, meaningful wall art, table placecards, gift tags, or simple keepsakes. All you need are a few blooms, some paper or fabric, and something to gently tap with.

🌿 Supplies

Fresh flowers and leaves (see list below for what works best)
Watercolor paper, cardstock, or fabric
Paper towel (to place over the flowers)
Parchment paper (to place on the cutting board)
Hammer or mallet
Hard, flat surface (like a cutting board)
Tweezers (optional, for removing petal bits after pounding)

🌸 Flowers That Work Well

If gathering flowers ahead of time, here’s a little guidance on what works well:

Pansies & Violas: high pigment, great detail
Coreopsis: brilliant orange and yellow
Cosmos: soft but vibrant imprint
Ferns & Herbs: lovely shapes and greens
Roses: juicy, but can bleed heavily
Petunias: deep color, may need blotting

Warning: Loud noises with the use of the hammer. Also, this video refers to a show & tell during my live that, as mentioned, did not happen.

Flower Pounding on Paper

We tried this activity at one of the Kitchen Table gatherings last year. Each woman created a unique design using various flowers. Here are some samples of what we created. I love them.

Flower Pounding on Fabric

I love to pound flowers on fabric. I mostly use the imprints to make my slow-stitch cards. Here are a few examples.

This piece was made into a card by simply gluing the fabric onto a blank card. It carries so much meaning. I gifted it to my mom’s friend Ruth for her 100th birthday. Pansies are Ruth’s favorite flower. The blue fabric was cut from one of my mom’s wool jackets, and the floral blue from a napkin she lined her makeup basket with. The hearts, of course, signify their friendship and love for one another.

This piece was made for a card gifted to my sister. The yellow background is a vintage quilted piece of fabric that she gifted me. The pansy, her late husband’s favorite flower, was pounded on a piece of our Grandmother’s linen doily, and the lace is also from her stash.

Bonus: Pressed Flower Stickers

As a little bonus, I'm sharing the video from the live where we made pressed flower stickers together. I absolutely love to have a supply of stickers to attach to envelopes when you're sending out mail or giving a special occasion card. They're lovely in journals as well.

And with this letter, we almost wrap up our month of In Full Bloom in The Creativity Studio. What a month it has been. We made flower stickers, pounded petals into paper and fabric, gathered around the screen with Lise-Lotte Loomer to arrange floral bouquets and learn about Petal Potlucks (more on that to come soon). Simple projects, a few blooms, and so much joy along the way. Thank you for blooming right alongside me.

Before You Go: A Short Visualization

Warmly,
Kathy

A little about me

Hi, I’m Kathy. A guide, a gatherer, a maker of sacred space, and a woman who found her way home to herself after years of putting everyone else first.

For years, I wore many hats at once. Single parent, community manager in a role I was promoted into before I believed I deserved it, event organizer. And later, a family caregiver. Learning all over again how to give without losing yourself in the giving. Caring for everyone, in every direction, all at the same time. What I had to learn, slowly and imperfectly, was that I mattered too. What I found on the other side of that, through stillness, creativity, and the women who gathered around my table, became everything I now offer.

There’s a place at the table with your name on it.