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How To Dry Roses in Silica Crystals

Have you ever received a beautiful bouquet of roses and wished they could last longer? Well, drying them and then casting in resin is a great way to preserve them. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to dry roses in silica crystals for all of you crafting needs!

close up of a dried rose

DRYING FLOWERS FOR RESIN CRAFTING

One of our absolutely favorite ways to craft with resin is to use it to create beautiful projects with flowers. The key to successful resin crafting with flowers (and any other matter) is to ensure that they are completely dry.

We’ve previously talked about how to press flowers to use for resin crafting. We even have a Facebook Live video over on the Resin Crafts Blog page on different ways to do so. We’ve been using pressed flowers for years to make beautiful resin projects such as:

But what if you want to use the whole bloom in all it’s 3-D glory? 

How to Dry Roses

One of the simplest ways to dry whole roses is to hang them upside down in a dry, dark environment and leave them for a few weeks. This works generally well for compact flowers (i.e. lavender stems, cornflower). But for more fragile petals, they will shrivel and lose their shape.

That’s where silica drying crystals can help!

two roses preserved in silica crystals

The crystals are desiccating agents – basically the same thing you find in shoe boxes and other packages to absorb moisture. For flowers, you can buy the crystal (rather than bead) form, which is really beneficial to get into the smallest grooves of the blooms.

Many of the flower drying crystals are also reusable – simply reactivate in your oven following the manufacturer’s instructions.

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to dry roses in the silica crystal. These roses can then be used in paperweights, beautiful floral pyramids or other deeper resin casting projects. It’s a great way to preserve entire bouquets from weddings or other special events.

overview photo of dried roses

Just keep in mind that the goal is to get crystals into the deepest part of the rose/flower to make sure it is completely dried out.

MATERIALS NEEDED FOR DRYING ROSES:

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  • fresh roses
  • scissors
  • silica flower drying crystals
  • container with lid – ensure it is just a bit larger than your flower
  • spoons
materials needed to dry roses using silica crystals

HOW TO DRY ROSES WITH SILICA CRYSTALS

For the rose drying video tutorial, head on over to our YouTube channel!

Use blooms which are still full and haven’t started to wither.

Remove any shriveled or dead petals from the rose.

holdinga fresh rose before drying
removing petals that have wilted

Cut the stem as close to the base of the flower. Don’t go too far or the flower will fall apart.

trimming the stem of the rose
showing the back of a rose with the stem cut

Place a few tablespoonfuls of the crystal into the container. Create a well in the middle for the flower to rest in.

fill container with silican crystals

Place the flower inside the container. Using a spoon, slowly add crystals on the outer sides of the flower. This will help to stabilize the shape before filling the insides with crystals. Use a second spoon to help move the petals out of the way.

place rose inside container and submerge in crystals

Slowly add crystals in between the petals of the flower. Try to get in between as many petals as possible and into the center of the flower. Tap the sides of the container gently as you work to help the crystals get right into the rose.

pouring crystals over the rose
pouring more silica crystals over a red rose

Continue filling the flower and container until the flower is completely covered in the silica crystal.

cover rose completely with silica crystals

Place a lid on the container. Place the container in a cool, dry place for up to 5 days. Occasionally tap the sides of the container to move the crystal around.

cover container with lid

Once the roses are dry, gently remove them from the crystals. Gently shake out as much of the silica as possible.

remove from silica crystals after approx. 3 days
gently remove dried rose from crystals

Place the dried flowers in an air-tight contained until you’re ready to use them.

woman holding dried roses in her hands

How long should the flower be in the drying crystals?

Larger flowers have more water in them and will take longer to dry. You don’t want to over-dry them as they’ll become very brittle and difficult to work with.

After 3 days or so, check on the flowers – if the petals feel dry and papery, consider removing them from the crystals.

beautiful dried rose

You’ll notice that the dried roses came out darker than the fresh ones. Each flower will be a little different when it’s done drying. You can see that this dahlia retained its original color quite nicely.

dahlia dried in silica crystals

As you can see, drying roses using silica crystals is a pretty simple process. As with most crafts, a little practice goes a long way. So it you’re nervous about how to dry roses or other flowers from a special event, try practicing beforehand on a variety of different blooms.

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How To Dry Roses With Silica Crystals

Jane and Sonja
Have you ever received a beautiful bouquet of roses and wished they could last longer? we’ll show you how to dry roses using silica crystals.
5 from 2 votes

Materials
  

  • fresh roses
  • scissors
  • silica flower drying crystals
  • container with lid ensure it is just a bit larger than your flower
  • spoons

Instructions
 

  • Use blooms which are still full and haven’t started to wither.
  • Remove any shriveled or dead petals from the rose.
  • Cut the stem as close to the base of the flower. Don’t go too far or the flower will fall apart.
  • Place a few tablespoonfuls of the crystal into the container. Create a well in the middle for the flower to rest in.
  • Place the flower inside the container. Using a spoon, slowly add crystals on the outer sides of the flower.
  • Slowly add crystals in between the petals of the flower.
  • Continue filling the flower and container until the flower is completely covered in the silica crystal.
  • Place a lid on the container. Place the container in a cool, dry place for up to 5 days.
  • Once the flowers are dry, gently remove them from the crystals. Gently shake out as much of the silica as possible.
  • Place the dried flowers in an air-tight contained until you’re ready to use them.
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Tutorial Rating




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Wendy

Tuesday 11th of May 2021

this is amazing, I bought some crystals and gave it a try and YES YES YES it works its like magic so easy too Thank you so much for showing us how to do this I just love it , trying all different flowers and all working. Just wondering how do you re-activate the crystals please Many thanks

Jane and Sonja

Wednesday 12th of May 2021

Hi there, thank you! You can check the manufacturer's instructions usually on an insert under the lid. In our case, the instructions are to place in oven at 220F for 1 hour (until crystals turn blue again). Hope that helps!

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