Have you ever received flowers from someone? Most of

us have. Do you throw them away when they begin to wilt?

Most of us do. Why not consider saving these flowers and returning them

to the one who sent them? Sound rude or strange? Actually, 

its quite romantic. There are a few different ways you can prepare the flowers

for their journey back to their original giver. 

* Take some of the flowers and press them between sheets of 

wax paper in the pages of a dictionary or other large book. It

will take several weeks or months for the flowers to properly

flatten and dry, but the results will be worth it. Then you may 

want to frame the blossoms behind glass, create a card and

glue them on the front or iron them between two pieces of

laminating paper to be preserved forever.

* Remove the blossoms from their stems and dry them to

make potpourri. There are several ways to dry whole flowers

or just the petals. You can do it in with an oven, microwave,

silica crystals (found in craft stores) or simply air dry them.

You may want to check out a book from the library that

would give instructions on drying flowers and perhaps also

a book that would give some recipes on making potpourri.

* Make a dried flower arrangement. Again, you may want to

consult a book on how to dry flowers. I have had good

success with drying flowers by hanging them upside down

in a dark, dry closet for a couple of weeks. It is important to

begin the process before the petals begin to fall off the flowers.

Once the flowers are dry, arrange them (or have someone

help you if you have no talent in this area) and put them

in a vase. You can buy an ordinary vase or search flea 

markets or antique stores for an old teapot or brass pot to 

go with your arrangement.

* The fourth way you can return the flowers to their sender

is to save all the petals and return them in a crystal bowl 

or vase. A friend of mine dried the petals from all the

roses her boyfriend had given her and they looked

strikingly beautiful in a crystal vase.

These gifts are not the same as buying potpourri

or a dried flower arrangement from the store down the road.

These are gifts that have a history and a meaning. You

received these flowers, adored and cherished them and

then took the initiative to preserve them for everlasting

enjoyment. Imagine the reaction you would get if on

the night you asked your girlfriend to become your wife, 

you presented her with the first flower she had given to 

you two or three years earlier. If fresh flowers touch the heart, imagine what returned

flowers can do.