Sand-Preserved Flowers

Leave five- or six-inch stems on flowers when picking them. Be sure you pick them at their peak. There should be no dew or moisture on the petals. Pick the leaves from the stems. Sift dry sand through an old sifter. Pour two or three inches of sand in a cardboard box or pan. Place blooms upside down on the sand, then pour more sand over them. It will take about an inch to cover them. Space the blooms so that they don't touch. Set the box or pan in the sun. If the sun is very hot, the flowers will dry in two days. Remove flowers gently when no longer damp, and brush the petals with a small brush to remove sand particles. The sand may be used over and over again. It may be kept in a covered box from one year to the next.