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kessy56

Memory beads

kessy56
12 years ago

I've tried MANY TIMES making memory beads by putting pieces of funeral flowers in oven bake clay. The flowers always turn brown in the oven. I have seen the beads several times and the pieces of flowers weren't brown. I've used the fresh petals and I've tried dehydrating them, only for them to turn brown either way. I know many people sell these, so it's hard to find someone who is willing to share the info on how to do them. Any help would be appreciated. I'm not looking to sell them, but I'd love to do it as a kindness for others who have lost a loved one. Thanks if you can help me.

Comments (4)

  • justgotabme
    11 years ago

    I don't think this is what you are looking for, but it might work for you anyway.

    Here is a link that might be useful: How to Make Flower Memory Beads

  • oldcrafty
    11 years ago

    A lady in my town makes them. She only uses rose petals and she said no matter what you do they always turn dark brown to black. She "cooks" hers , she says an old cast iron pot is the best. She then makes bracelets and necklaces. To give the finished piece color she uses colored beads or pearls between the rose petal beads. When completely dry and before stringing them she seals them. And a word of warning.....don't get them wet!!!! they will crumble to pieces. If they get wet remove immediately and lay flat to dry and they will be OK. I've never tried making them as it is a pretty time consuming project, I think she cooks them for quite some time, as in hours. I have bought from her many times. The directions on the internet sounds pretty close to what she does. It takes lots of tries and developing your own techinque. Even though they are black they are very pretty done up.
    Good luck.

  • natesgram
    11 years ago

    I had never heard of memory beads like in the link. I don't know if this could be another option but I'll share what I did with flowers from my daughter's wedding. I saved the rose petals, they dried and I didn't do anything with them for at least 6 months. I decided to make a replica of her in her wedding dress, including her bouquet. All I used was Elmer's glue. I soaked each petal in the glue and they became soft again. Using a toothpick, I rolled the petal up to look like a rose. It worked better with covered wire instead of the toothpick. Stick in styrofoam and let dry. Later I wired up the bouquet similar to what she carried and spray painted it. When finished I applied a clear matt sealer. I have seen beads made with tiny long triangles of magazines and glue and I suppose this could be similar if you removed the wire before it set up. Hope this helps.



  • posieh
    11 years ago

    I did a Google search and all the articles listed did the cooking and turning the petals black. Somewhere and sometime ago I have seen rose petal beads that remained a pink color and smelled liked roses. I don't understand the "cooking". Why not dry the rose petals, crush them fine and using Elmer's glue roll your beads into any shape you want? I've never done this, but seems like it might work. Sorta like making paper beads. Mix some glue with the crushed peals, wet your fingers and roll the beads. Remember roses dry very well. I've saved them from lots of funerals, hang them to dry for several weeks and make a dried bouquet. Good Luck!

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