Most businesses and homes love to augment their Christmas lights and seasonal collectibles with wonderful floral arrangements.

Keeping the flowers looking fresh and vibrant for the longest possible time means avoid crowding them in containers, add water as it is needed from the flowers drinking. When it turns murky, pour it out and change the water – these simple steps will extend their life.

But, we have not yet found a way that makes flowers immortal – and when they are dead, they are eyesores and we toss them in the garbage.

Wait, you can reuse those dead flowers! Following are two ideas for granting near immortality to your favorite holiday flowers.

Make Potpourri

Gather all the dead flowers you want to use in your potpourri. It is fine to mix different flowers into one potpourri – it will be more colorful and the scents will meld.

To prevent mold from growing in your potpourri you need to make sure the ingredients are completely dry. Use a baking sheet and lay your flowers out in a single layer. If a baking sheet is too small, use newspapers spread out on a table or counter – just be sure the surface is very smooth.

For the flowers to dry and not rot, put them in a place that is cool, dry, dark and well ventilated. Ventilation is the key to success as it moves the air, which removes the moisture from the flowers. This helps protect the flowers from becoming moldy or growing fungi while drying.

When your flowers have dried, mix them together gently in a large bowl. To make your potpourri more fragrant you add essential oils to the mix along with shavings of Orrisroot. Orrisroot acts as a fixative for essential oils so they need not be replaced as often. Without the Orrisroot, essential oils tend to deplete quickly.

Now we wait – six weeks is about the right amount of time. Keep it stored in a brown paper bag or a glass jar. This waiting period allows the Orrisroot to absorb the essential oils.

The potpourri is ready – display in a pretty bowl or sew it into a small sachet to use in your car and closets to keep them fresh.

Pressed Flowers

Flower pressing is a lovely way to keep the memories of your holiday. After you press them, they are ready for framing and display. Also, flower pressing is an easy craft. Here is how to press your holiday flowers.

Begin by putting your flowers between two layers of absorbent paper. For each set of flowers you have made into an absorbent paper sandwich, place them under heavy books. Increase the weight by putting a brick or other heavy object on top of the books. Once a week has passed, you can check the flowers and change the absorbent paper. The drying process finishes in three weeks.

At that time, you can frame the flowers and hang them on a wall or place a single pressed flower in a small frame that fits a table or nightstand.