Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.

Create art and preserve a bit of the garden with flower pounding.

Create art and preserve a bit of the garden with flower pounding.

Preserve a few memories of this summer’s garden or create gifts to share with family and friends. Pounding flowers onto fabric or paper is a fun and easy way to preserve the beauty of garden flowers.

Use watercolor or other rough surface paper when pounding on paper. Purchase ready to dye (RTD) or prepared for dying (PFD) fabric or prepare the fabric yourself. You’ll find supplies and directions at most craft stores.

Prepare a space for pounding flowers onto paper or fabric. A large cutting board or piece of wood will protect the furniture below. Or better yet move this project outside onto the sidewalk or other surface that can’t be damaged by the pounding.

Cover the surface with wax paper and secure with masking tape to prevent the flower color from soaking through onto the cutting board. Cut the fabric to size and secure it or the paper to the board with masking tape.

Gather a few of your favorite leaves and flowers. You will have great results from thin brightly colored petals and leaves. Consider starting with rose, daisy, geranium, petunia, and pansy petals although any flowers and leaves can work. Remove or reduce the size of the large center of coneflowers, black-eyed Susans and similar blooms so they lay flat on the fabric. Or remove the petals, discard the center, and arrange as desired.

Remove any stems, sepals, or other plant parts you do not want to transfer. Then place the desired parts face down on the paper or fabric.

Once your design is set, cover with several layers of paper towel or another sheet of watercolor paper. Taping leaves and petals in place on fabric helps reduce the risk of petals moving during the pounding process.

Gently tap the leaves and flowers in place using the flat side of a hammer. Next, evenly hammer from one side of the design to the other, making sure to hit every part of each plant.

Lift the paper covering and remove the crushed flowers and leaves from the paper along with the tape from the fabric. Allow your design to dry and carefully brush off any remaining plant pieces.

Set the design on fabric using an iron set on the hottest setting without steam. This sets the colors but will not make it washable. Preserve the bright colors of your works of art on paper with a UV protective acrylic spray. Be sure to read and follow label directions and apply in a well-ventilated area.

Pounding flowers is a fun project for all ages. It is a simple way to transfer a plant’s natural dye onto paper or fabric to create works of art, greeting cards and more. For more gardening projects visit MelindaMyers.com.

To determine the most popular song in Beyoncé's discography, Stacker looked at her RIAA singles data and Billboard Hot 100 data and ranked her top 10 tracks. Click for more.

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Get headlines from the Newton Citizen delivered daily to your email inbox.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the recently released Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and her website is www.MelindaMyers.com.

I have been editor of the Rockdale Citizen since 1996 and editor of the Newton Citizen since it began publication in 2004. I am also currently executive editor of the Clayton News Daily, Henry Daily Herald and Jackson Progress-Argus.

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

Your comment has been submitted.

There was a problem reporting this.

Please log in, or sign up for a new, free account to read or post comments.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.

This poll is not scientific, results only reflect opinions of respondents.

920 Green Street SW, Suite A1 Conyers, GA 30012

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.

Get the latest business news delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.

Get the the most recent coronavirus news delivered to your inbox daily.

Get our expert short-term forecast, summary of the weather details and news of any severe weather affecting Rockdale and Newton Counties.

Get the most popular posts on RockdaleNewtonCitizen.com from the previous week emailed to you every Monday morning.

Get news alerts and breaking news stories from the Rockdale Citizen and Newton Citizen delivered to your email. 

Get headlines from the Newton Citizen delivered daily to your email inbox.

Daily sports headlines from Newton Citizen.

Get the latest obituaries delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.

Sign up for Rockdale and Newton Eats, a weekly email newsletter with the latest on eateries in Rockdale and Newton Counties sprinkled with recipes.

Get headlines from the Rockdale Citizen delivered daily to your email inbox.

Get the Rockdale and Newton Citizen e-editions delivered directly to your email inbox every Wednesday and Sunday morning.

Get daily sports headlines from the Rockdale Citizen delivered to your email inbox.

Get a list of upcoming high school sports events delivered to your email inbox every Thursday.

Keep up with local events in Rockdale and Newton Counties. Every Monday, find a list of upcoming events in your email inbox.

On Fridays, upcoming weekend events are delivered to your email inbox, too.

Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.

Check your email for details.

Invalid password or account does not exist

Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.

An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.

Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.

A receipt was sent to your email.