Thanks for watching:-)

Hi, It depends how I use them. I usually put them under glass, acetate, hot laminate etc for what I call a dry protective cover, and use Mod Podge or such for what I call a wet protective covering. So it depends on what you want to do. Generally, I just change it around to fit my mood and the arrangement and/or use. Also the colorant used. If the colorant is water base test first with your water soluble medium to make sure it won't run. If using an alcohol base, test with any adhesive backed cover (ie contact paper, cold laminate etc) since sometimes the adhesive a company uses can cause the alcohol based colorants to bleed. I have not had that problem with hot laminate since the adhesive is only in a liquid state when hot during lamination and then sets back up - hope that makes sense:-) Anyway, just test. There is no right or wrong way, just what you like so long as it plays well with whatever you protect them with. Em PS forgot to say I rarely use an acrylic spray for protection. I might use it if I want to use an arrangement with a protective cover that does not play well with the colorant I used - as talked about above. Because sometime just a light spray with an acrylic type sealer is enough to solve any bleeding or running problems. But again, test in your specific situation.

@@emsplace Thank you for your detailed response. I am also moving away from Acrylic spray. It seemed to make things a bit brittle, though that could be to do with the way I applied it... Thanks again!

Hi, if you are using the one with vinegar, that could be the problem. Not all paints like vinegar, so do a small test first to find out, or omit the vinegar. Play around and see what works best for you. Thanks for watching, Em

Hi, check out this video kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fJOhh8mSq96whoU.html where I talk about mediums to thin and/or use for diluting fabric paints/dyes. Thank you for watching, Em

Hi Andrea, I always color enhance after pressing. Would be very difficult to do it before pressing, unless you put a stem in dyed water and hope or see if it absorbs the color. That would take way too long for the pressed method- but is interesting if you want to play around with an indoor fresh flower display or such... Experiment, have fun and thanks for watching:-)

Hi Carla, yes you can use acrylic paint. Depending upon if you use them full strength or diluted down will depend upon how opaque they will be. Unless I am doing something for an artistic statement, I have found, for me personally, that non-diluted acrylic paint is not as natural looking - if that is the desired outcome. There is no right or wrong, so play around and have fun. That way you will find out what you like for your intended use:-) Thanks for watching!

One last question, when you mix paints in a bottle with a medium mixture how much paint should be added? Ratio of paint to medium.

Hi, it really depends on how diluted you want it. Start with your bottle and try one part paint to two parts medium, but don't fill the bottle. Test. If too diluted you have room to add more paint, and if to opaque you can add more medium. Or you can do it in a separate container and get the amounts to you liking and then put into a bottle. it all depends upon what you want your outcome to be... Starting out you can try mixing a little bit in the trays like I demonstrate here, to see how the paint/s and mediums work together before going with larger amounts.

Hi, for the metallic paint I was playing around. It was just a metallic acrylic paint for an artistic effect. I use the medium when I want to dilute a fabric paint or dye for tinting botanicals for a more realistic effect. No right or wrong, so have fun and experiment:-) Thanks for watching, Em

Hi, I press them first. You can try doing it before, but you would need to let then dry if you want to press them, since you never want to press a botanical when it is wet or damp. Experiment to see what works best for your project. Thank you for watching, Em

@@emsplace thank you, I am new, to the whole process of doing your own flowers.