How to Make Flower Wall Décor With Food Coloring

Abbie M
by Abbie M
6 Materials
$20
2 Days
Easy

Apart from beautifying cakes and eggs, food coloring can help create magical wall-worthy decorations made of flowers and glass.

If you're looking to add a pop of color to your home decor game - you've come to the right place! In my easy step-by-step guide, you’ll find some fantastic tips and tricks for the best possible results to get out of your flower wall decor DIY. Gather all the materials listed below and follow the instructions carefully. In two days’ time, colorful pressed flowers will be hanging on your wall! Feel free to stick with colors you prefer for flower wall décor that matches the room it’s intended for. Various stages of the process could also serve as temporary decoration too. Keep reading to find out more...

Tools and Materials

  • Food coloring
  • White carnations
  • Vase
  • Water
  • Wax paper
  • Scissors
  • Two plates
  • Microwave
  • Floating frame


Step 1: Gather Your Materials for Each Stage

The process consists of three stages, with the whole project eventually spanning two days overall. For the first part, you’ll need the food coloring, flowers, vase, and water. The second needs the wax paper, plates, and microwave, while the final stage involves putting the flower decoration in the frame. Have all the materials necessary close at hand for convenience and speed.

I used a wooden table I didn’t mind making a mess of. If you don’t have such a worktop, take care when handling the colors and consider adding a sheet for protection. The project as a whole isn’t messy, but spilled food coloring is difficult to get out. The simplest cleaning method requires dish detergent, vinegar, water, a washcloth, and a lot of scrubbing.

Step 2: Add Food Coloring to Vases of Water

Choose the colors you like the most. The flower wall décor involves a combination of hues, so aim for a selection of colored flowers that will complement each other and their destined location. To begin with, add plenty of water into as many vases as there will be colors. Then pour a few drops of the chosen food colorings into their respective vases.

I created a range of colored water to show what the result would be at the end of the first stage. I also mixed red with yellow and red with blue to create orange and purple. Play with the colors. This stage takes a while to complete, so planning ahead better ensures you achieve your desired effect.  

Step 3: Add Stemmed White Flowers to the Vases

Put two white carnations into each vase of food coloring, with their stems well-submerged. Here is where you can really let your creativity shine. It's up to you what colors you make and how many flowers you want in each color. Leave the carnations to absorb the liquid for the rest of the day. At this point, the pretty vases and flowers could decorate a window or table.

Prepare to be amazed as the magic happens - the carnations will soon start to absorb the color of the water they’re in. Interestingly, the water itself also changes hue. As you can see, this art project doubles as a science experiment. When the flowers reach your desired shade of blue, green, pink, or anything in between, take them out. It’s time for stage two.

Step 4: Cut and Flatten the Flowers

Get the scissors and cut the heads off the colorful carnations. Spread a sheet of wax paper on a microwavable plate. Lay out three flowers face down on the paper. A fourth may fit, but make sure there’s plenty of space between them. Place another sheet of paper over the flower heads and then a second plate on top, flattening them.

Heat the whole thing in the microwave for about a minute. Carefully remove the top plate and put the flowers in their wax paper aside to cool down. Repeat this process with the rest of the carnations, until all are flat and dry. Your key ingredient prepared, now comes the final and least complicated part of the tutorial.

Step 5: Arrange Your Dried Flowers

Take your floating frame apart, separating the two glass panes. An old clean frame serves just as well. Simply remove its contents and line up the colored carnations on one pane. I placed them two by two, but you can use any alignment or color combination you want. This is where you can let your creativity shine.

How about a bouquet of flowers? Paint stems and leaves on the glass before arranging a bunch of colored carnations on top. For a field of flowers, you could get a larger frame, paint on a sunlit sky, some distant mountaintops, and then add multicolored carnations with perspective. A landscape of flower wall décor would be super impressive.  

Step 6: Create Your Décor

Is your artwork arranged to perfection? If pens or paints have been used, give your project some time to dry. Otherwise, all this hard work may end up with unflattering smudges. Once satisfied with your design, carefully put the second glass pane on top, fixing the flowers in place. Finally, slide the glass back into the frame and secure the clasps. Your flower decoration is ready.

Hang it anywhere around the house. However, make sure the chain and nail can take the weight. Also, avoid placing it anywhere that could cause it to deteriorate, e.g. direct sunlight. An alternative cute idea is to create a small flower wall décor – or a couple of them – and replace the chain with ribbon.

Admire Your Work!

A simple DIY art project to decorate your home with. Have fun experimenting with my flower DIY wall decor techniques and discover for yourself their great potential when it comes to beautifying a room. There’s nothing more disappointing, however, than not having anywhere to display your beautiful decorations.


These steps will help you complete the project, but it’s your creativity and planning that will produce the right flower decoration for your needs. Think about decorative effects, color schemes, and exactly where you want to place the frame; not to mention its size and available space. Be smart and imaginative. A few spots of food coloring on the floor are worth the experience.

Don’t forget to tell us and your friends all about your floral masterpieces!

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2 of 4 comments
  • Wyldecent Wyldecent on Jul 02, 2020

    We used to do this as kids (dying the flowers) but used Queen Anne's Lace instead of carnation. If you have extra long stems and split them part way up and then put each half stem in a different color water you get multicolored flowers.

  • Cde13823743 Cde13823743 on May 17, 2023

    I think this would be a good idea for a graduation or reunion table centerpiece using school colors.

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