NATURAL DRYING - Gather a small bunch of flowers (delphiniums, globe thistle, celosia, and hydrangea are some examples), tie them together and hang them upside down in a warm, dry, dark area. For wide-headed flowers a box with a piece of chicken wire on top can hold the flower heads open while they dry (Queen Anne's Lace).
SILICA GEL - This material will dry the flower by absorbing up to 40 percent of its weight in water. It can be used in the oven or microwave. (Ageratum, snapdragon, aster, calendula, cosmos, daisies, dahlia, candytuft, bells of Ireland, are some good choices.)
FLOWER PRESS - These can be purchased at most craft stores. In lieu of a flower press a heavy thick catalog/book also works quite well.
BORAX - Make a mixture of 1 part borax and 1 part cornmeal. Cover the bottom of a box (suit box is a good size) with a thin layer of the mixture and then place the flower face up. Sift on more of the mixture and place the box in a dry dark place until blooms are completely dehydrated. (Zinnia, marigold, chrysanthemum, dahlia, Shasta daisy, etc.)
SAND - Small hardy flowers can be dried this way, including small zinnias, marigolds, pansies and pompom chrysanthemums. Sift fine, dry sand through a flour sifter. Strip off all the foliage. Put a couple of inches of dry sand in a box and hold blossoms upside down on sand. Gently pour on sand until the blossoms are covered. Stems need not be covered. Place in the sun to bake. Flowers should be dry in a day or two.