Preserving Leaves....

So - I'm madly in love with these leaves. I really don't remember leaves being these brilliant shades before. Julia and I have a tree that we've been watching the leaves progressively change on. Today as we walked to the bus she said "oh boy, I can't wait to see how our tree has changed."

Our tree.

That made my heart do a little skip.

So - tonight we're going to be preserving leaves. Remember doing this as a kid?? I do.

There are a lot of ways to do this... I decided the one that didn't involve setting things on fire in my microwave would be a good idea. We're going to do the wax paper method - but for the majority of my leaves we're going to use glycerin so that I can make a wreath. We'll also make placemats using contact paper to seal the leaves.

Here's what I found on preserving :

Place the colored leaves between two layers of wax paper. Cover with an old towel. Press the fabric with a warm iron, sealing the wax paper together with the leaf in between. Cut your leaves out, leaving small edge of wax paper around the leaf edge.

Choose fresh leaves with the brightest colors, not ones that are already drying out. Cover them with one sheet of paper towel. Run the oven for 30 to 180 seconds. The time varies on how dry the leaves were to start out with. Be careful; you could start a fire in your microwave if they cook too long so pay attention. (this is where they lost me - I know that it is almost certain I will set my leaves on fire!!) Leaves that are curling have not been dried enough. Leaves that burn, were in too long. Let the leaves dry for a couple of days, then seal the leaves.

Another way to preserve leaves is to submerge them in a glycerin and water solution. Use a mixture of one part glycerin to two parts water. Place mixture in a flat pan, and totally submerge the leaves in a single layer in the liquid. You need to keep them submerged so you will want to weigh them down. In two to six days, you should have soft, preserved leaves. Remove them from the pan and wipe off all the liquid with a soft cloth, and they should last for a long time this way.