There is a massive pile of leaves in the back yard. I am actually itching to rake them, but baby grass is growing and raking would upset their tiny efforts, so the leaves sit. Except for these few that I made into a wreath. I used the dipped in beeswax technique that I experimented with last year and found to be an excellent way of preserving leaves for 2-3 weeks [one of the leaves, the printed one, lived for an entire year, and would be with us still if it hadn't been crushed while moving.]
Preserving leaves is super easy- let me show you how.
1- Gather leaves. Don't worry if some have holes, ripped parts or a few yucky spots. Pat them dry if wet. Assemble a double boiler. If you actually own one- don't use it. Use just a pot plus a crappy bowl. It can be hard to get the wax out. Also, use a crappy wooden spoon.
2- The beeswax. I used about 1.5 ounces of a 3 once cake of beeswax bought from the Co-Op. Of course hippie grocery stores have beeswax. They even have it in pellet form. You can use regular paraffin wax, but I think that might make everything look white-ish grey. Plus beeswax smells heavenly.
3- Melty melty. Lay out a sheet of waxed paper. This is where you'll lay you dipped leaves on. They dry super fast, so after you cover the sheet with leaves, they will already all be dry enough to pick up and move.
4- Ok! Dip! Using the leave stems as a handle, dredge the leaves into the melted wax, then allow the excess to drip off. If you are feeling extra fancy, you can fold and crease the leaves into shapes and the wax will more or less keep the leave in that shape.
5- Once dry, arrange your leaves as you like them on a suitable backing. I used a large embroidery hoop. But a donut-shaped piece of cardboard would work. Or a wreath form. Then- hot glue 'em on. The leaves are light, so you don't need too much glue. You can leave the stems on or off- I glued a few on just by their stems, to achieve a 'just fell into a pile' look. Cover up some of the more ugly parts of the leaves with other smaller leaves.
And I just realized that I haven't shown you all much of our new place. So here's the view of the wreath and the living room from the front door.
