The art of preserving and drying leaves is an old one, and I’m sure there are many ways to do it. I remember pressing, drying, and making bookmarks out of leaves and hand-printed Scripture with clear contact paper~remember that stuff? I was just a little girl then, sitting at the table and learning a handcraft from my mom.
This year I sat at the table with my children a couple of times to preserve leaves in a new-to-us, but much older method: we made waxed leaves!
We pulled out the natural colored bees wax we had leftover from last year’s candle dipping and calendula salve projects, and dipped til it was nearly gone. I find the smell of that warm wax to be sweet and comforting, and the quick result of beautiful, shiny leaves to use in decorating or giving away, quite satisfying.
A few tips for dipping your own leaves
Find bees wax at your local honey farmer or craft store {of course Amazon is always an option too}. I placed ours in a small bowl on a sheet pan and warmed in the oven, but I read that a small crockpot or an old stove-top pot are handy ways to heat and keep wax warm. I did learn that you want the wax hot enough to get just a super thin coating on your leaf! My first few leaves were coated too thickly since the wax was only about 200 degrees. I heated the next batch to about 300 degrees and the leaves turned out beautifully!
We gathered the prettiest leaves, dipped them, lay them on wax paper to dry, and marveled as each leaf was transformed into a delicate object of beauty, catching + reflecting the light.
Leave a Reply