Fall is such a beautiful time of year, with all the different shades of oranges, reds, yellows and greens in the trees painting up our world. It is no wonder someone would want to preserve it, whether or not you want to press leaves for a special occasion or just to decorate inside your home we’ve got the steps for you to create these beauties.
Directions:
– Head outside and pick out your favorite leaves that you want to remember for years to come. Make sure they are not too wet, you can do this by patting them dry. Try to find clean leaves, using dirty leaves may make it hard to press them. These will be leaves you have for a very long time so you want the ones that will stand out to you.
– Tip: Pick leaves that are not curling up and flat, those that are already curling will become brittle. Make sure your leaves do not already have mold growing on them or are too moist. Try to get leaves that are not destroyed or torn.
– Lay leaves flat on a wax sheet of paper. Place another wax sheet of paper above the leaves and place a heavy book on top of them. If you do not have wax paper you can use a newspaper.
– Drying leaves may take up to 10 days.
While you are waiting for your leaves to dry you can make this a fun craft by looking up the various leaves you found. Get the name for them. If you have kids you can have them research when they bloom, where they are from, etc.
Directions with an iron:
– Take your leaves and lay them between wax paper, make sure they are dry first though. Make sure there is an old rag/towel under wax paper and above the last sheet of wax paper so iron is not directly on the wax paper.
– Next, take an iron and gently move over the top of the wax paper where the leaves are for about 10 seconds. This will seal them into the wax paper, you can take them out but be careful not to tear them. Wait for the leaves to cool before using them for your decorations. This should not be done by a child as the iron and the wax paper will get hot and can burn them.
You can use your dried, pressed leaves for all types of decorations. Placing them inside a picture frame could really help them stand out, hanging them from a child’s bedroom or inside your living room window. Pressed leaves make for great scrapbooks, especially if you travel or move around a lot. Make sure to label the leaf with the following information: where you were, what year, and what type of leaf it is. You can toss some on the top of a dinner table just in time for a festive party, hanging in the window as a sun catcher or lampshades, used to decorate picture frames, etc.
