I can't resist the fiery colors of Autumn; the golds, reds and oranges that glow in the morning sunlight and swirl to the ground in the slightest breeze.
Seemingly every year I collect a few of the trees' dropped treasures and put them into one of my large books to safely keep the passion of this season alive for months and years to come.
I also seem to stick to a certain leaf shape each year. Once I find the first perfect specimen to save, I look for that shape in all different sizes and colors until I have half a dozen or more collected and ready to press.
This year, I'm thinking maybe I should do something with all of the lovelies I've collected, so I can enjoy Autumn all year long. But what to do? I've considered gathering the groups together in a frame, showcasing a duo or trio of the prettiest ones in various sizes, but am unsure if Id need to do more to preserve them than just stick them in there. Any ideas?
Hi Danni,
ReplyDeleteHere's few things that I have done with the leaves I have collected.
1. Press them between sheets of wax paper
2. Seal them with gel medium, coating both sides-one at a time, then stringing them with clear fishing line and hanging them from my kitchen table chandelier. I use plastic tear drop beads as weights on the end of the strings. My Grandsons loved it.
I dont have any new ideas, but I like the idea of pressing them.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Kat
You can also dip them in paraffin wax. I have never tried this, but I have seen it done and they look gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThose are beautiful! I have an article somewhere about taking branches of colored leaves and putting them in a vase with a glycerin/water mixture. Apparently they soak it up and will last for several years.
ReplyDeleteI love your idea about getting the same leaf shape in different colors and sizes.
Love autumn leaf collecting, too. I've done the paraffin wax dip for preserving them, but after a bit they get white and crackly looking. At least mine did. Not sure why. The glycerin water mixture does work well, though I've not done it before. I've seen people's leaves that were preserved that way and they looked lovely and fresh even at a few months old.
ReplyDeleteGood luck finding a good way to preserve and display the leaves. I love the idea Paulette had and hanging them from the chandelier. I may try that myself this week. :-)
Bright blessings,
Bird
http://birdsearthyspirit.blogspot.com/
I've been having the same idea with leaves swirling around in my head for awhile now:
ReplyDeleteWhile I love all leaves and press/dry them... I'm especially inspired to collect the heart shaped ones and collage/paste them onto a canvas, in the shape of a heart. I will do it this year! hopefully in time for my december showing! :)
your idea of displaying the real pretty ones is a good idea... you can spray them with gloss (there are various kinds in the art store and even the hardware store - floral section)
I've also used my leaves to press them into bookmarks before sealing them between sheets of clear plastic adhesive. :)
I have also wondered about preserving them. Perhaps you can try pressing them and then laminating them to make place mats for a table. That's all I have for idea but then again I'm just as lost as you.
ReplyDelete