Fall leaves.

I got curious about the best way to preserve these amazing fall leaves so I did some experimenting. I remembered dipping leaves in wax with my mum at some point in my childhood but I wasn't in the mood to deal with wax so I tried some simpler ways.

Method 1: I mixed two parts water with one part glycerin (which I found at Michael's) and put it in a lasagna pan with some of the leaves I had collected. I left it alone for a week, turning the leaves a few times.

Method 2: I put the same glycerin mix in a small jar, cut the tips of the stems off, and then made myself a little leaf bouquet. I left those for a week.

Method 3: I put the leaves in between layers of paper towel and pressed them with a large cutting board. I left those for a week too.

Method 4: I put leaves in between two sides of wax paper (waxiest side toward the leaf), then put that on a towel and ironed it all together. Once cool I peeled the paper away from the leaves.

The verdict: the best colour and flexibility was definitely with Method 2. The colour changed too much (got sort of dark and drab) with Method 1. The leaves from Method 3 and 4 became very brittle and the colours faded though the leaves from Method 3 retained a tiny bit of sheen.

Now I just have to figure out what to do with the big bag of leaves I have.