We’re ga-ga for all the multi-colored maple leaves of the season, and my older daughter, N, is likely to burst into a chorus of “red and yellow leaves” as we drive down the road. I’ve been reading up on how to preserve the leaves so that they’ll last more than a couple days and it turns out that you have a few choices, some of them being : preserve them with a glycerin solution, seal them with hot wax, press them between sheets of contact paper, or melt them between sheets of wax paper.
We had a bottle of glycerin in the cabinet for bubble-making, so I thought we’d try our hands at making glycerin leaves. I have to tell you upfront: the process was fantastic and my kids really got into it. The results, on the other hand, meh. Not so spectacular. More on that soon.
Supplies
- 1/4 c. glycerin
- 1/2 c. water
- Fall leaves
- Two pans that can stack inside each other
- Spoon for mixing
Mix the glycerin and water in your pan. Add leaves.
If you don’t have enough solution to cover the leaves, make another batch. My 4-year old loved taking charge of this step and we ooohed and ahhhed over the leaves as they went into the glycerin bath.
Find another pan that’s a bit small than the first, and place it on top so that all the leaves stay submerged.
Put this aside for three-ish days, or until the leaves are super-supple. At this point, the leaves should have absorbed enough of the glycerin solution to retain their color and texture.
Remove the leaves from the glycerin solution and pat dry on a towel. Your leaves are now ready to display.
For those of you who might be banking on this recipe as a way to preserve your leaves for years to come, I think this is worth the experiment but it may not be foolproof. About two weeks later, our leaves have not turned brown, but they definitely haven’t retained their original color. I decorated a corner of our mantle with them, and they look pretty good, but not spectacular. I found this recipe that added surfectant (found in garden supply stores), and it sounds like that may help the glycerin soak into the leaves.
This minor detail has not affected my kids, however, who have been incorporating the leaves into their projects.
Have you ever made glycerin leaves?
Any tips or thoughts on what may have gone wrong? Or was I expecting too much?
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this looks like a fun process! i haven’t tried it, but we did try mod podge last year on ours. http://paintcutpaste.com/mod-podge-leaf-garland/ (this year all of our fun fall craft time has been devoted to packing, which has been kid of a downer, but we still have a few basic art supplies unpacked.
Thanks for the link, Jen. I’m sure this will be useful for anyone looking for ways to keep those Fall leaves around just a little bit longer. Good lucky with all the packing and moving. Just think, you’ll be done with this by the winter holidays!
let’s hope i’m unpacked by then! looking forward to having you guys over once it’s all settled.
A few years ago I decided to mod podge some gorgeous Japanese maple leaves to my son’s bedroom wall. They haven’t changed at all.
Hi Amy,
Thank you for sharing this tidbit! Okay, that’s 2 votes for mod podge. We’ll have to give it a go before all the leaves turn brown or fall off the trees.
Rachelle
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