@woodlark

Beeswax dipped autumn leaf garland 🍂 Preserving autumn leaves with beeswax is a favorite yearly tradition that we’ve been doing since Elliot was a baby 🥰 so it’s a favorite of mine. Dipping your leaves in beeswax will help to preserve the color and the leaves remain pliable for quite some time. You can use both fresh leaves and leaves that have been pressed and dried. The leaves that I’m using here have been pressed. They keep well and can be stored over multiple years— some of the leaves in our current collection are more than 3 years old and they still look great! I prefer to use yellow beeswax, but you can use any type of wax. The look of the leaves will vary based on the type of wax that you use. Quick instructions are below and full tutorial and links to materials that I use from my shop can be found on the blog. Link in bio.

Materials:
leaves (pressed or fresh), beeswax, metal bowl, sauce pan, parchment paper, twine + clothespins (if you’re making the garland)

Instructions:
- Melt the beeswax using the double boiler method: Place a heat-proof bowl over a small pot of simmering water and place your beeswax into the bowl
- Allow your beeswax to liquify completely
- Hold the leaves by the stem and submerge them completely into the melted beeswax
- Allow the excess wax to drip off for a few seconds back into the bowl
- Place on parchment paper to dry
- Use clothespin to hang on a piece of twine to create an easy autumn leaf garland

For easy cleanup:
Pour any remaining wax into an empty silicone mold (or saved plastic containers work too, like yogurt containers) to save for future use. Use a towel designated for wax crafts to wipe any remaining wax off your bowl while it is still liquid. Leaves can be stored at the end of the season in between sheets of wax or parchment paper.