How to Preserve Leaves for Fall Crafting
Fall is definitely one of my favorite times of the year… I absolutely love to go for walks and observe how Mother Nature is changing our surroundings. Fall is also a perfect season to gather those free crafting materials…. all those pinecones, acorns, gourds, chestnuts and of course leaves. They are just beautiful !! All those colors from bright red or yellow are just perfect to craft with. Problem is that leaves are super fragile when they are dry and they actually change its color to brown. Leaves wrinkle all around as soon as they lay on the ground for some time. Have you ever wonder why leaves change color ? How to preserve them in their natural glory ?
I found a super clear explanation on line for that
“The chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the yellow to orange colors become visible and give the leaves part of their fall splendor. At the same time other chemical changes may occur, which form additional colors through the development of red anthocyanin pigments.”
Have you ever tried to preserve those beautiful colors before? Back in Poland my Mom taught me a cool trick that you can do with them to preserve those bright colors. Have you ever tried to preserve falling leaves for crafting?
I know there are so many ways to do it that I would love to find out from Today I like to share with you our way.
I was soo excited to gather some of those bright color leaves with berries on my last walk so I can craft with them
Supplies needed to preserve leaves
- Mod- Podge or diluted glue
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Shall we go to work and preserve those beautiful fall colors ? Today is actually perfect day for that project … not too windy and actually pretty sunny. I like to do that projects outside.
Do you see those beautiful colors ?? I can already see so many crafts with them… Directions are super easy . Make sure that leaves are not wrinkled and apply generous amount of Mod-Podge on both sides of the leaves letting them dry in between.
You can also use diluted Elmers glue if you are short on Mod-Podge. I like to use 2 parts of glue to 1 part of water.
I don’t know if you noticed I also collected some berries that were already dry but they were really dry and kind of falling a part so I decided to use my spray Mod- Podge to seal and attach them together to see if that will work
Just because I had only high gloss spray I decided to treat half of my berries with it and dab the other half with paint brush that had Mod-Podge on it
I was so glad all worked perfectly and no berries were separated in the process
I actually had so much fun with spray that decided to preserve my hydrangea clusters before I spray paint them
so exciting !!! it works wonders !! Decision was made … those small leaves will be sprayed too
I so love what I see! All gets nicely stiffen and ready to craft. I like to leave my leaves for couple of hours to make sure all is dry and not sticky
and voila !!! They are dry, straight and ready to craft with.
Cant wait to collect more leaves but this time I like those big maple ones!
Crafting with natural elements is my favorite. Here is my take on crafting with moss
So happy to preserve those beautiful colors for crafting
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Make sure to check this super cute wreath I made on grapevine wreath. All details HERE
Please Save This To Pinterest or Share on Social Media
Friends, your shares are how this site grows and I am sincerely grateful. A quick share to Facebook or save to Pinterest allows me to bring more home decor projects and crafts to more home decor DIY lovers.
Love to display natural elements all around the house. Check all details HERE
