A collection of pressed fall leaves, maple, ginkgo, tulip poplar and redbud.

A collection of pressed fall leaves, maple, oak, dogwood and redbud.

A collection of pressed fall leaves, maple, ginkgo, tulip poplar and oak.

A collection of pressed fall leaves, maple, ginkgo, tulip poplar and redbud.

The miscellaneous projects continue! Remember all those leaves I couldn’t stop picking up last fall? Most went under paper towels and books. I was surprised to see how many retained their color, so into self-laminating pouches they went! #leafpreservation #fallleaves #driedleaves 🎨🍁🌱

Leaves after soaking in glycerin and water. Patted dry. Vibrant and flexible.

Comparison maple leaves. One flexible, one dry.

Comparison maple leaves that are dark red.

Comparison leaves that are orange.

I patted them dry yesterday and they are beautiful! The colors are well-preserved and they are flexible, unlike the dried/pressed ones. You can see a comparison in the pairs of leaves. Pretty cool! (Note: glycerin water can clog pipes, so dispose of it properly.) #leafpreservation #autumnleaves 🍂🍁

Leaf preservation experiment! I had read about using glycerin and water to preserve leaves, so I gave it a try this year. Using a 2:1 ratio of water to vegetable glycerin, I soaked a number of leaves for about 4 days (paper plate weights.) #leafpreservation #autumnleaves #glycerinwater 🍁🍂