This is such a lovely project for this time of year. It’s a perfectly simple way to preserve all your carefully collected fallen leaves and give them more life. This way they don’t end up crumbling and curling and not being enjoyed. Coating them in beeswax helps them to keep their gorgeous colours long after the season is over, so you can use them in displays, hanging or in a wreath, frame them or simply scatter them as a table decoration.

TO MAKE YOUR OWN YOU WILL NEED

• Beeswax pellets
• Leaves of different shapes and colours 
• Greaseproof paper
• Cardboard
• String and pegs (if you decide to hang them)
• Fishing wire and branch for mobile making 

1. The best leaves to pick are those that have freshly fallen and aren’t too dry, but even those that are a little curled can still work. Take your piece of cardboard to protect your ironing board, and on it place a folded piece of greaseproof paper. Place the leaves inside and scatter the beeswax pellets on top as shown above.

2. Fold the paper back over and go ahead and iron over the leaves on a medium high setting without any steam. Keep pressing and moving the iron until all the wax has melted, which by the way smells so good! This should take less than a minute. Flip them over to make sure the back of the leaf is waxed too. 

3. Once they are covered on both sides, peel back the paper and pick up the leaves by their stems carefully, they are going to be hot so watch your fingers. You can let them dry on a piece of greaseproof paper, or hang them up on a line with pegs. They dry pretty quickly, in just a minute or two.

They look so nice hanging in a line, you could also string them up as a garland. The wax will stop them tearing if you decide to thread them with a needle and thread. Otherwise you can tie fishing wire between them or just keep them pegged like this. 

I made mine into a little mobile, strung up with fishing wire onto a little branch. 

You can lay them flat and frame them too for a beautiful natural little artwork!