Collecting leaves and preserving them

I might have mentioned this before but I'll say it again, I absolutely love autumn. I love the temperature changes, the fact that my kids return to school and are absorbed in activities and most of all I love the colors. Watching the leaves turn from bright green to orange, yellow and red is the annual highlight of my fall. Every year the colors explode and then all too quickly blow form the trees as the season turns to snow.

I always try to hold dear to fall for as long as possible and even take a bit of it with me in to the winter months. I start when the leaves are still green and continue collecting them until they are at the peak of their colors. Long ago I learned that left to their own devices they will become brittle and dissolve; I have become a bit of an expert on color preservation to prevent the loss.
The official way to save leaves it to use a leaf press. We once had one but my daughter stuffed it full of Play Dough, so I have now resorted to using a hug old dictionary with thin, absorbent pages. I also used to insert the leaves on the pages where they were listed but if I had too many leaves on one page the drying process did not work. The trick is to let the leaves air dry until some of the moisture has evaporated and then place them in the dictionary or phone book or other large book you might be using. Be sure to lay the leaves flat so that no folds occur and you end up with moistness that can turn the leaf brown. Also be sure to give your leaf ample space to dry, if you have the leaves too close together you will end up with the dreaded brown colors and all your work will be for naught. Close the book and wait. I usually check on the leaves after about a week or so, depending on the thickness or number I stored in the dictionary. Once they are completely dry I use them in projects such as collages, scrapbooks or cards. Again, they must be completely dry in order to prevent any mold or brown spots appearing. The overall process takes some time but it is simple, doesn't require too much attention and yields a lovely display when you are done.

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