Dipped Beeswax Leaves

Using beeswax to preserve your leaves is a lovely way to hold onto those gorgeous Autumn foliage colors that always seem gone too quickly.

As the weather cools, we find ourselves itching to make crafts together and one of our favorites is waxing the leaves from our favorite Maple tree in our backyard. It's a simple, quick craft with eye-popping results everyone enjoys. These beeswax leaves can be used to make a garland for your mantle, to decorate your child's nature table, or as enhancements for wrapped gifts through the Autumn months. You will be surprised at how long these beeswax leaves keep their color, usually until we are ready to decorate for Winter holidays.

Follow along for instructions on how to beeswax leaves for your home.

1. Gather Your Supplies

To make beeswax leaves you will need:

Freshly picked leaves from your favorite Autumn tree

Beeswax pellets (we melted 1 lb of pastilles but had most of it leftover, which we will keep for other uses)

Double boiler pot

Wax paper, to lay the leaves on while they dry

2. Prep The Scene

You will want to have the area prepped and wax melted before you call your children to the table to help with the craft.

First, melt your wax in the double boiler pot. To use a double boiler, fill a bottom pot with one or two inches of water. Then, add in the top pot and turn your burner to a simmer. Add 1/4 cup of pellets to the top pot at a time, as they melt continue to add more pellets. If you add all of the pellets at once, they will form a block of beeswax and take longer to melt.

Set out parchment or wax paper to catch wax and lay the leaves as they dry. Lay some fresh leaves within easy reach of your child so they will not have to stretch to grab leaves.

Once your wax has melted, bring the pot to the table using a pot holder to catch the heat.

Now it is time to call your children to the table.

3. Set the Example

Model for your children how to be slow and careful while waxing your leaves. Remind them that the beeswax is very hot and not for touching. Before I brought my children to the table, I set some ground rules that went something like this:

"We are about to have some fun and wax the leaves we just picked. I want to remind you that the beeswax is very hot and can burn you. When you sit down, be slow and calm around the wax. Do not reach across the table, I will make sure you have plenty of leaves within easy reach. When you dip the leaf, hold it by the stem, dip in just the leaf and pull it out. Let the extra wax drip off the leaf but do not shake the leaf, that will get wax on our clothing and skin (ouch!). When the extra wax has dripped off, lay the freshly waxed leaf on your wax paper. I will show you first what to do."

4. Let Them Takeover

Stay by your children as they dip the leaves into the wax. For a younger child you may need to hold the pot and gently guide their arm as they dip in the leaves.

Once your child gets the hang of it, let them take over. These leaves dry quickly and will soon be ready to use however you please.

If you have beeswax left over after you have waxed your leaves, you can pour it into small mason jars with a candle wick to make candles for your home or as gifts.

Beeswax Leaves, A Beautiful Craft

I hope you enjoy making your own beeswax leaves as much as we do. Waxing Autumn leaves is a craft we look forward to every year, it really brings the beauty of the season into our home.

Many blessings,

Terra + Family