Pick the leaves with their petioles to make the process easier later! Choose leaves that will fit easily into your water bath—not too large. It is easier to work with sturdy leaves such as maple, plum, beech and dog rose. Very flexible leaves, such as geranium leaves, will work too, but require a steadier hand.
Dry them if you wish, as explained above.
Prepare your beeswax, either leftover candle wax or beeswax pellets.
Set up a water bath with a container wide enough to make handling the leaves easier.
Melt the wax in a water bath, but do not let the water boil. The wax must not get too hot, or it may damage the leaves. In any case, bear in mind that wax melts at 64°C.
Hold a leaf by its petiole and quickly dip both sides into the wax.
When you lift it out, let the hot wax drain off by shaking the leaf gently and wiping its underside against the edge of the water bath.
Then place the leaf, underside down, on the baking paper.
If you use leaves with deeply toothed edges, such as geranium leaves, they will curl up in the wax bath. Once the leaf is on the paper, quickly use a knitting needle to flatten the sections of the leaf back into place.
Wait for it to dry before peeling it off.
There you are—they're ready for your autumn decorations!
