The time has come autumn preparations. We are not talking about canning tomatoes or cucumbers now. Those who have preschool and younger children in their family will understand what we are talking about. Ahead academic year and time for regular crafts.
We will harvest autumn leaves.
There are many ways: you can press the leaves (remember school herbariums?), preserve them using wax paper, laminate them, use silica gel, and even dry them in the microwave.
In our opinion, the best way preserving leaves - with glycerin. Not the fastest, but the leaves remain soft to the touch, are stored for several years, and are suitable for crafts and room decoration.
You will need:
1. Select beautiful leaves. It is better that they are free of stains, bulges and not curled. Place them in a plastic container.
2. Mix 1 part glycerin and 2 parts water by volume.
3. Pour the mixture onto the leaves. To prevent the leaves from floating, you can press them down with something, for example, placing a smaller container on top.
4. Leave for 2-3 days. After that, check. If the leaves are still dry to the touch, leave for a couple more days. The leaves should be soft and elastic to the touch.
The shape of a maple leaf is easily recognizable. It can be seen on the Canadian flag, and indeed, there are hardly people in Russia who cannot imagine it. Maples are very beautiful in autumn: their leaves acquire beautiful colour, they smell somehow special. Children and adults collect them into beautiful yellow-orange bouquets, which, perhaps, can be called symbols of golden autumn.
But they don’t last very long in this form. How to extend their life? And what else can you do with them? In fact, there are a lot of options. First of all, you need to choose correct leaves: they should be fairly fresh, the process of rotting should not yet begin in them. Having collected a sufficient amount, you can think about how to preserve them. The most popular way is to iron them through sheets of newspaper. This will help remove excess moisture from the leaves and prevent rotting. But this measure may somewhat spoil their beautiful color. Another one wide known method- put maple leaves in the book for a while; it won’t hurt it if you line the herbarium blanks with newspaper. But you will have to wait a couple of months for the results to be good.
So what can you do with dried leaves? Firstly, the same bouquet, which will last much longer, especially if you cover it with a special composition that florists use.
Secondly, they can be used for applications, herbariums and similar crafts. Some even make them beautiful roses, folding several leaves around each other in a special way. Such flowers can be coated with paint and made into wonderful Christmas tree decorations, especially since handmade is now very much appreciated, especially if it is such an exclusive item.
In addition to the decorative function, maple leaves can serve as medicine, they are quite widely used in folk recipes. Thus, they are believed to have wound-healing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory properties, and
can also serve as an antiemetic, diuretic, and antipyretic. There is even an opinion that Maple Leaf has an analgesic effect. However, it is better not to use such drugs without consulting a doctor, since only a professional can choose the right medications for the patient.
By the way, not all maples have the same leaf shape, but there are about 160 species in this genus. The number of their lobes varies; they can be round or more
elongated. But almost all nations in one way or another revere these trees; they have a place in the famous Japanese gardens, maple leaves inspire poets and composers to create poems and songs.
Moreover, this valuable wood and a wonderful honey plant. In Canada, of which it is a symbol, it has been used for a very long time and added to desserts. This is how great the significance of this tree is for a person. Regardless of how useful and practical the maple tree is, it is simply beautiful, and its leaves can last a long time. romantic natures about warm autumn days and the people who were nearby.
Autumn dresses the trees in gold and crimson clothes, covering the earth with carpets of incredible beauty. Orange, yellow, burgundy leaves, collected in bouquets, can enliven the interior of every home. They make great crafts. But how to preserve this beauty?
Leaves collected in the park quickly lose their chic appearance, wrinkle, darken, crumble at the slightest touch. Therefore, after a few days you have to throw them away. And I really want them to stay in the vase all winter. But these masterpieces of nature can be preserved if you use simple technology.
I have always used three proven methods. With their help, you can save autumn leaves until spring. They are suitable for a herbarium, and for a bouquet, and for interesting crafts. You can even create paintings with their bright autumn leaves and decorate the walls of your home with them. These are the methods:
Each of these methods has advantages and disadvantages. Now I will tell you more about them.
Even a child can use this method. He will need an old thick book and beautiful autumn leaves. They can be picked up from the ground or torn directly from a tree. It is important that they are free of any defects - holes, rotting areas, tears.
It is better to take an old book that is no longer useful. The fact is that during the drying process the sheet releases the juice present in it, which stains the pages. You can also use a stack of last year's newspapers. You just need to make sure that they do not change their position while the leaf dries. Otherwise, it may become deformed or crumble into small pieces. The sheet must be placed between the pages. It is important that it is pressed down well. If this is not done, it may rot.
If there are no unnecessary books in the house, take any. Only in this case, place paper towels or napkins on the top and bottom of the leaf. They will absorb the juice that is released, and the pages of the book will remain clean. If you have several pieces of paper, arrange them so that there are at least 40 pages between them. Then they will not deform each other during the drying process. You need to wait 2-3 weeks.
This method is good for its simplicity. With its help you can dry any leaves that fit in the book. However, at the same time they become faded and not so beautiful. In addition, leaves dried in a book turn out to be very fragile. They break easily from a careless touch. They can be used for herbarium or creating applications. In a bouquet they do not look very impressive.
This method is also very simple. The good thing about it is that you can get the material for crafts in just a few minutes. A microwave comes in handy if a kindergarten or school suddenly requires you to bring a herbarium urgently.
Despite its apparent simplicity, there is no need to entrust a child with drying the leaves in this way. The fact is that the drying process should only take a couple of minutes. If the sheet is left in the oven, it will turn black and wrinkle. To a small child It is difficult to count the right time, so it is advisable that an adult do this work.
Before putting the leaves in the microwave, you need to remove moisture (if any) from them. You can dry several leaves at the same time in the oven. To prevent them from sticking together, do not place them next to each other. There should be a small distance between the sheets.
You need to place them on a paper towel folded in two layers. Cover the top with another layer of paper. Carefully place this structure in the microwave and turn on the device for 30 seconds. During this time, the leaf will not have time to become completely dry. Therefore, you will then need to turn on the oven several times for 5 seconds. The maximum amount of time a sheet should spend in the microwave is only 3 minutes. If you leave it too long, it may even catch fire. That is why such work must be done by an adult.
If you really need it, the leaves prepared in this way can be used immediately. However, it is better to give them a little more time for final drying. After microwaving, place them in a dark place overnight. It's even better if they dry for a day or two.
If you notice that the sheets are becoming faded, immediately treat them on both sides with acrylic spray.
This method is a little more complicated than the previous two, but an older child can also cope with it. To work you will need:
There is no need to take leaves that are too dry, because during the work they will curl in the corners and sides. A sponge brush and varnish can be purchased at a store that sells art supplies. Some craftsmen use PVA glue instead of varnish, but the result is much worse.
It is advisable to start processing on the day the leaves are collected. The work process is very simple. You need to carefully coat the leaves on one side with varnish and lay them out to dry. To do this, you can use not only newspaper, but also any other paper, for example, pieces of wallpaper left over after renovation.
When the varnish is completely dry, you need to apply it to the other side of the leaves and lay them out on the paper again. This technique allows you to completely preserve all shades autumn leaves and makes them more durable. Most often I save them this way. I like maple leaves. They are large, with carved edges, and have a long petiole. I make them up amazingly beautiful bouquets, which please the eye all winter.
I recently learned that there are other ways to save autumn beauty. One of them is treating the leaves with wax. This method is also quite simple, but only adults should use it.
You need to prepare the following materials and items:
It is better to take a white candle, because colored wax will slightly change the shades of the leaves you collected. First you need to carefully sort through them, throw away all the torn and twisted ones. The rest need to be wiped off if they are wet.
Next you need to melt the wax. To speed up the process, the candle can be cut into pieces. Melt the wax not over a fire, but in a water bath. When it becomes liquid, you need to take the leaf by the tip of the petiole and dip it in wax. It is recommended to do this 2-3 times to get a thicker layer.
Next, the leaf can be placed on wax paper or hung by the petiole on a rope using a clothespin. You need to use waxed paper, because wax can stick to any other paper. This method allows you to perfectly preserve all the shades of an autumn leaf.
IN in this case We don't need a candle. This method is not very complicated, but it requires attention. You need to prepare:
Leaves brought from the street should be carefully examined and wiped if there is moisture on them. After this preparation, place them between two sheets of wax paper and iron them.
From high temperature the wax on the paper will melt and stick to your leaves. The steam function cannot be turned on. Keep the hot iron on the piece of paper for no more than 3-5 minutes on one side and the same amount on the other.
After ironing for 5 minutes, try the sheet. If it is not completely dry yet, repeat the procedure again. When the wax on the leaf hardens, you need to take scissors and carefully trim off all excess.
This method seemed to me the longest, but it helps to preserve not only individual leaves, but also entire branches. Of course, there is no need to break the tree. Often twigs remain after autumn pruning. Sometimes they fall from the trees on their own. The leaves on the branch should hold very tightly.
You need to prepare:
Glycerin needs to be diluted with water, add a few drops to the solution detergent. Some craftsmen advise putting the twigs in water for several hours. However, you can do without this.
Their edges must be beaten with a hammer so that the liquid can easily reach the leaves. Now you need to immerse the twig in the solution for a period of 3 to 5 days. During this time, the leaves should be saturated with glycerin. After 5 days, the twig can be removed from the solution, allowed to dry and used for further creativity. This method not only preserves the color of the leaves, but also makes them more saturated, bright, and beautiful.
Choose the method you like and create with pleasure.
 Dried leaves, flowers and herbs can be used to create unique paintings - both exquisitely complex and completely simple, which even small children can make. There are several techniques for making paintings, and perhaps you yourself will come up with something new. |
Collect and dry beautiful plants and enjoy creativity with your children, develop imagination, neatness and a sense of beauty.
Collect leaves, flowers and herbs for future paintings it is possible from spring to autumn.
Dry They are better in old heavy reference books or magazines. Thick plant stems do not dry well, so it is recommended to cut them in half lengthwise. Leave the plant in the book for 10-14 days.
Glue take it thick enough so that drops do not form.
If according to your intention colorful but transparent petals
must be superimposed on a dark background and retain their original color, then first you need stick them on thin white paper
, cut along the contour, and then include it in the composition.
So, on a fine autumn day you went out to the park or forest and collected a large collection of beautiful bright leaves and plants.
Applications can be made as from freshly picked leaves and dried. If you want to preserve the leaves, two drying methods can be recommended.
The first, well-known, method - putting leaves between the pages of an old unnecessary book. It is better to lay each leaf on both sides with a paper napkin.
The second method is express drying of leaves using an iron. Just remember that the leaves are not sterile, so it’s better to iron them on a surface that you don’t mind throwing away later, for example, on large sheets paper Before ironing, you also need to place a sheet of newsprint or paper napkin. And now more details.
Powder dryingThis method of drying flowers and leaves is not quick or easy. It will require bulk substances with hygroscopic properties: sifted river sand, semolina or corn grits, salt or crushed chalk.
Powder drying also has its advantage: it completely preserves the shape and vibrant color of plants or inflorescences.
Heat the sand in a frying pan so that no moisture remains and let it cool. Pour 2 cm of sand into cardboard box and place flowers on it.
Gently sprinkle sand on top until the plants are completely covered.
After two to three weeks, you need to make holes in the bottom of the box so that the sand can spill out.
Shake the dried flowers slightly to remove any remaining sand.
Such flowers can be used for three-dimensional paintings or making floral arrangements.
There are also plants that wither faster than they can dry (hydrangea, bulbous plants, heather, chicory). They need air drying with stems immersed in water.
Cut the lower part of the stem at an angle of 45 degrees and place it in a vessel with water to a height of 7.5 cm.
Hot drying, that is, iron drying perfect option when to dry the leaves for the herbarium for tomorrow. Also, hot drying can preserve the original color of cornflowers.
Wipe the leaves with a damp cloth or cotton pad to remove dirt and dust. There is no need to wet or rub too much so as not to damage the fragile surface.
Line your ironing board with clean paper and place the leaves on it.
If you use newspapers, be careful, as printing ink can print on both the leaves and the surface of the ironing board.
Cover the top with another sheet of paper.
Switch the iron to minimum temperature and check that there is no water in it. If your iron is not too high power, then you can set the temperature closer to average, but not the maximum, because too hot an iron will ruin the leaves.
Iron the leaves several times, then remove the paper and turn them over to the other side. Cover with paper again and iron.
Repeat the procedure until the leaves are completely dry.
Leaves and flowers that you want to use not for herbariums and paintings, but to create garlands or other crafts, need to be dried without a press.
To dry, place the plants on paper and straighten them carefully.
Tie the flowers in bunches and hang them with the inflorescences down. The room should have good air circulation and relative dryness
Drying plants and leaves under pressureDrying leaves under a press is the most famous and simplest method.
Leaves and flowers are simply transferred with sheets of paper or paper towels on both sides and placed under a press, or in books and magazines.
The paper must be changed every day to remove absorbed moisture.
Flowers and leaves will be ready to use after a week.
If the workpieces have become too brittle, dip them in a solution of water and PVA glue (4 parts water to 1 part glue), and then dry.
Leaves dried and processed in this way are ideal exhibits for a herbarium.
Some plants can be dried horizontally on a wire rack (for example, ivy). Some are best not turned upside down (physalis).
Single large flowers whose petals are rich in liquid, such as roses or tulips, can be dried in the oven at low temperature.
Watch the process carefully: the flowers should not turn brown.
Before you start work, cover the table with oilcloth so as not to stain it with glue. Prepare the base - a sheet of cardboard, collected or dried leaves, scissors, glue (preferably PVA), tweezers.
First you need come up with a future picture . Then arrange it on a separate sheet of paper. And only then start gluing the individual leaf parts to the base. It is best to apply the glue in droplets along the edges. If you apply glue to the entire surface of the sheet, it may warp when drying the application.
Need a finished picture put under a press for one or two days. Don't forget to do it for her frame!
Try to start by coming up with pictures that do not require cutting out any details from the leaves, but are created by overlaying the leaves. You can come up with a lot of such pictures: butterflies, mushrooms, chickens and other birds... The missing elements can be drawn in with a felt-tip pen or made from other natural materials.
Having mastered simple pictures, children can begin to come up with multi-tiered images. In this technique, leaves are glued on top of each other in layers. The application will turn out bright and cheerful if the leaves are different in color.
In this type of appliqué, excess parts of the leaf are cut off so that the result is exactly what the little artist intended.
Using this technique, a picture is created by gluing many leaves of the same or similar shape and size (or, for example, maple seeds). This way you can make the scales of a fish, the tail of a cockerel or a firebird.
It is used to create individual images or entire paintings with a symmetrical structure, as well as to obtain two completely identical images (for example, reflection in water). To do this, you need to select similar leaves to get an image with its “reflection” or symmetrical in itself (“Butterfly”, “Dragonfly”, “Landscape with a lake”, “Boat on the river”).
A type of symmetrical appliqué. Its difference is that it allows you to get not one or two, but many identical images - ornaments. You get a whole “round dance” of trees, flowers, mushrooms, butterflies, etc.
This year, my daughter and I very thoroughly, like squirrels, stocked up on autumn leaves, and all kinds of nuts, acorns, and pine cones. The older the child gets, the more interesting it is to make crafts from all this material - the daughter does more and more herself, and often we just do something nearby, the mother does hers, the child does hers. It is very pleasant to spend time like this. I already mentioned on FB that we made stamps out of fall leaves and apples - we were so into it! And this fall we did it for the first time "waxy" leaves - leaves preserved in stearin and wax. I had never tried this before and simply dried the leaves - in the open air, in sand, or soaked them in glycerin. I love floristry very much and am quite good at it. Now we have mastered a new technique that we are both delighted with. It is not at all complicated and gives a very effective result. Now not all the leaves have fallen off yet and you can also try to make wax autumn leaves that retain their shape and color for a long time.
I traditionally don’t take photographs of a detailed masterclass, but I can describe everything in words. Let there be just a lot of photos of the result.
So we need:
1. Fresh autumn leaves (ideally maple leaves with petioles);
2. Natural wax or stearin candles (I have the most ordinary white IKEA candles, you can use transparent candles or special kits for making candles. The final result depends on the type of wax - here everything can be found out experimentally.);
3. Baking paper or foil; (we will put leaves on it to dry);
4. The saucepan and container for the water bath are preferably wide, so that your largest leaves can easily fit in;
5. A wooden board or dish, tray, baking sheet, where the finished leaves will be temporarily stored and dried;
6. Stove, kitchen, free time and positive mood.
The process itself is as follows:
1. Melt the wax or stearin in a water bath. (Amount so that you can freely dip the leaf, approximately 1.5-2 cm from the bottom of the container.) As soon as the wax has melted, reduce the heat to a minimum to maintain heat.
2. Spread baking paper or foil near the stove - the leaves will dry on it so that they do not stick to the surface. The distance from the stove to the foil should be minimal; ideally, cover the edge of the stove with foil, otherwise you will have to spend a long time and tediously scraping off drops of wax or paraffin.
3. Take the leaf by the petiole with your hands and quickly dip it into stearin (wax). Make sure that it is completely submerged, but do not cook it in water for a long time; 6-10 seconds will be enough. Take it out and let the beads of wax drip directly over the pan. To do this, first hold it for 6 seconds with the tips down, then, if it is tight, turn it a little to completely cut off all the drops and so that no accumulated wax remains on the tips. Then quickly place the sheet face up on foil or baking paper. The sheet dries quickly - in about half a minute. Afterwards, you can immediately transfer it to the same baking sheet or dish where the leaves will finally dry out or wait their turn for use in crafts. But after a minute or two the leaves can already be used for work. Foil or baking paper must be periodically cleaned of wax drops, or a new one must be placed so that the drops do not stick to the leaves. When you put the sheet to dry, a small drop may remain on the tip and go beyond its aisles - after drying, this drop can be easily removed manually with a knife or fingers, but so as not to damage the entire coating of the sheet.
If a child participates in the process, then he must be at least 4.5-5 years old, and then he can dip the leaves into the wax himself, but only with a long petiole and after a thorough explanation by the mother of how hot the wax is. As soon as the child is tired, let him become a spectator. But in general, although this activity is interesting and fascinating, it is not for kids. My daughter made 6 leaves and then helped sort the finished leaves.
As a result of processing, the leaves become very beautiful: they retain their shape and color. It is impossible to make them absolutely even, since nothing can be placed on top when drying. So the natural curve will be preserved. But such a rich shade cannot be achieved by simple drying. White stearin causes the leaves to shine slightly, as if covered in frost or as if they were candied, and yellow maple leaves become brighter, more saturated. It is not so easy to work with white stearin - when it hardens, it can show flaws in the work - accumulations of white on the hollows of the leaves. You need to very carefully remove stearin from the leaf - practicing to make precise movements. For stearin, you need to choose smooth leaves without dents. Variegated leaves with white spots are also good in stearin. Stearin can chip off the leaves if children's fingers pick at it. But he doesn’t get down on his own. The leaves turn out to be quite fragile - as if they were made of glass or frozen, but durable. It’s a pity that the photos don’t convey the delightful sensations that arise when you hold this “wax” sheet in your hand and rustle it! After paraffin we tried natural wax. With it, the leaves do not become hard, but remain soft and take on an almost matte appearance. Of course, you shouldn’t bend them - the coating will lose beautiful view. All red leaves are very good under wax - for example, Maiden grapes. But the yellow maple leaves are not as impressive as in stearin, and they curl slightly. In general: depending on what you dip the leaves in, it turns out very different result. Since you don’t know what exactly will happen, you feel a little like a sorceress.
We put some of the finished leaves in a beautiful dish to decorate the dining room, so we could sort through them and admire them. And the other part made decorations for the windows: they tied the leaves with a thin black thread and attached them above window frame. These leaves have not lost their appearance for two weeks now. Our garlands are good both in cloudy weather and in sunny weather. In the sun, of course, they shine incomparably - like stained glass. And they rustle slightly from the breeze... But in general, from such “wax” leaves you can make anything - a bouquet, a volumetric applique, an autumn tree, a mobile, a garland - it all depends on our imagination. And the technology itself is magnificent. My daughter and I are very pleased and will continue to experiment with it next year.
Material prepared for work.
Water bath. Irgi leaves are drying nearby. Only I can dip such tiny leaves in wax - it is dangerous for a child to do this. Nearby lies a knife, with which I remove droplets of wax from the foil.
This photo and one below: - leaves in stearin.
This photo and the one below: leaves in natural pure wax.
We liked the paraffin treatment better - that’s why we made more of these leaves.
Leaves in stearin. The most spectacular and beautiful. Although many people also like waxy ones, which feel like soft, thin skin to the touch.
Those in stearin are as if candied, or in frost. They feel hard and fragile to the touch.
I made a wreath for the wall from leaves treated with stearin. These are the leaves of the serviceberry.
For contrast, this is how maple leaves dry at home without any treatment. My daughter was impressed.
True, we really like this bouquet: it is stylish and beautiful. In general, every dried maple leaf, when curled, becomes like a sculpture.
This is our composition on the window. Here you can see exactly how the leaves were tied - with a black thread behind the petiole.
Our composition is made from leaves treated with stearin. It is good both in cloudy weather and in sunny weather.
It's on another window - in the nursery.
The shadows of the leaves on the window are especially beautiful with the curtains drawn. They also sometimes “walk” around the room depending on the time of day.
The child is delighted with our “eternal” magical leaves.
