Remember to choose a book that’s at least as big as your leaves, if not bigger! The thicker the book, the better, but you’ll also be able to add other books and objects as weights if the first book isn’t enough.

If you’re layering more than one sheet of leaves in the book, leave about 1⁄4 in (0. 64 cm) of pages between layers. Optionally, you could apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly to your leaves before pressing them. This will keep them flexible even after being dried out!

Once they’re done pressing, consider what you want to do with them. You could hang them up on a window, spread them across a mantle or shelf, or put them in a basket and make them a centerpiece on your table. You could also use your pressed leaves for arts and crafts! Make a collage with all natural materials, for example.

Like pressing leaves in a book, simply check the status of your leaves after 2 weeks pass. If they’re not entirely done, put them back in the press to finish drying.

If the pieces of wax paper haven’t been sealed yet, just iron for a few more seconds until they do. Don’t use the “steam” setting on your clothes iron since the goal is to dry your leaves!

With that, you’ll have fully dried leaves laminated in wax for extra preservation!

If your leaves are curling up around the edges, that’s a sign there’s still moisture in them, and they need a little more time. Conversely, if your leaves look scorched, they’ve been in the microwave too long. That’s why short bursts in the microwave are an essential part of drying leaves—it prevents burning.

For example, a glass baking pan is an ideal dish for mixing your glycerin solution.

Leaves preserved with a glycerin coating aren’t supposed to feel dry like leaves pressed with a book. The glycerin makes them way more flexible and durable so that you can use them for many different crafting projects.

Since glycerin-coated leaves are much more malleable, you can use them for more complex crafts. For example, you could craft a fall wreath from your dried leaves.

Leave a little space between the leaves and the side of the dish to ensure they’re preserved correctly! Fresh leaves are better for this method because they have more color, and the silica gel is great for preserving color while drying leaves out.