Pressed Leaf Craft

Lovely Leaves
The colorful fall treescape glows with butter-yellow, smoky burgundy, pumpkin orange, ruby red and every other color of the fall palette. Who hasn’t wanted to preserve that beauty for later enjoyment? How many of us have collected and pressed leaves, only to wonder what to do with them once they’re pressed? They’re a little delicate for bookmarks.
With a little ingenuity and very little cost, you can make a permanent (or at least long-term) display by arranging your leaves between two pieces of glass. Here’s how:
Decide how you want to display them, against a wall or against a window. Leaves look lovely both front- and backlit, so either way works. You can frame them like a picture or hang them like stained glass. I once made a leaf panel for my front door, to replace the plain glass there, and it worked beautifully.
Supplies needed: Two pieces of glass cut to size, or two beveled glass shapes (flat on one side) for a small hanging. (You can get these at a stained glass store.) Sturdy tape for the edges, wide enough to overlap each side by ¼”.
Collect leaves of appropriate sizes for your glass. Choose leaves with attractive shapes, clear colors, and no damage. Cut off any thick stems. This can also be done with flowers, but it is harder because they tend to have thicker parts.  Press them between two newspaper sections, weighed down with heavy books or bricks, until fully dry.
Place the leaves on one sheet of glass. Arrange them until you like the pattern. You can have as much or as little open space as you like. Leave ½” or so of space at the edges.
Lay the other piece of glass carefully on top. Slide the unit over until one side is extending off the edge of the table, and tack with some tape. Turn the piece carefully and repeat with the next side until you have gone all around.
Tip the piece upright and see if any of your leaves are slipping. If they are, you’ve put something too thick in there. Take the tape off and start over.
When everything stays put, apply tape all around. Insert into a frame or door opening and step back to admire your handiwork!