Sunday, October 26, 2008

Have You Noticed?

It's pretty much full on autumn here in the northern hemisphere and the color is everywhere.

We went on a leaf-gathering expedition yesterday. It was a bright, clear day and despite the usual sibling squabbles, we all had a lovely time together. Even the teens ran around like puppies let loose from their crates.

Don't you wish you could save those breathtaking colors? I learned how to keep autumn leaves from fading so quickly. A simple dip in melted paraffin enables them to hold on to that brilliant color for weeks. The Princess and I filled a basket with wax-dipped leaves today in no time. I expect they'll end up scattered around the house for a little autumnal color, maybe even on the Thanksgiving table. Because they are just so lovely--the light coating of wax seems to deepen the colors and make the leaves glow.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Once the waxed leaves "lose their color" can you just burn them as fire-starters in your fireplace? It's a cool idea I hadn't heard of before. GREAT pix, thanks for sharing.

Magpie Ima said...

Absolutely--the leaves do make good fire starters once you tire of them.

Anonymous said...

Ooh, paraffin-dipping... what a great idea! We were out poking around at Smith & Bybee Lakes this weekend and were just overcome by the beauty & color everywhere. We'll have to go on another leaf-gathering trip in the next couple days.

Your photos are fantastic! Thank you for posting them.