Autumn Craft... Beeswax leaves

Noodle and I did a cool craft this weekend... we preserved pretty Autumn leaves in beeswax! I got the idea from something I'd seen on MarthaStewart.com a while back. It was a fun (though slightly messy!) project for my littlest boy. Here's what we did:

First, we grated some beeswax into a Pyrex cup and microwaved it to melt it. Then, we dipped the leaves in one by one...

We did have to re-melt the wax a few times while we were working, to keep it liquid.

After we dipped each leaf, we hung it up to harden. Don't forget to put newspaper underneath where you hang them, to catch the drips!

 After we finished dipping leaves, Noodle enjoyed playing with the wax as it began to cool again. He especially liked it when it was no longer liquid, but not yet hardened... the stage when it is warm, soft and pliable. He spent quite a few minutes molding it like playdough!

We are looking forward to trying more beeswax crafts soon... we might even try making our own candles!