IMPORTANT: No matter which method you use for preserving leaves, make sure the leaves are clean and dry to the touch before you begin to preserve them.
Method 1: Wax paper
Place a piece of wax paper over top of parchment paper or a kitchen towel. Make sure the wax side is facing up.
Add leaves to the wax paper, spacing them out so they don't overlap.
Place more wax paper, wax side down, over top of the leaves.
Add another layer of parchment paper (or a kitchen towel) over top of the wax paper and begin to iron with a medium-high temperature, no steam.Press down with the iron at first, rather than moving it around. This will help keep the leaves flat and in place.
Flip the wax paper bundle over, replace the top layer of parchment paper, and iron the other side of the leaves.
Allow the leaves to cool and then peel the wax paper off the leaves.
Your waxed leaves are complete!
Method 2: Laminating
Before laminating your leaves you may want to iron them, in-between sheets of parchment paper. This will remove excess moisture and flatten the leaves out, making them a lot easier to laminate.Arrange your leaves inside a laminating sheet, making sure they're not too close to one another.
Once you're happy with the leaf placement, close the laminating pouch.
Carefully insert the laminating sheet into the laminator.You need to be really careful, holding the sheet together so that the leaves don't change position.
Continue guiding the sheet through the laminator and see how pretty the laminated leaves are!
OPTIONAL: Cut out the leaves. Make sure you leave about a 1/4 inch buffer around the leaf to keep it laminated.(You should be able to see where the laminating starts, especially around the stem.)
Your laminated leaves are complete!
Method 3: Pressing in a Book
Place 2 sheets of parchment paper inside a large book.
Arrange leaves on top of the parchment paper, front side down.
Make sure the leaves are flat and that they don't overlap. Then add 2 more sheets of parchment paper on top.
Close the book carefully and add a stack of books (or other heavy objects, like a brick or cinderblock) on top.Wait 1 to 2 weeks for the leaves to dry and become very flat.