Beautiful, Easy, Compostable Autumn Decor

Last year, after a friend’s recommendation and seeing this idea on social media, I knew I needed to dip some leaves in beeswax. Here in Tokyo, the maples did not turn that brilliant red until late December. So, I held onto this post to share with all of you this season.

If you want to dip your own leaves to string together like a garland, tape to gifts, or toss on a table with other natural decorations, here are the steps I used.

Collect Leaves

Obviously, I needed some leaves to start and I loved finding leaves with the most amazing colors and patterns. I dried a few by pressing them in a book but I mostly used fresh leaves the same day I picked them up.

Prepare Beeswax

I slivered off some pieces from this large round of beeswax which I got from a beekeeper in Zimbabwe. I have used this wax for everything from homemade wood polish to making my paper taiyaki mold. It was not too hard to cut but if you want to skip this, you could look for small beeswax pellets.

Melt Beeswax

I do not have a double boiler but I used this little tin bowl I have used for a myriad of random projects. I let it float in a little water over medium heat. After my leaf dips, I allowed the beeswax to cool and harden until the next time I need some melted beeswax.

Dip Leaves

I used mostly fresh maple and ginkgo leaves as well as a few leaves which I had pressed and dried in a book. I allowed some of the wax to drip back into the bowl. As I went, I realized it was best to dab the wax drips off the tips of the leaves before the drip hardened.

Set to Dry

As I pulled the leaves out one by one, I placed them on a piece of parchment paper to dry for a few minutes. This went very quickly and they were ready to use in no time.

The dip allowed the fresh leaves to keep their shape and they looked so bright and brilliant in the apartment for a couple of months. However, a year later, when I opened the box, I saw that though the shape has held, the colors have dulled, especially in the maples. Despite not holding the color long-term, I think this was a worthwhile endeavor to enjoy them during the season and unlike the leaves you buy at a shop, these can easily be composted. I am going to experiment with adding color onto these leaves from last year. I will update this post on how these turn out.