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.

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.