Offer: Japanese maple leaves

Our acer leaves are an absolutely fabulous red colour this year (must have liked the harsh winter). If anybody would like some, please say and I will pick some to press.

Let me know quickly, as they're starting to fall already.

Lynda

Yes please Lynda, just a couple would do wonderfully well.

Thanks for the offer Lynda but I will say no thankyou cos I did some the other year from some we had in at work that turned a wonderful shad of red. not done anything with them yet.

Oh wow yes please will be fab for my new age lady, she loves all things natural

Right - will pick some and get pressing (assuming I can find the flower press, otherwise it will be the telephone directory!).

Did wonder if they'd be OK for the New Age cards!

Will press quite a few, so if anyone else wants some, please say.

Lynda

I was just about to ask how do you press them!! I went for a little walk today and found some goreous leaves, the phone book it is then, how long should I leave them?

Depends how dry they are: if they are still fresh and sappy they will take longer. Start about half an inch from the bottom of the 'phone book and put a layer there (try not to overlap, and especially don't put part of one leaf on top of the stalk of another, as it will damage it). Cover this with an eighth to a quarter-inch of pages, then put another layer. Continue like this till you're near the top of the book, leaving a quarter to a half-inch of pages to cover the top layer. Put a heavy book or two on top to help.

Check after a couple of weeks: if they're dry and papery, they're ready. If not, leave them another week and check again.

If you've got more than you can fit in the 'phone book, use some corrugated cardboard and sheets of kitchen roll: layer of cardboard, then k. roll, then leaves, then k.roll, then cardboard etc etc. Finish with cardboard and weight down.

Good luck!

Lynda

Or if, like me, you are lucky enough to have a one foot length of railway line in your come-in-handy boxes, and if you are strong enough to get it off the ground, then that works exceptionally well with a newspaper!!!!!