Fall in Charlotte!

 We were told that North Carolina has one of the most beautiful falls, and it certainly has not been a disappointment! We have patiently waited since September to see this incredible fall, but I suppose because it stayed so hot for so long, it took its sweet time!  Finally, we are seeing some incredible colors show up on trees!  So, the boys and I decided to take a walk a couple of days ago to collect leaves for preserving! Unfortunately, we don't have any of these trees in our yard, so we raided the yards of some houses in our neighborhood filled up our basket!

I discovered last year that the easliest way to preserve leaves is to dip them in parafin wax!

I put down wax paper on some cookie sheets to minimize the mess! 

Then, I melted the wax!  Don't you love my makeshift double boiler??

We dipped each leaf and made sure it was covered well.

The end result is always great.  The leaves will last a very long time, and the wax gives them a clean, shiny look! I could not believe the colors and patterns!

Some of those large green leaves were some we collected our last fall in Little Rock!  They are still in great condition thanks to wax!

I added them to the table along with some beautiful pears I found at the grocery store as a centerpiece!

Happy waxing!