What can you do with 25 pennies?

Sink leaves in water and glycerin mix for 2 to 3 days to preserve.
Submerge leaves in a water and glycerin bath for several days to preserve.

I know you have jars, cups and containers of those pretty pennies.

I do!

We can’t buy much with 25 pennies these days. So let’s put those pennies to work.

A couple of my students shared with me that they preserve leaves with a glycerin bath.

So I googled the process and found that you mix 1 part glycerin to 2 parts water and to submerge the leaves for several days.

This is where the pennies come in. I used the pennies to weight down the leaves and ferns.

It takes some planning and patience. But I am encouraged by the results.

I preserved a fern this way and used it to print with screen printing inks on cotton fabric, with the glycerin and gelatin plate.

I think these steps will help the process:

  • Choose natural materials that are still a little green (not dried up)
  • Smash the end of the stem to open it up and aid in the absorption
  • Be patient
  • Blot them to remove the glycerin bath
  • Store them flat
  • Use a shallow flat plastic container and cover with a sealed lid to save the bath for another day
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