by guest blogger Mark Kintzel, designer
Here in the Northeast this past fall, the foliage on the trees was brilliant, and I really wanted to preserve that autumnal beauty and carry it into the holiday season.
Finding the perfect craft project for my fall inspiration and giving it a Christmas twist was easy: I decided to press
those autumn lovelies and give them a little bling. So on my daily walk, I started collecting leaves of amber and rust colors. And to enhance the leaf colors, I purchased shades of glitter that complemented the shade range of the leaves I collected.
The result was a simple, inspired Christmas tree, and I preserved the beauty of the fallen leaves for years to come.
There’s still time to collect some beautiful fall leaves, and you too can create the perfect natural ornaments and gift tags.
Here’s how…
You’ll need:
- Leaves
- Telephone book or old book to press the leaves
- Mod Podge Matte glue
- Small foam brush
- Newspaper
- Glitter
- 20-gauge green floral wire
- Glue gun
How you do it:
1. Collect some leaves.
2. Place them in a telephone book or any thick old book, then place a heavy object on top of the book to weigh it down.
3. After at least 3 days, remove the leaves from the book.
4. Place newspaper on a flat surface and, using the foam brush, coat one side of each leaf completely in glue.
5. Then sprinkle glitter on the leaf. Continue until you have your entire collection of leaves glittered.
6. Let the leaves dry overnight.
7. After they are completely dried, turn over one leaf and, using a hot glue gun, glue a 1-inch piece of floral wire onto the back of the leaf, only glueing about a ¼ inch of the wire to the leaf back and letting the end of the wire stick out past the leaf’s edge so it can be shaped. That remaining length of the wire will serve as the hook to hang the leaf on the tree or onto a gift ribbon.
8. When dry, simply form the wire into a hook and hang.
So simple and so elegant. To keep them to enjoy year after year, place the leaves in a plastic, glass, or stainless steel container with a lid and store in a cool, dry location.
Mark Kintzel comes from a long line of crafters, artists, musicians, and farm folk. He first came under the magic spell of flowers while wandering through meadows near his grandparents’ farm in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, as a boy. His appreciation for creativity and flowers grew throughout the years, and he now specializes in event planning and styling, garden design, and organic floral arrangements for just about any occasion. See more at markkintzel.com.
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