Who Are You Calling Crafty?

I have been looking for maple leaves for about a week now so I could make Leaf Roses.  You would think it would be an easy tree to find, not so much in Savannah.  I found one tree in Forsyth Park last Saturday but there was no way I could reach the branches they were cut so you can’t climb them.  Everyday I take my afternoon walk and started looking up instead of down for once and I found a big, big maple tree (oh happy day!)  Now I can only pick leaves that are in the street or pick them off the ground from the street it is in someone’s yard.  Pickings are a little on the slim side but I have quite a bit of time to think about everything on my walks and the more I thought about it the more excited I became.  I realized that I could get the “leaves” flat by soaking them.  This would also make them clean, then I could dry them between two pieces of paper and place a giant heavy book on top of them (flattening them).  I can’t even describe how giddy this made me with this realization.  I had no idea if it would work but I sure was going to try.  I brought paper bags to hide the fact I was pulling leaves off trees, I already am the “crazy” lady who actually goes for walks in the neighborhood, I really don’t want to be know as the “loony leaf lady” too.

My daughter decided she wanted an acorn collection.

Our leaf haul, among the backpack and water jug.

I added all of my haul to a vinegar and hot water bath to help flatten them and clean them.  I then put them between two pieces of paper to let them dry and flatten them.

Flatten leaves and the beginning of my idea.  Note the shiny paint on the leaf on the plate.

The flattened leaves not painted yet.

Shiny pretty leaf.  I just wanted to enhance the natural beauty with the shiny paint.

I am cooking Thanksgiving Lunch/Dinner next weekend (Saturday – Jeff works Thursday) and I really want some pretty decorations.  I have been watching a ton of Crafting Shows on WebTV and this is a hybrid project influenced by Craft-Tastic Live, In the Season – Creative Edventures, and Cool2Craft – PJ Party.  I took the leaf idea from Creative Edventures, then took Andrea Curries idea of decorations and her idea for platter from the PJ Party.  I guess the overall idea is mine taking leaves painting them with shiny paint and then Mod Podging them to the bottom of serving plates for a beautiful (or what I think will be beautiful) serving tray.  Now to get to work!

TWO HOURS LATER –

Once again something in my head doesn’t go quite as planned.  I have a problem with using way too much Mod Podge to adhere something making on big sticky gooey mess.  Also the Mod Podge didn’t really dry as quickly as I expected so I decided to take a break from the serving tray and work on a vase I have.  So I took some Tacky Glue and glued the leaves on the vase, this worked much better then I thought it would.  So  here is my Work In Progress (the Vase not the Tray – lol):

The photo doesn’t pick up the shiny leave but I am happy with it so far.  I am thinking acorns or acorn caps but I’m not sure yet.  I will keep you posted on this project.