My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Acorn inspired Autumn leaf armature

Gather fall leaves stem side pointing into your hand

Add a few more leaves slightly overlapping them with the first

You want the leaves at the stem end to be compact but let the tips flair out so that it can curl as it dries

Secure the leaves with a few drops of glue to make it easier to handle

Keep adding autumn leaves

Until you have a full and compact shape

Almost like a pretty posy of leaves

Turn the leaf posy stem side up

Place the leaves on a flat working surface

And glue on more autumn leaves

Flip the leaves stem side down and place on a wide neck container or vase

Let the leaves gently rest on the vase to dry out.

As the leaves dry it will start to shrivel and sink deeper into the vase

Gently guide the brittle leaves to sink evenly

The tips of the leaves will now curl inward

As the leaves shrink it glides down the container becoming more and more compact.

When the leaves are all completely shriveled up and dry it will be shaped into a tight ball structure resting in the bottom of the container

Tilt the container on its side to gently remove the leaf structure

Acorn inspired leaf structure ready to design with

Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.