Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Barely There Skeleton Leaf Gift Box
- 23 December 2015
- click to send Christine a smile
I used a basic box template to make three small boxes to shape my skeleton leaves
Cover the boxes with cling film
Smooth the film down
For my boxes I used both bleached and natural skeleton leaves.
See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions on how to make skeleton leaves
Thin wood glue with warm water and add a sprinkle of extra fine glitter
Dip the skeleton leaf in the thinned glue
Smooth the leaf on to the surface of the box
Add another leaf. Make sure it slightly overlaps with the first leaf. Smooth it flat to follow the shape of the box
Add more leaves. Smooth it down to the sides
Add a few dark leaves for contrast
Set it aside to dry. I used the same boxes to make the little lids
Gently remove the box
The skeleton leaf box keeps its shape perferctly
The boxes are really delicate so treat it with care. It becomes stronger as the glue strengthen.
Cover the boxes with new cling film but this time bulk it up slightly around the top edge. This makes the lid bigger than the box so that it fits snugly when closed
Smooth on leaves to the top and a thin edge at the sides
Smooth on a few decorative dark leaves
Set aside to dry completely
Lift the lid from the box
Peel away the cling film from the box and lid
Place the lid on the box
Skeleton leaf gift boxes ready to design with
The extra fine glitter adds a barely there sparkle to the design
Add a sisal bow
See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how to dye sisal with natural stains
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Tutorials
Remove the pulp from leaves so that only the vain framework remain
Using fruit, berries, flowers, leaves and grasses to naturally stain design details for floral art relies on the same techniques as using paint or any other dye.
Wire a small twig gift-box for Christmas presents
A great all natural gift decorating alternative
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