Dried Leaf Stationary
Supplies: envelope,
paper for template and inside of card, dried leaves (flowers, construction
paper cutouts, whatever you want to use), white water-base glue, soft paint
brush, bowl, wax paper, cheap facial tissue,
paper-cutter or scissors, and rubber cement glue.
1. Decide what size
envelope you are going to use. (Can't seem to get rid of this HUGE space! Sorry!)
2. Cut
a paper twice the size you want your finished stationary/card so that you can
fold it, and use it as your template.
Draw a dark line down the crease where your stationary will fold. (if your card is too big, it won’t fit easily
in the envelope, and too small will look funny.)
3. Choose your pressed/dried leaves that you
wish to use. (you can buy them at a
craft store or make your own ahead of time by doing the following:
Pick unique leaves, place a single layer of
them in newspaper, place a book or heavy object on top to press it. Repeat until all the leaves are pressed. Wait 6
weeks until the leaves are thoroughly dry. )
4.
Using your white glue (I use Elmers, but any brand should work) and
soft-bristled paint brush (I get mine out of the kids water-color kit), mix
together some glue with some water in a bowl.
I use about 2/3 glue and 1/3 water.
(It needs to be runny enough to spread, but glue-y enough to hold
everything together when it dries).
5. Lay
your template on your work surface. It
is a good idea to label which side is the outside front and outside back of
your stationary for easier leaf placement later.
6. Cut
a piece of wax paper and place it over your template. If it tends to roll up, place something on
the edges to hold it down.
7.
Place your desired leaves on the wax paper in the desired location. I prefer just to have mine on the front, but
you can also have them on the back.
8. Take a piece of tissue paper, and pull the
2-ply piece into two separate 1-ply pieces.
9. Use
one 1-ply tissue and place it on the leaves and wax paper (the template is
still underneath the wax paper).
10.
Using the soft brush, VERY gently spread glue-mixture on the
tissue. It is best to “dab” (up and
down) the glue-mixture on rather than “brushing” (sideways) it on. I start on the leaves so it holds them in place
better. You want the tissue to be
thoroughly wet so it adheres to the leaves and wax paper. Do not use so much that it puddles up.
11. Continue spreading the glue-mixture. This process takes time and patience, it
usually takes me about 5-7 minutes, so if this is your first time, make sure
you allow plenty of time for this. If
you happen to tear the tissue, gently and carefully push the torn edges back
together.
12.
Continue with the glue-mixture until you have covered the entire area of
the template. Remove the template and
set the project aside to dry.
13. It takes about 4
hours to thoroughly dry. The glue is
slightly flexible, but if you bend it too much, it will crack or start
separating apart. It is best not to
stress it too much.
14. When it is dry, it can be ironed between clean paper to make it flatter, or just leave “as is” as I usually do. Then, cut it to your desired size. You can use your template as a guide.
15.
Fold it in half so that your design is on the front.
16.
Cut and fold a plain white paper so that it is just a tiny bit smaller
than the stationary.
17.
Write a note/letter, then using rubber cement, glue in the paper (if you
glue it in first, writing on it will be bumpy).
It looks best to glue the back, then just a little on each front corner
to hold it in place.
