Our neighbor next door sadly just showed us what we are guessing might once had been a ficus plant. Wilting, limp and yellowed...the plant was quite close to setting off for that great big garden in the sky, illustrating our neighbor's uncanny mutant ability to turn perfectly healthy house plants into compost material in a matter of a couple weeks.
We might have to turn her onto this decorative display which brings in some green into the home without the worry of watering/overwatering, or any care for that matter. The Leaf Art Frames are handmade artificial leaves sandwiched inbetween clear acrylic sheets and framed for wall display.
Artificial leaves are so....artificial.
view MrGreen's profile
I agree. But in this case, I think these come off looking almost like prints, rather than facsimiles of nature. But I definitely prefer the real thing!
view gregory's profile
I'm thinking... craft project! I have many varieties of leaves around my yard such as big beautiful hosta, fern and other picturesque flora.
The first idea that pops up is to harvest some choice specimens and dry them in an old fashion flower press set up. I worry the leaves would discolor during the drying process, I've tried drying flowers in the past but lost patience before I mastered the technique.
Second idea is to gently paint the face of a leaf and print it on watercolor or other art paper. I'd use a deep green or whatever color you choose and practice until I figured how much paint and how much pressure etc to achieve a pleasing image. I've seen printed fish, I think a Japanese method that were wonderfully detailed and natural - maybe on Martha - I don't remember the name of the technique however.
Actual prints would be more organic than the photo-reality pictured above.
view Alice's profile
gosh- color photocopies of real leaves are just so splendid too.
Another not-so-gentle option is to do leaf hammer prints:
- take a real leave
- sandwich between paper
- hammer away on the 'sandwich', transferring the pigment of the leaf onto the paper. (may also want to try place a board on top of the sandwich before hammering too).
view jocie-o's profile
Alice, the Japanese print the fish the same way jocie-o does leaves: take the fish, stick it between two pieces of paper, and hammer away on the 'sandwich'. The natural pigments of the fish are transferred to the paper and you get a pair of mirror-image fish hammer-prints, plus sushi.
If you hammer-print sardines canned in mustard sauce, the natural fish pigment blends with the golden tones of the mustard and you get some very nice effects. Makes a nice change from fresh-fish prints, too, and adds a little zing to your salad.
Something people often overlook is that this method can be adapted to mice, moles, voles, and other small mammalian species, as well as songbirds. It is not recommended for creatures with exoskeletons.
This is a good summer craft project for children, and it is VERY GREEN. My aunt's church has used it as a fundraiser but it would not be appropriate for an annual event.
view MrGreen's profile