How to Tie Autumn Leaves to Strings
The autumn season is naturally beautiful with the changing of tree leaves from green to gold, ruby red and plum purple. Take advantage of the season's colors by tying leaves to strings. Use the hanging leaves to create a mobile to bring the breezy beauty indoors. Add glitz to the leaves before laminating them by adding spray glitter to them, or paint the backside of the leaves in a glamorous gold or silver before preserving them.
Things You'll Need
- Heavy books
- Laminating sheets or laminating machine
- Scissors
- Hole punching tool
- Clear fishing string
- Hot glue gun
- 12- to 24-inch tree branch
Instructions
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Place the leaves in a single layer in between two heavy books. Use more books if you'd like more weight. Press the leaves for up to one week or until they are flat.
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2
Laminate the leaves with laminating sheets or in a laminating machine. Trim the laminate to leave an eighth of an inch of laminating material around the edge of each leaf and half an inch at the end with the stem.
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3
Punch a hole in the plastic on the stem end of each leaf using a hole punching tool.
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4
Cut clear fishing string in various lengths from 12 to 24 inches. Cut one piece for every three leaves you laminated. Thread each piece of string through the hole in a leaf. Tie the end of the string around the end of the laminated leaf into a strong knot.
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5
Add two additional leaves to each string. Space the leaves at least 3 inches apart; do not add leaves to the other end of the string.
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6
Attach the strung leaves to a tree branch that is 12 to 24 inches long using hot glue. Space the strings randomly to mimic falling leaves.
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Tips & Warnings
Laminating leaves will bring the color out of the leaves, prevent them from crumbling and make them reusable.
References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
