How to Use Leaves to Decorate a Vase
With some ingenuity and some inexpensive materials, you can turn a plain vase into a designer original. Paint colorful imprints of fresh leaves using paint suited for the vase. Your painted design can be random to resemble falling leaves or uniform for a decorative border. Use leaves in another way: Decorate a vase with polymer clay to create three-dimensional embellishments. In a third method, with the right glue, you can attach actual leaves to any type of vase.
Things You'll Need
- Fresh leaves
- Glass paint/acrylic paint
- Paint brush/sponge
- Vase
- Polymer clay
- Clay roller
- Clay knife
- Baking sheet
- Aluminum foil
- Baking bag
- Clay glaze
- One-part epoxy adhesive
- Painter's tape
Instructions
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Painted Leaves
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Coat one side of a fresh leaf with glass paint. If the leaf is large enough, use a paint sponge. If the leaf is small, a fine-tipped artist's brush works best. Glass paint will work on glass or ceramic vases; if your vase is made from terra-cotta or metal, use acrylic paint.
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2
Press the painted side of the leaf against the vase. Do not move the leaf around on the vase or the paint will smear. Carefully peel the leaf from the vase.
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3
Follow the process to decorate the vase with painted leaf imprints. If you are overlapping the leaves, wait for the bottom leaf to dry before overlapping with another. Stand the vase upright on a baking sheet. Follow the glass paint manufacturer's guidelines to bake the paint onto the vase. Alternatively, you can place the vase in direct sunlight for at least four hours to bake the paint.
3D Leaves: Polymer Clay and Natural Leaves
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4
Soften a section of polymer clay. Roll the softened clay with a roller to make a sheet up to 1/4-inch thick. Thinner is better.
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Press a fresh leaf into the sheet of clay to make an impression; place the vein side down for a more realistic imprint. Remove the leaf and cut around the leaf outline with a clay knife.
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6
Place the soft clay leaves on a foil-lined baking sheet. Put the sheet into a baking bag. Bake the leaves in the oven according to the polymer clay manufacturer's guidelines.
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7
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the leaves to reach room temperature before handling. Coat the front of the leaves with clay glaze and let them dry.
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Spread one-part epoxy adhesive onto the back side of a leaf and onto the vase where you plan to place it. Wait one minute. Press the glue side of the leaf onto the glued area of the vase. Tape the leaf in place with painter's tape until the glue dries.
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Tips & Warnings
For a truly natural look, decoupage real pressed leaves onto a vase with decoupage medium.
