Leaves can be folded, twisted, cut, pleated, sprayed, experiment and see what you can make!
Using a palm leaf to make a loop. Remove a few of the lower leaves from the main stem, bend the leaf to form a loop and tie to the main stalk with wire.
Leaf manipulation .. make use of your leaves!
For a smoother loop, remove one side of the palm leaves ..
Bend and tie with wire..
The palm leaves that were removed, can be gathered togehter and used as in a bundle .
A vase of roses using a whole palm leaf loop placed in the centre.
Very nice Terri! I'm going to have to try this! But no palm leaves so I'll have to use something else.
I'm going to try this! Just have to pop outside to get some material!
ok, this is what I came up with. I'm not sure if it qualifies as leaf manipulation or just plain mutilation........but either way I started with a large Brugmansia leaf.
here's a drawing of what I did with it.
I cut along the dashed lines
brought down the top and stapled the the 2 spots with X's together
then fringed the edges
here's the finished leaf from the front
and from the side. If the fringes were cut more neatly it would probably look alot nicer.
Hi Steven, Thank you! Great you are experimenting with leaves! I don't have any Brugs, are they waxy?
they might be too soft for this one! I'm no sure cutting around the edges will stay very fresh looking?
The palm leaves I got from the florists have gone over now, so I will save them for spraying later on.
I think fern leaves or other more flexilbe long stems might be good to try.
Terri how do you keep your palms staying so fresh looking, mine wilt almost as soon as I cut them?
Steven, I agree that a cleaner edge would make it more asthetically appealing. You have inspired me to go and check out my leaves!
I think you're right Terri that the cut edge would probably go brown fairly quickly. Brug leaves tend to be a little on the fuzzy side, not very, but I find most of them are fairly soft.
What are you planning on Candee? You could try braiding some of that nice zebra grass you have!
You know I did braid that last year and used it in a copper pot arrangement. It didn't show up well because it was too thin. Perhaps a wider grass would work.
I did make an arrangement yesterday that I haven't uploaded the photo yet and I pulled the zebra grass leaves down to the vase and taped them and it looks like a heart. I will upload photos and name the theme this evening. Be watching for the new theme "Big, Bigger and Biggest" so get your big posies out!
Cool! A new theme! Miss Bruggie should be opening soon so maybe some of her blooms will take the prize!!!! I want to try making a posie inside a brugmansia bloom.
Candee, I usually submerge the whole leaf in a bucket of water for an hour or so and it perks up again.
Looking forward to seeing what leaves you can find and also the new theme!
Sounds like a great idea Steven!
Here's some rolled leaves ... I put a few flowers in test tubes inside!
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Those are AWSOME Terri!!!
Do you submerge all leaves for an hour before working with them?
Thanks Steven, Usually, if I have time.. lol!
Some I shine with spray oil, that gives a nice contrast with a something more textured.
The palm leaf I pleated has dried now, it might come in handy for spraying gold later.
Is that grass sprayed gold? I really do need to get some gold paint.......
What kind of spray oil do you use? Please do show your palm after you've painted it :)
It's not sprayed gold yet Steven, just dead LOL! Gold spay is a must for any flower arrangers toolbox along with some oil! I have some sunflower cooking spray that I use, it's much cheaper than leaf shine from the florists and does the same job.
I think this is a Canna leaf. Using my thumb nail, I cut along the veins of one side of the leaf.
I made small cuts on the other side of the leaf along the veins. Folded the strips over and through the leaf.
This shows the colours on the back of the leaf.
Weaving strips of Yukka or flax through a leaf..
close up..
Have fun experimenting! I'm off on my holidays, back in a couple of weeks!
That testtube effect is one of the best and most unusual I have ever seen anywhere, you really take the cake when it comes to thinkin outside the box.
The canna weave is another masterpiece as well. I also think that dried sprayed palm will be fabulous in something and can't wait to see what you do with it.
Hope you are off to some place a lot of fun for your holidays. Keep us posted and have a chillaxin great time!
Not much manipulation, just rolled up the cladium leaves and put them in the jar, lol, how ingenious!!!
Not much manipulation in this one, just several caladium leaves rolled, inserted in the jar and then filled with water. As stated on another thread these have lasted for weeks and still look fresh as day 1.
