Skeleton Leaf Pictures

I saw some beautiful skeleton leaf prints back in Utah and I wish I had bought them while I was there, but being impatient I decided to try my hand at my own art. Now, you can actually make skeleton leaves yourself and the process is rather easy. I'll post that below at the end, but these are actually from my local Michaels craft store and for $3.59, plus the frames (which were 40% off), I did this entire project for less than 35 buckarooskies.

Seriously the easiest thing I've ever done. All I did was cut the paper to the right size of the frame, place the leaves in the order I wanted them and dabbed them with a sponge brush of mod podge. SO EASY.

They turned out better than expected! Boy do I love Mod Podge.

How to make your own skeleton leaves:

There are actually a few ways to make skeleton leaves, but I think this is probably the easiest and doesn't force you to go out and buy anything weird in order to make them. All you need is water and bleach. You want to pick waxy type leaves that are a bit more sturdy. I've heard that maple leaves turn out the best and are the easiest for beginning skeleton leaf makers. :) First you'll want to clean off the leaf and then soak it in a really strong bleaching solution until it turns white. Remove the leaf from the bleach and rinse it--- being very careful to not break it. If needed, you can remove any excess pulp from the leaf by using a stiff-bristled paint brush. At this point your leaf will be colorless, but you can dip the leaf into food coloring or other coloring agents to get whatever color you desire. Then lastly, you must let the leaf dry completely before using it in whatever craft project you desire. Happy skeleton leaf making!