Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
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Christine de Beer Floral Lifestyle Design
Skeleton Leaves
 22 September 2012

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 
                          ... click to send Christine a smile
This is not easy. Nor is it quick. At best I can tell you that it will definitely... maybe work. Or maybe...
definitely. But it is great fun and when it works it is highly addictive and you will never look at leaves in
quite the same way again.
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
Line a oven tray or casserole dish with baking paper.
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
Measure out 3/4 cup of the baking soda.
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
Bake the Baking Soda in an oven at 200'C for 30 minutes. This turns the Baking Soda
(sodium bicarbonate) into Washing Soda (sodium carbonate)
Make sure you are extra careful when using Washing Soda. It has a pH of 11 so wear protective gloves
and glasses to avoid skin or eye irritation.
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
Boil a full kettle of water. Measure out two cups and pour it
into a saucepan. You will need the rest of the water to top up
your leafy-soup as the water boils away.
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
Dissolve the sodium carbonate. When the mixture reaches boiling point turn the heat down to
simmer.
Choose a few leaves. As a rule waxy leaves work best. Flip the leaf over and look at the veins. The more
pronounced the vein network on the back of the leaf the better the end result. Some leaves will also
discolour while others remain green.
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
For this tutorial I chose Ivy leaves to show you a leaf that remains green
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
and Salal (Lemon Leaf) to show how the leaves turn
progressively darker as their chlorophyll breaks down.
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
Gently simmer the leafy soup for an hour and a half to two hours. Top up the water level as
the water evaporates.
When you notice the flesh starts to become soft and float away from the veins, lift the leaf out of the
water with a spatula or the back of a large spoon and rinse in cold water.
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
Place the leaf on a smooth flat surface and smooth any creases away with a brush.
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
Blot away any moisture with a cotton bud.
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
"Paint" the leaf with water and start to brush away the fleshy pulp.
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
Continue to blot away moisture and painting the leaf with clean water.
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
Set the leaf aside to dry, when the veins show through and the fleshy pulp is removed from
this side of the leaf.
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
Flip the leaf over and clean the other side.
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
When the skeleton leaf is dry it will naturally pull away from the glass. But if any bits remain
stuck carefully wiggle it loose with a needle
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
A batch of skeleton Ivy leaves, ready to design with
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
The Salal (Lemon Leaf) was a bit more robust and easier to work with. Paint the leaf with clean
water and wash away the pulp.
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
Flip the leaf over and paint and wash away the other side.
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
Almost a skeleton leaf!
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
A batch of skeleton Salal leaves, ready to design with
To bleach the leaves:
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
Place the leaves in a shallow dish a pour in enough bleach to just cover the leaves
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
It will immediately start to bleach
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
After a few minutes the leaves will be a pale yellow
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Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
and then a beautiful winter white
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About me
http://www.christinedebeer.ca/tutorials/skeleton-leaves[10/27/16, 4:23:33 PM]
Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
This is my ongoing creative workbook to research and capture design projects and techniques. You will mostly find
ideas for floral art but I will also include some other projects such as gift packaging, cards and even cake decorating
with a few lifestyle projects arranged in between.
Everything you see in this workbook was designed, made and photographed by me, unless specific credit is given to
another designer.
Videos
Toronto Flower Show at Canada Blooms 2016
http://www.christinedebeer.ca/tutorials/skeleton-leaves[10/27/16, 4:23:33 PM]
Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2015 Limelight Floral Art Design
Crafting Corsages in three ways with BoutStix Magnet Stix
http://www.christinedebeer.ca/tutorials/skeleton-leaves[10/27/16, 4:23:33 PM]
Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
Getting Creative with Boutstix Magnet Stix: Succulent and Air Plant Boutonniere
Meanwhile...
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Petals
Tutorials
http://www.christinedebeer.ca/tutorials/skeleton-leaves[10/27/16, 4:23:33 PM]
Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
read more +
Twig and skeleton leaf Stick Insect
Related Designs
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Pick-Up Sticks
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Dear Santa,
http://www.christinedebeer.ca/tutorials/skeleton-leaves[10/27/16, 4:23:33 PM]
Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
read more +
Barely There Skeleton Leaf Gift Box
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Skeleton Hydrangea Petal Blossoms
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Skeleton Hydrangeas
http://www.christinedebeer.ca/tutorials/skeleton-leaves[10/27/16, 4:23:33 PM]
Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
read more +
Bent
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collywobbles!
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Skeleton leaf bowl
http://www.christinedebeer.ca/tutorials/skeleton-leaves[10/27/16, 4:23:33 PM]
Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
read more +
The Thing Is
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Skeletonize Physalis Pods
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That good old double vase trick
http://www.christinedebeer.ca/tutorials/skeleton-leaves[10/27/16, 4:23:33 PM]
Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
read more +
Spiral rattan and skeleton leaf bee
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Watching that lazy town bee
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Skeleton Leaf Flameless Candle Cocoon
http://www.christinedebeer.ca/tutorials/skeleton-leaves[10/27/16, 4:23:33 PM]
Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
read more +
Hide-and-go-peek
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'Tis the Season
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Pick-Up Sticks
http://www.christinedebeer.ca/tutorials/skeleton-leaves[10/27/16, 4:23:33 PM]
Tutorials - Skeleton Leaves
read more +
Stiffen and set skeletonized leaves into a whirl
read more +
Turning of the leaves
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