My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Skeleton leaf bowl

For detailed intruction on how I skeletonize leaves see the Tutorial below

Cover a bowl with cling wrap

Cover a bowl with cling wrap

Pour out wood glue into a bowl

Pour out wood glue into a bowl

Thin the glue with some warm water

Thin the glue with some warm water

For more details on how to unravel sisal string and how to stain the sisal see the Tutorials below

Soak the stained sisal in the glue mixture.

Soak the stained sisal in the glue mixture.

Spread the sisal thinly over the wrapped bowl.

Spread the sisal thinly over the wrapped bowl.

Dip a skeleton leaf into the glue mixture.

Dip a skeleton leaf into the glue mixture.

Smooth the leaf to follow the contours of the bowl

Smooth the leaf to follow the contours of the bowl

Smooth on a second skeleton leaf slightly overlapping with the first

Smooth on a second skeleton leaf slightly overlapping with the first

Smooth on the next leaf

Smooth on the next leaf, again overlapping the first two

Keep adding glue soaked leaves

Keep adding glue soaked leaves. Make sure you smooth it down to adhere to the other leaves

Follow the curve of the bowl

Follow the curve of the bowl

When the bowl is completely covered smooth down the leaves and set aside to dry completely

When the bowl is completely covered smooth down the leaves and set aside to dry completely

Gently pull the cling wrap away from the bowl to remove the leaves

Gently pull the cling wrap away from the bowl to remove the leaves

Remove the bowl

Remove the bowl

Peel away the cling wrap from the skeleton leaves

Peel away the cling wrap from the skeleton leaves

Lace fine skeleton leaf bowl ready to design with

Lace fine skeleton leaf bowl ready to design with

Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.

Tutorials

22 September 2012 Skeleton Leaves

Remove the pulp from leaves so that only the vain framework remain

17 April 2013 Skeleton Leaf Flameless Candle Cocoon

Cover a balloon with skeleton leaves to create a cocoon

3 September 2014 Skeletonize Physalis Pods

Remove the pulp from the papery pod (sepal) covering the little berry of Chinese lantern plant so that only the vain framework remain

22 September 2012 Stiffen and set skeletonized leaves into a whirl

Skeletonized leaves can be shaped while wet to create shapes

28 August 2013 Unravel Sisal string to get Sisal Fibers

I purchase a huge roll of sisal string to use... sometimes as string, but mostly I unravel it for the fibers

26 June 2012 Berry dye for sisal fibers

Soak sisal fibres in strawberry and black berry juice to stain it purple

24 August 2011 Stain wooden skewers with natural dye

Using fruit, berries, flowers, leaves and grasses to naturally stain design details for floral art relies on the same techniques as using paint or any other dye.

Related Designs

12 November 2014 The Thing Is

Use a glue mixture to shape skeleton leaves into a lacy bowl

26 August 2015 Bent

Weave a wreath from sweetpea stems and tendrils

18 October 2017 On the inside

For a softer autumn leaf pod turn the leaves so that the bright side faces in when making the pod.

25 October 2017 When the pretty eyeballs you back!

Barely there skeleton blossoms with Eucalyptus eyes for my Halloween design... Oh! and a Willow Paddle, which probably should have been the main Tutorial... but... well...