Leaf Roses

Anyone that follows me on Twitter @intothewilduk
will know that I was recently impressed
by the Autumn Leaves Bouquet
as blogged by Ali Does It Herself.

The project originated on Design*Sponge
and appealed to me because of its seasonal nature;
you can only do this when Autumn leaves are on the ground!

The pictures below show my attempt at leaf roses…
(I only had enough leaves for 3!)

Step 1
Go for a walk.
Collect as many red, yellow, orange and brown leaves as you can.
Make sure they are clean.

Step 1, collect leaves

Step 2
Select a small leave, fold in any edges
and roll it inwards to create a bud.
Secure with tape.

Step 2, create a bud

Step 3
Gradually selecting bigger and bigger leaves,
fold in each edge and wrap the folded leaf
around your original bud.
Secure with tape.

Step 3, wrap leaves

Step 4
Build layer upon layer to perfect your rose.
As the leaves get bigger
you may want to create looser folds
to suggest larger petals.
Wrap tape around the base of your rose to secure.

Step 4, perfect your rose

Step 5
Take a thin stick,
continue to wrap tape
until you have secured the leaf stems to the stick.
Loosely wrap (but don’t fold) a last large leaf
to disguise the tape around your rose.
Wrap a layer of tissue paper around the stick
to hide the stems and tape.