Create Your Own DIY Skeleton Leaves In 5 Easy Steps

As the year draws to a close and the days become grayer, shorter, and colder, you have to start looking for ways to spend time indoors instead of outside. Arts and crafts and DIY projects are a great way to make the most of your free afternoons, especially during the fall and winter months which offer plenty of natural crafting materials. With all the autumn foliage littering the parks and streets, it would be crazy not to take advantage of the plentiful opportunities they present, so go ahead and get raking!

You'll need:

• leaves of your choice
• soda ash
• bleach
• découpage glue

Here's how:

1. Boil water in a pot, add the soda ash, add the leaves to the pot, and cook for 3 hours. 

2. Drain the water, place the leaves in a sieve, and rinse them under running water.

3. Cook the leaves for another 20 minutes in a mixture of water and bleach.

4. Drain the water again and catch the leaves in a sieve. Carefully rub the top layer of each leaf under cold water.

5. Finally, brush the leaves with découpage glue and let dry.

Now you can use the nearly transparent foliage to make various kinds of jewelry and decorative pieces. For example, use the leaves as a pendant for a necklace, place them in a picture frame, or incorporate them in a homemade wind chime, as seen in the video. Let your creativity flow!

If you're looking for more DIY crafts featuring leaves, check out this tutorial for a floral light box.