DIY. Sceleton leaves.

Skeleton leaves are so beautiful, delicate and lacy. They are great for many paper craft projects such as making greeting cards and scrapbooks. They are also wonderful crafts for kids to work on.

Here are the supplies you may need:

Leaves (preferably waxy leaves);

Washing soda;

Water;

Brush;

Food dye;

Paper towel;

Gloves.

Instructions:

1. Gather the leaves you want to skeletonize and place them in a pot:

2.  Pour 3/4 cup of washing soda and 4 cups of water in the pot:

3. Stir to combine the washing soda and water to make the solution.

4. Bring the water to a boil.

5. Allow the pot to simmer until the leaves are softened. Depending on the thickness of the leaves, this process may take 1 hour or longer.

6. Remove the leaves from the pot, rinse them in clean water and place them on the paper towel. Wear your gloves and use a brush to gently rub away the leaf pulp. Be careful not to tear the actual skeleton.

7. Soak the skeletonized leaves in fresh water, remove and let it dry. Dye the leaves with food coloring and allow it to dry completely.

8. Continue to dye the leaves in various colors. If you want a white skeleton leaf, you can soak the leaf in a solution of 50 ml of bleach and 1 cup of water until it turns white. Then remove it from the solution, rinse with water and let it dry completely.

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