Book Pages Leaves • Natural

I have spent the past two weeks making leaves from book pages and most of them have been painted the colors of fall. I decide to leave one batch of oak leaves unpainted - just the natural color of an aged book - and create a fall tablescape in natural tones. These I attached to branches painted black.

I made three branches, added them to my book page basket (tutorial here) along with a scattering of found feathers for a fall arrangement in muted tones.

I started by making a slew of leaves from strips of pages from old books. I posted extensive tutorials on how to make these leaves here.

I made a bundle, painted some for other projects but left about 30 natural for this arrangement.

Creating the arrangement started with a hot pink flower pot my daughter gave to me when I visited last week. I knew it would great spray painted matte black. 

I then experimented with an idea I'd seen on Pinterest from Doodles, Dabbles, & Dreams.  I used Great Stuff insulating foam to hold the sticks in the pot. I am pleased to report that it worked like a charm and better than many other things I have tried. I even hard a partial can left in the closet! Recycled books, pot and finishing up old supplies!

Source: Doodles, Dabbles, & Dreams

After spray painting some twigs black, I arranged them using painters tape to hold them in place. I sprayed the foam into the pot trying to not over fill because of the foam expansion.  I left it over night to cure and the results are excellent. The branches are held firmly in place. It made working on it much easier.

I used hot glue to glue the leaves onto the branches.  Notice the coffee can? It has about 2 " of small rocks in the bottom and I use it as a holster for the hot glue gun. It keeps it off my work surface and it doesn't matter if some of the hot glue drips on the rocks below.  

I put a small amount of hot glue on the leaf and then held it next to branch. I had a pencil ready to push it in place with out burning my fingers!

And I just kept adding them.....

And adding them....

I added some other treasures from my collections to the grouping and took photos to share.

But then I also added a touch of fall color to the arrangement. I think I love the sereneness of the all natural interiors but my inner self pops out into color every so often!

Dont' miss all my other posts about the other arrangements I have made using the book page leaves, and the tutorials. Links to all below.

Previous Posts of Interest

• Book Page Birch Leaves • DIY
• Book Page Maple Leave • DIY
• Book Page Oak Leaves • DIY
• Book Page Autumn Leaves
• Thinking Leaves Again
• Fall Leaves Indoors
• Fabric Pumpkins

©2012 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

I'll be sharing this at the following link parties this week. Check them out for other fall ideas.

Hope to see you there as well!

• A Bowl Full of Lemons
• Not Just a House Wife
• Take It On Tuesday @ Romance On A Dime
• Tuesday Treasures @My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
• Simply Sensational Tuesday @ Organizing Homelife
• Uncommon Designs
• DIY Dreamer
• Whatever Goes Wednesday @Someday Crafts 
• Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby CreekCottage
• aka design
• House of Hepworths
• Between Naps on the Porch
• At The Picket Fence
• Fridays Unfold @ Stuff and Nonesense
• Potpourri Friday @ 2805
• Tatertots&Jello
• Show and Tell Saturdays

• DIY Showoff
• Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
• Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog
• Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
• Sweet Sharing Monday @ Sweet Anne Designs