Who says that these leaves we see everywhere are merely deserved to be swept and burn? We all know that burning everything on earth can rapidly amplify the greenhouse effect. In the earliest civilization, the earth was colder than what we have today. The atmosphere needed a support of the heat, so the earliest people burned fossil fuels and forest to prevent the harm brought by our world. However, that action contributed heat too much that generated global warming which we suffer until now. Accordingly, burning nonsynthetic materials is still unsafe these days. In order to avoid a fast ozone depletion, we can save our planet in our own little way even just at home.
Aside from fertilizing leaves, it can also be used in art and crafting without putting much effort. This is an eco-friendly project that even the kids can do the same.
How to Leaf-Print
There are many ways to make a leaf-print. Some processes are difficult, others are very simple. The simplest idea is to use a crayon. Collect the leaf you want. Be sure to choose the rough leaf that shows many veins and margins outside. Prepare a crayon and paper in the table. Cover the leaf with your white paper. Touch the veins and margins, and follow their directions by sketching the crayon.
The different simple step is to choose a leaf you want except the smooth one. Prepare a different color of a drawing ink and brush the leaf veins and margins. Next, prepare a white paper. Put in the inked leaf. Cover with books and magazines and let it stay for at least 5 seconds. Get the leaf and see the print.
Aclyric painting is an alternative if you don't have an ink. In a table, prepare newspaper as covering to avoid messing your table. Manila paper is an alternative. Place your paints, brush, and white paper.
Choose a leaf you like. Get a little amount of the paint to a separate receptacle and add a little water. Brush the leaf margins and veins and place on a white paper for at least 5 seconds.
Cover the leaf by books and magazines to even the leaf.
Now you can see the beautiful DIY project.
You can put it in a frame or on your scrapbook.
After using the leaves in printing, we can keep them to our scrapbooks. Choose a greasy texture of book and magazine which paper sips water so that the leaf won't be dried and will never be cut into pieces. Avoid to use a smooth pages of books and magazines. Newspaper is an alternative. As years passes by, go back to your magazine or book to look at your leaf. Then you can remember the moment you had with the leaf in the past. It will be your souvenir. If the leaf is dead, get a colorful paper and paste it. Put it in a frame to decorate your wall.
Always remember that recycling our wastes can stop the problems of our farmers, can save the species that die, and can save the people that live nearby the sea. The changing world dramatically hits the plants and destroys the species in the land and under the sea. If there are only a few of us that are concerned about our environment, we will suffer a deep drought in the future. The farthest key to stopping this is to value everything we see, practice our creativity, and promote awareness to the world by educating the young people.
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