How to make leaves from birch seeds by Daniel Joyce
Posted: Tue May 12, 2015 3:11 pm
Here is a great step-by-step guide by Daniel Joyce on how to create miniature leaves for your projects
1. you will need birch tree pods, actually the separators between the birch seeds, so collect some birch tree pods. do it when they are still green and on the tree.
2. separate the 'leaves' from the seeds - grip each end with 2 fingers, and twist, this will start to break them up. Then roll gently between the fingers to loosen up all the seeds. They should fall off with gentle pressure. Throw away the stems
3. Take the separated seeds and 'leaves', spread them out on a baking sheet, and toast gently in the oven at 250 F for 15 minutes to dry them out. They'll be a little sappy/sticky otherwise. This will cause them to brown, dry out, and curl slightly. IMPORTANT ! If you want flatter leaves, bake the whole seed pods before flaking off the leaves
4. Once dry, pour them onto a large flat plate or similar surface and take them outside. It helps if there is a gentle breeze going. Take a mound of the seeds between the fingers, and sprinkle back down onto the platter. Ideally, the heavier 'leaf' pieces will fall pretty much straight down, while the birch seeds get caught on the breeze and are blown away. After a while, you should be left with pretty pure "leaves"
5. put some of the "leaves" in a small container with a tight sealing lid, add a few drops of acrylic paint color directly to leaves, put the lid on, and make sure it is secure. Shake !!!
6. examine the results and fix accordingly
Thanks for the great tip Mike