This
week I got into a fall mood and decided it would be fun to make some
fall leaves. I know you can sometimes find fall leaves small enough
for the dollhouse in the craftstore but this is just a fun project
and those aren't always available when we want to use them.
You
will need a paper punch that is small enough to be in scale. I got
mine at my local Joann's. It was on a 40% off sale the day I got mine
so it only cost me $2.99. This one is made by Fiskars and is the .62”
size. The name seems to just be “Leaf” so hopefully you can find
something similar at you store or in your stash of paper punches.
I
know I have seen similar projects both online and in the mini
magazines but the ones I found all used water based markers. That is
fine but I am hesitant to use those on things I might scatter around
the dollhouse. You see most of the water based marker's ink will
re-activate if it gets damp. This means you could end up with ink
leaching onto whatever surface the leaves were laying on.
I
like to use my alcohol markers because they shouldn't run if they get
damp. In theory you would have to drip rubbing alcohol (or something
similar) on them to make the ink run. I still wouldn't leave them
scattered on precious surfaces long term but I am more comfortable
with this ink.
You
can use any brand of alcohol based markers (Sharpies, Bic Mark-Its,
Copic, Spectrum Noir, etc) for this project. And you can mix the
brands, they all play nicely together. Just scribble the colors on
the leaves and then dip into a bowl of 99% isopropyl alcohol. I do
recommend letting them dry on a non-stick surface like a sheet of
parchment paper and remember the ink will stain the surface when it
is wet.
If
you are making a lot of leaves you might want to scribble the color
onto the paper before you punch the leaves but for just a few I like
to be able to place the colors where I want them.
After
the leaves dry simply give them a little shape with a large ball
stylus (use a pad of craft foam) and you are ready to use your leaves
in and around your dollhouse.
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