I am doing a lot of homemade gifts for the holidays this year: picture frames, TONS of baked goods, a music-writing journal for my dad, and this artsy-crafty piece for my sister. The idea was to create an art piece, a “stained glass” if you will, by utilizing the beauty of the natural world. I pressed autumn leaves to make this piece, and when the sunlight comes through it the effect is rather like a stained glass window.
However, this project can not only be done with pressed leaves, but with many things found in nature — flowers, pine needles, grasses, insects, sand, etc. It could also be done with inorganic things to a similar effect, such as crepe paper, gossamer or other thin fabrics, etc. Get creative!
This entry outlines my method for this project, which you can easily follow or adapt according to your chosen materials.
What You Will Need:
– An old picture frame or window — I used an old sign with a glass panel that I found at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, but you can use anything that has a pane of glass (or that you can put a pain of glass into). If you use an old window you can pour resin directly onto glass panels, if you use a frame, remove glass and refit to frame once epoxy is dry
– Your decorative materials — leaves, flowers, paper, etc.
– Pour-on high-gloss epoxy resin and polyamine hardener — I prefer EnviroTex Lite, which can be found in many artist supply and craft stores. A note of caution here: it is better to overestimate how much of this you need, than to underestimate and run out!
Directions:
1. Collect and prepare your materials. I took a long walk with my daughter one afternoon, stopping to collect anything that caught my eye and wound up with a bag full of leaves! I pressed these between two pieces of cardboard, weighted down with heavy items and left them for two weeks. The process is shown below, but not everything requires this amount of time and preparation — if you are using things that do not need to be pressed to be preserved you can get right to work!
And stored safely out of the way, under the bed
2. Clean your frame/window. Make sure glass is clean and smudge-free
3. Arrange your material onto the glass into a pattern that pleases you — checking your layout with a strong light-source behind it is recommended
4. Once you are satisfied with your layout, prepare your resin. Pour evenly over glass and material
5. Allow to dry completely (this will take hours — I suggest leaving it overnight)
6. Fit glass into frame. Glass can be secured using superglue, caulk, or brads.
7. Admire your work!
No light:
Light!:
theindiehomemaker 