Last week I searched the net to come up with ways to make a new craft item for myself. I knew of the fact that leaves from just about any tree are made up of a skeleton that if subjected to certain conditions, the outer skin erodes away leaving behind a beautiful boney structure, usually off-white in color. The skin is observed to decay out when left to rot under water. Another way is to go through the complete process of first drying up the leaf over several weeks under pressure from old but heavy books and remove the necessary using a washing-soda solution.
I immersed a few leaves that I plucked from a nearby peepal tree in a steel dish full of water and waited for the results to show. All the while the outer skin cover rotted away and I had to periodically wash them and change the water to prevent any ecosystem of its kind to develop within the system.
I purchased a handful of fresh washing soda from the market and washed the leaves a few times with it. I even used Lux soap to try out what happens. I was a bit restless because the process took too long. I remember an Indian site on the net said the entire process took not more than eight hours in warm countries. I’m sweating big time here in New Delhi whenever I step out into the sun and nothing seemed to happen for at least a week into the process in question.
To my joy, a whole layer seemed to come off from almost all of the leaves when I inspected the stuff today and I’m hoping the process will yield me the product that I’ve been anticipating to produce from so long.
Once the skeletons are done, which I’m expecting will take at least a day or two more, I’m going to begin the main process, that of putting them together into one divine creation. What exactly that will be I’m still not sure of. I suppose I could retain the Indian touch with a decoration based on hand-made paper along with molli and golden sparkle. If that doesn’t click, then I’ll try sticking them to a glass plate and hang it on the wall. Maybe even make greeting cards or a pen-stand – who knows? The sky’s the limit!