Nature is the Best Source of Thrify Decor

So, I follow this wonderful blog called Little Green Notebook and I'd been reading it for a couple of months when the writer posted a picture of these amazing leaf prints

I loved the botanical feel that these prints added to the room and was immediately inspired to create some of my own.  Obviously, these were a bit large, and purchasing a frame that size would've cost more than I wanted to invest, so I took a trip to Dollar Tree to find out what cute frames they had.

I'd decided that I wanted to hang these in my guest room since it had more of a "garden/vintage" feel, so I chose a black frame that already had a subtle vine pattered carved in it.  The frame was small, only large enough for a 4x6 photo, so I bought 4 and figured I'd hang them in groupings.

Now, I just had to find the plants.  It wasn't hard to locate 4 different varieties of ferns and leaves, so once I'd found my four, I pressed and dried them.

This part was easy, in essence, but I'm completely impatient, so it was actually the hardest part for me.  If you've never dried plants before, you should know that all you need is a thick, heavy book and some wax paper. You could also use newspaper or something absorbent that prevents the plant from sticking once any moisture is released.  Once you've got your plants and pressing materials, lay the plant flat in between two pieces of drying paper (wax or newspaper) and then lay it flat in the middle of the book....and wait.  It usually takes about 10 days to 2 weeks but, depending on the plant, it could take longer, so be careful!  (If you pull the plant too early, before it's completely dried out, once it is mounted, it could discolor.)

I'd already cut some neutral matte board to use for backing, so when the leaves were ready, I simply placed them in the frame with the backing and hung them on the wall.  Here is the finished product.

 I love the way that they look in the room and the project cost under $10!  Here are some other leaf/botanical prints that I liked.

You could create a collage

Country Living-Image via Curbly

Here's that great scrapbook paper background again--very fallish

Casa Sugar

This one uses double paned frames-very nice!

Image via Kaboodle

If you don't have the patience to find and dry live plants, then you could always purchase a book of botanicals and frame some of the pages.

Country Living

What a cute and easy framing idea!

Apartment Therapy

Image via Washington Post

A friend of mine is traveling to France next week and I've requested some botanical prints.  Apparently they're much less expensive over there, so I am super excited to see what she brings back! Happy framing!