• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Pillar Box Blue

  • Home
  • Denim
  • Maps
  • Valentines
  • Crafts
    • Sweaters
    • Marimekko Crafts and DIY’s
    • Seasonal
  • DIY/Upcycling
    • All Upcycling
    • Ikea Hacks
    • Tin Cans
    • Round Ups
  • Christmas
  • About Me
    • What Is Upcycling What You Need To Know
    • Press & Working With Me
    • Link Ups
    • Privacy Policy
    • DISCLOSURE
    • Contact Me
You are here: Home / Crafts / A Fun DIY Tropical Leaf Plant For A Wall Vase

A Fun DIY Tropical Leaf Plant For A Wall Vase

29th April 2020 by Claire Armstrong 4 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
DIY tropical leaf plant

I made this DIY tropical leaf plant for a specific vase.

The other day I broke another one of my favorite Anthropologie mugs. It was a lucky break, as it sort of broke in half. Instead of binning the mug, I upcycled it into a DIY wall vase.

Not only was it a lovely mug but it also had sentimental value as it was a gift from a very good friend.

Even though I was able to repurpose the mug into a wall vase it was only really suited for faux plants and flowers.

As the mug had a Boho vibe, I decided that a tropical leaf plant would look the best in the mug vase.

I’ve made faux felt succulents before and crepe paper flower wall displays. This time I thought crepe paper would be the best way to make the DIY tropical leaf plant.

I think that you can make pretty realistic-looking faux flowers and plants with crepe paper. Especially if you use the thick Italian crepe paper as it can be molded and shaped.

I designed this tropical leaf plant myself and I’m not sure what plant it is but I think the leaves look very similar to banana leaves.

Boho DIY tropical leaf plant in an upcycled Anthropologie mug

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

What You Need

  • Italian heavy crepe paper (180 g) in sage green
  • Floristry wire stems 14 gauge 12- 16 inches long
  • White craft glue
  • Yellow sharpie pen
  • A small piece of flower oasis or a scrap piece of foam
What you need

How to make a DIY Tropical Leaf Plant

1.. To make the first leaf, cut a piece of the crepe paper into a rectangle approximately 7cm by 12cm (3″ by 5″). Then another strip 1 cm by 12 cm (1/2″ by 5″).

Top Tip: Make sure that the grain of the crepe paper runs in the right direction. Follow the picture above. The crepe paper folds should lie in the direction that the paper would get longer when pulled.

2. Next, stretch out the long thin piece of crepe paper. Glue one end to the top of the wire stem. Then tightly wrap the crepe paper around the wire stem. Use another dollop of glue to secure the end of the paper strip to the wire.

stretched out strip of crepe pape
wrapping the stem

3. Next, place glue down the center of the large crepe paper rectangle. Then, stick the wrapped wire stem to it.

Gluing in the wire stem

4. Then, fold the crepe paper around the stem in half. Cut out a leaf shape whilst the crepe paper is folded around the stem.

folding the leaf
cutting the leaf shape

5. Next, fold out the crepe paper to reveal the leaf shape. Then, use the sharpie to add tinting to the edge of the tropical leaf.

tinting the leaf edge

6. Next, cut out random small nicks and cuts into the edge of the leaf.

7. The best bit about using this heavy crepe paper is that it can be bent and shaped. Manipulate the crepe paper on the leaf to bend and shape it into a more realistic tropical leaf shape.

shaping the DIY tropical leaf

8. Repeat steps one to seven to make at least another 5 DIY tropical leaves. I suggest that you vary the sizes of the leaves slightly to make a more realistic plant.

DIY tropical leaf plant

9. Finally, to finish the DIY tropical plant, place the foam in the mug Boho wall vase and arrange the leaves in the vase. The wire stem and the flexibility of the crepe paper enable you to shape the plant so that it looks more realistic.

DIY tropical leaf plant for an upcycled wall vase
DIY tropical leaf plant in wall vase

If like me and you love the Boho look in home interiors check out these wonderful vintage tropical palm tree prints.

I’ve also made an upcycled leather Boho vase with giant crepe paper flowers and Boho jeans pillows that complement this craft. I think that these DIY tropical leaf plants would look great in recycled hanging planters too.

You can find more fun papercrafts here.

Filed Under: Crafts Tagged With: anthropologie, boho, crepe paper, DIY tropical leaf plant, tropical leaf, tropical plant, wall vase

Previous Post: « A DIY Wall Vase From Repurposed Broken China Teacups
Next Post: How To Make A Unique Stenciled Denim Table Runner »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julie

    9th May 2020 at 4:18 pm

    These look fabulous!
    Why is always the nice mugs that get broken rather than the cheap supermarket ones – or those faded ones that came with an Easter egg back in the 70’s!! Great that you could save this beauty and give it a new life.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      9th May 2020 at 4:30 pm

      Thank you, Julie. The other mugs do get broken rather easily, (almost accidentally on purpose especially those horrible Easter egg ones) but thrown straight in the bin. Not everything is worth upcycling.

      Reply
  2. Michelle Leslie

    4th May 2020 at 2:25 pm

    What a fun idea and they look so close to the real thing too. Sorry you broke your fav Anthropologie mug. She’s pretty cool too and I love the way you’ve saved her.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      4th May 2020 at 5:57 pm

      Thank you, Michelle. Lucky I have a few more Anthro mugs to fall back on, I have a bit of a week spot when it comes to nice mugs.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Follow Me

Subscribe to newsletter

Search This Website

Denim feather wall decor

How To Make Denim Feather Wall Decor

Tiled square Boho Moroccan planters

Make Beautiful Moroccan Planters In Under 10 Minutes

9 unique blue jean rug DIY's

How To Make A Blue Jean Rug, 12 Unique Ways

Free printable maps

Wonderful Free Printable Vintage Maps To Download

DIY No Sew Denim Rug

How To Make A Cool Denim Rug Without Sewing

Copyright © 2021 Pillar Box Blue on the Foodie Pro Theme