There’s something magical about wearing items that come from nature: flower crowns, seashell necklaces, crystal amulets. (Admit it: Every one of us wanted our own pair of starfish earrings after watching Aquamarine.) Sadly, most natural objects don’t last very long when taken out of their habitats. Today, I’ll show you a technique that helps preserve them a bit (not forever, mind you). So, while you should probably put those cute little starfish back on the beach, you can wear this leaf necklace for up to a month!

What you’ll need:

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  • A handful of beautiful leaves. I used five for this project, but the number you use will vary depending on the size of the leaves and the length of your necklace.
  • Mod Podge (or another decoupage glue). I always use the gloss finish because it makes the leaves look like gems when they’re dry. You can find Mod Podge online or at craft stores for about $7.
  • Two one-foot-long ribbons.
  • A three-inch strip of jewelry wire. This can be found at any craft or hardware store, or right here, for under $5.
  • A paintbrush.
  • Scissors.
  • A hole punch.

How to do it:

Step One:

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Coat one side of a leaf entirely with a thin layer of decoupage glue and wait for it to dry, then do the other side. It can take as long as four hours for each side to dry, so be prepared to wait a while! While you wait, you can repeat this step with all the other leaves you’ll be using. Be sure to wash off the brush afterward to prevent it from hardening.
Step Two:

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Line up your leaves so that there is a slight overlap at their tips, except for the two leaves at either end of the line—you’ll be stringing a ribbon through each of these.
Step Three:

The front of your leaves, left, and back, right.

Punch your jewelry wire through the overlapping part of the leaves, bringing one end of the wire up through the bottom of the overlapping leaves and then back through again. Be careful not to pull too hard on the wire when threading it through or you’ll rip the leaves. You’re basically making a single stitch with the wire.
Step Four: You’ll now have two sharp ends of wire poking out from the underside of the leaves. Twist these together so they don’t poke you, then trim that twist so it wont’ be in the way.

Repeat steps three and four until all your leaves are sewn together.
Step Five:

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Punch a hole in the leaf on each end of your garland.
Step Six:

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String a ribbon through each hole. Tie them off and you’re finished!

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You now have a wearable leaf garland that won’t fade for about a month! Magical, right? ♦