Tiny conifers, snowy paper white narcissus, cyclamens with petals flared like angels' wings--all make beautiful table decorations or holiday gifts. To enhance their presentation, drop them in tapered terra-cotta pots you've adorned with leaf prints.
The process is simple: Just coat the back of a leaf with patio paint (available at nurseries), then press it onto the surface of the pot. Leaves with complex shapes make the best impressions--ginkgo, liquidambar, and pin oak (if you can still find them on or around trees), or evergreens such as cedar, redwood, and juniper. Use a single-leaf motif or different leaves in different paint colors. Flat leaves work best: If necessary, press them between paper towels in a thick book a few days before using.
Choose your gift plants first (4- to 6-inch nursery containers are easiest to work with), then buy the pots to match. The ones pictured here are available in a range of sizes, from 3 to 6 inches in diameter and wider. Patio paint comes in many colors; gold and bronze create a rich sheen that glints softly when light hits them.
Leaf-print pots
TIME: About 30 minutes each, plus about 1 hour drying time
COST: $15 or less, depending on pot size
TOOLS AND MATERIALS
• Newspaper
• Tapered terra-cotta pot
• 2-ounce bottle gold patio paint (additional colors optional)
• Paper plate
• Paintbrush or sponge (1 to 2 in. wide)
• Leaves
• Plastic sandwich bag
DIRECTIONS
1. Spread out newspaper on a flat surface. Lay the pot gently on its side. Pour some paint onto paper plate. With the brush, paint the underside of a leaf, covering it thoroughly but not too thickly. (Also paint the stem, if attached.)
2. Lay painted side of the leaf gently against the pot. Slip your hand into sandwich bag; firmly and evenly press the leaf to the pot.
3. Peel away leaf; turn the pot upright and let dry about one hour. Repeat process, if you wish, to continue the design around the pot. Paint the pot rim. Once paint dries, drop in the plant.
