Amazing DIY Paper Leaves You Need To Try

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Are you looking for budget-friendly decorations? Try out these insanely easy DIY paper leaves that only require paper grocery bags, rubber bands, a pencil, and some scissors! You’ll love them as much as we do!

Are you looking for an easy DIY paper leaves tutorial?

Do you have some paper bags, rubber bands, a pencil, and scissors?

Then you have all the materials you need to make these stunning DIY paper palm leaves and palm spears!

I love the look of dried and bleached palm leaves and spears.

BUT…..They can be pretty costly.

About $10 per stem! (That’s expensive to me, haha!)

So, I made it a goal to recreate those beautiful palm leaves and spears as cheaply as possible.

Mission: save money!

First things first, to save money, I scavenged my home in hopes of finding all the materials I need to recreate the leaves without having to purchase anything.

And to my surprise, I had all the items needed to make these stunning paper leaves decoration!

We had multiple recyclable Trader Joe’s grocery bags.

Cause for some reason, I always forget to bring a bag with me to the store.

So, I decided to repurpose the bags rather than having them sit on our shelves for who knows how long.

You can recycle after use!

Another great thing about using these grocery bags is that it is sustainable, reusable and recyclable!

If you are making these for an event or get tired of them as accents in your home, you can remove the rubber band and recycle the paper leaves.

I always feel guilty when I have to throw away party decorations or home décor pieces that I know I will never use again.

So to me, this is a win-win situation!

In this post, you will learn how to make sheets from recyclable paper bags, why kraft paper may be a better option for you rather than paper bags, and how to create these folded paper leaves.

Plus, some decoration ideas on how to use them.

I’m excited to share it with you.

Let’s get started!

This post is all about DIY paper leaves you have to try.

DIY Paper Leaves You Have To Try

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Price Break Down: Easy Folded Paper Leaves

I paid $0 to make these leaves.

Like I said before, I had all the pieces needed to create these easy folded paper leaves.

I used Trader Joe’s grocery paper bags.

But, if you are making them for decorations like centerpieces or an open backdrop.

Or do not want any labeling on your leaves.

You can purchase blank recyclable kraft paper from amazon here!

Using kraft paper allows you to make large paper leaves or small paper leaves.

You can go crazy with all the different lengths, sizes, and styles you want to create.

{Related Post: How to Create a Flower Wall Backdrop on a Budget }

What You Will Need:

Recyclable Kraft Paper from Amazon / Paper Grocery Bags
Rubber Bands from Amazon
Scissors from Amazon
Pencil from Amazon

Kraft Paper for DIY Paper Leaves Pattern

If you have purchased kraft paper, you can move onto the DIY paper leaves pattern you would like to learn.

The sheet I used measured roughly about 18 x 13 inches after trimming the grocery bag.

Want large paper leaves or small paper leaves? Feel free to experiment with different sizes and styles.

The variation in proportions will give your décor pieces character and dimension.

Trim Grocery Bag to Create Sheets

Cut through one edge and trim the base of the paper bag.

Remove the base.

Click here to see how to cut a paper bag.

Half-fold vertically the 36 (width) x 13 (height) inch paper bag.

Cut along the crease to make two 18 x 13-inch sheets of paper.

At this point, you should have two equal pieces.

Each sheet makes one leaf, which means one paper bag gives you two leaves!

Carefully remove the handles from each piece.

These sheets will be your base to create those beautiful paper leaves!

You are ready to start.

DIY Paper Leaves Pattern

The DIY paper leaves pattern in this post will be DIY paper palm spears and DIY paper palm leaves.

I decided on these two folded paper leaves styles because I wanted something simple and easy to make.

Check out the tutorials below!

DIY Paper Palm Spears

To create these DIY paper palm spears, take an 18 (width) x 13 (height) inch sheet and do a half-fold vertically.

Draw two sides of a triangle, with the tip being the center crease.

Cut along the drawn lines.

You should have a sheet that looks like a triangle on top of a rectangle.

Don’t worry too much if the sides are uneven.

That will make your leaf appear more realistic and unique.

Remember that nothing in nature is symmetrical.

Now, turn your sheet onto its side and create 1/2 inch accordion folds.

Repeat this fold through the entire sheet.

This step is pretty simple to do; however, it is the most time-consuming part.

Once you have completed all the folds, take a rubber band, and knot the end.

Keep in mind, the closer to the base the rubber band is, the wider your leaf will be.

Fluff your leaf by fanning it open to give a realistic and natural look.

DIY Paper Palm Leaves

These DIY paper palm leaves are similar to palm fan leaves.

Take a 13 (width) x 18 (height) inch sheet.

Create 2 to 3-inch accordion folds starting from the bottom.

Repeat this fold through the entire sheet.

Expand your sheet horizontally.

Cut along the edges and follow the creases to create triangular tips.

Your sheet should appear something like this.

Bring the folds back together, grab a rubber band and tie the base.

Keep in mind, the closer to the base the rubber band is, the wider your leaf will be.

Fluff your leaf by fanning it open to give a realistic and natural look.

Optional Step: Cutting Paper Leaf To Make Australian Palm Leaves

Cutting the paper leaf along every other crease for individual thin leaves gives you something similar to the Australian palm leaves.

These are great in combination with the palm leaves and spears from the previous DIYs.

Check out a few inspirational paper leaves decoration ideas below!

Paper Leaves Decoration Ideas

These are just some ideas I came up with while making the paper leaves.

You can mix and match with different colors and styles.

Someone even suggested if you use white/ivory kraft paper, you could use these as seashells for any beach or under-the-sea theme!

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I would love to see your versions of these DIY paper leaves!

Leave a comment or tag me on Facebook or Instagram @araudesigns #araudesigns if you tried it!

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