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STEP 4: RINSE, BLEACH, AND DRY THEM. Once your leaves are translucent, carefully dip them in water to rinse them. Then, if you’d like white leaf skeletons, soak the leaves in bleach for 20 minutes. If you’d rather have colorful leaves, mix your food coloring with water and soak the leaves in that mixture instead. After 20 minutes, place the leaves onto the napkins to dry. STEP 5: CREATE YOUR ART! This is the fun part! Once your leaf skeletons are finished, you can use them however you’d like. Try arranging them against black paper, adding them to a painting, or creating a shadow box. Odds are you’ll make something beautiful to hang on your wall or give away this Christmas. To watch Jenn Savedge’s video of the process, go to Treehugger.com/how-make-leaf- skeletons-4868589.
1644 A.D.), but it’s just recently caught on in the U.S. as a fun DIY project. Since making leaf skeletons is fun for everyone from kids to grandparents, I thought I’d share a how-to guide in case you’d like to try it.
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Bleach (or food coloring for colorful leaves)
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Paper napkins
STEP 2: BOIL YOUR LEAVES. In your pot, combine washing soda, leaves, and enough water to cover the leaves completely. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it simmer 1 1/2–2 hours, adding water as needed to keep the leaves covered. If you have a fan over your stove, make sure to turn it on and avoid breathing the steam from the pot. STEP 3: REVEAL THE LEAF SKELETONS. Put on your gloves. Then, using your tongs, remove the leaves from the water. At this point, it’s time to start stripping down the leaves. Use your tweezers to hold a leaf by its stem, then brush away the leaf pulp with your paint brush. Make sure to do both sides of each leaf, revealing the delicate skeletons as you go.
STEP 1: COLLECT YOUR INGREDIENTS. To make your leaf skeletons, you’ll need:
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Metal pot or saucepan
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1/2 cup of washing soda
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Leaves (shiny ones work best)
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Water
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Rubber gloves
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Tongs
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Tweezers
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Soft paint brush
According to one study from 2018, over half of all parents surveyed were experiencing some form of burnout (i.e., exhaustion, cynicism, lack of professional satisfaction, etc.) — and that was before the pandemic. Now, as the world enters the eighth month of the coronavirus pandemic, many parents are working from home or dealing with unemployment, and many children are doing school online. Families are spending a lot of time together at home, balancing new routines — and that’s led to family burnout. When you experience “family burnout,” the kind of exhaustion that comes from spending too much time with family, it manifests itself as physical and emotional exhaustion, an inability to handle usual tasks, and increased irritability. The more demanding your work and home responsibilities are, the more susceptible you are to family burnout. Single parents are especially susceptible, but burnout can drastically affect romantic relationships and even children. Most people are not used to spending so much time together at home. With all that in mind, don’t worry — family burnout is preventable. It starts with creating a balance between work and rest. While it might feel like you don’t have a moment to spare between work and taking care of the kiddos in the house, identifying those spare moments in your day is absolutely necessary for your health. What Is Family Burnout And How Do I Prevent It From Affecting My Family?
Establish a routine that defines time for work, sleep, studying, and other tasks. You’ll then move from task to task easier, leaving less room for conflict between others in the household. You’ll also see more clearly when you can rest! Those breaks don’t have to be anything special — a 15-minute walk by yourself outside or a 30-minute stretch with a good book in a comfy chair. Find time to let your kids have a break, too, like playing their favorite games, reading their favorite books, or playing outside. You’ll all feel more refreshed to tackle the remaining tasks of the day. Even though you can prevent or minimize burnout through a more balanced routine, sometimes that’s not enough. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Family therapy can be immensely helpful for maintaining your mental health when your own attempts need a boost. These are unique times, so be patient with yourself and your family as you cope with new challenges and routines. Burnout doesn’t have to be inevitable.
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