Brighten up a cold winter's day by decorating with a tropical twist using palm leaves. Palm trees grow in warm climates and have wide leaves that are perfect for decorating. Romans hailed their victors by waving palm branches, Christians use palm branches to remember Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and those who follow Judaism connect the palm with prosperity and peace. Fresh palm leaves are beautiful accents in floral displays and are easily woven into designs that remain beautiful even after drying. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Complement your living room decor by purchasing several synthetic palms trees, displaying different types of leaves. The synthetic trees hold their color longer than natural trees and don't require any care. Some of the most popular palm leaves and trees include the Canary date palm, the Raphis palm, the Areca palm and the Kentia palm.
2. Celebrate Christianity by decorating your home with palm leaves shaped into a cross. A quick and simple method of doing this is to cut your palm leaf in half then use your fingernail to place two slits in one palm leaf, about 1/4 of the way down. Take the other palm leaf and weave it through the slits.
3. Make an eye-catching floral arrangement using plaited palm fronds. Plait, or braid, the palm leaves by bending down the leaf at the top. Pick up the uppermost leaf on the right and bend it over the folded leaf so it is now the middle leaf, then take the uppermost leaf on the left and bend it over the middle leaf so it is now the middle. Repeat this pattern, folding right then left until the leaves are all plaited.
4. Design animal figures out of palm leaves that you can use to add whimsical touches to your car or abode. Some popular designs are palm leaf insects such as grasshoppers, and palm leaf birds, and you can find books with these designs in most bookstores.
5. Add the beautiful sun palm to a dried flower arrangement. The long leaves arch gracefully and have a beautiful blue-gray/greenish color.
6. Decorate your outdoors by using your own distinctive palm leaf thatch. The hand-woven palm leaves offer a tropical decorative twist in pool bars, roofs, umbrellas and wall hangings. You can purchase palm leaf thatch supplies from specialty shops on the web (See Reference 2).
7. Consider surrounding yourself with the beauty of the palm leaf by decorating your home with palm leaf ceiling fans, palm leaf wallpaper and palm leaf artwork.
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