Regarding Real Estate LLC
Some might be familiar with the old practice of pressing leaves or flowers inside books to keep them preserved. While this is a fun way to keep and dry plants, you miss out on the opportunity to display those plants as art in your home. If you have fallen leaves from your houseplants or from the outside world and you want to turn them into art, here’s how you can do it.
There are different techniques for pressing leaves, but the easiest way is by using paper towels, wax paper and something heavy to put on top. You can use a heavy book, a small box or even a jug of milk. The only requirement is that the item you choose distributes its weight evenly over the entire surface of the leaf you want to press.
To preserve leaf color, you will also need a hot iron and a towel. To frame and mount your pressed leaves, find a frame, matting board and the hooks or stand for display.
You can press virtually any type of leaf for this project. However, different types of leaf will dry at different speeds. The thinner the leaf is the quicker it will dry and the more delicate it will be afterward. Some recommended plants to try include ferns, philodendrons, arrowhead vines and pothos. For a bigger and more dramatic art piece, try an alocasia, ficus or ZZ plant.
Place the leaf between two pieces of wax paper. Cover it with a towel.
Use a hot iron (not steam) to press down for a few minutes until the leaf seems dry.
Flip the towel and wax paper over, leaving the towel on the bottom this time. Gently iron again.
After about 2 minutes, carefully peel away the wax paper. This should leave a thin layer of wax on the leaf which will preserve the bright color.
To frame your pressed leaf, simply place onto a piece of matting board and put together the frame as if you were adding a photo. To keep the leaf in place, you can use a tiny dot of glue on the back.
If you’re mounting your finished leaf, try different colors of background to create contrast or harmonize with the rest of your decor. Creative frames are also an excellent way to enhance your final product. This simple art piece will make an excellent edition to any room of the home, whether on a table or on the wall.
Johnna grew up in Amherst NH and still has strong ties to the Amherst & Mont Vernon Communities. Johnna moved to Manchester at 19 when she purchased her 1st home. She has resided in the West Side of Manchester since 2007. Always having a strong interest in real estate, Johnna and her husband, Jeff, started investing in rental properties in 2017 with the purchase of a 2 bedroom condo in Manchester. They now own 10 properties with the goal of growing to 60 total rental properties. In 2020 Johnna and Jeff started adding short term rentals to their portfolio focusing in the NH Lakes Region and Southern Maine Coast. Johnna achieved Airbnb Super Host and VRBO Premier Host status within the first year.
From May to October Johnna divides her time between Manchester, NH and her beach cottage in Wells Maine. Johnna’s extensive experience with both long term and short-term rental properties makes her the ideal real estate agent to help you start or build your real estate investment portfolio. Johnna works with a lot of home owners selling their homes and buying homes simultaneously and also sellers relocating out of the area.
Johnna prides herself in being hard working, dependable and down to earth. In her free time, she enjoys reading, jigsaw puzzles and spending time outdoors with her husband, dogs and friends.
