Crepe paper mandarin tree

Cut half a leaf from crepe paper. Make sure to cut the leaf so the lines of the crepe paper go from the middle line and upwards like the lines in a real leaf. Cut the other half of the leaf the same way.

Cut as many leaves as you want on the tree. They can vary in size and shape. In the video, there are approx. 35 leaves on the finished tree.

Cut pieces of stem wire of approx. 5-10 cm. Add glue to the long straight side of one half of a leaf and glue the stem wire piece to it, so a free piece of stem wire sticks out at the bottom. Glue the other half of the leaf on top, to cover the stem wire in the middle. Press lightly in the middle of the leaf so the stem wire inside the leaf is sealed in the glue. Assemble the rest of the leaves the same way and let them dry.

When the leaves are dry, you can add some green shades to the leaves in acrylic paint to make them more lifelike. Let them dry again.

While the leaves dry, you can paint the paper balls as mandarins. Glue the paper balls to shortened stem wires and paint them orange. Use several shades to make the mandarins more lifelike. Let them dry.

Twist brown floral tape around the ends of all leaves and mandarins.

Assemble the mandarin branches by twisting some leaves together with floral tape. Add more leaves as you go, a mandarin or two together, and start tying them to longer stem wires so you gather two or three long stems in each branch. Bend the individual small stems with leaves and mandarins to make them more lifelike. Make five or six branches with leaves and mandarins in total.

Add dry floral foam to a flowerpot, and pour some regular potting soil on top.

Add the branches to the flowerpot, and twist them together at the bottom to form a little trunk.