leaf skeletons

[baibelle.livejournal.com]

Yesterday I passed a local junk shop and out on display amidst the general larger goodies was a square meter pot jam pack full of these red and green flowers made from leaf skeletons.

Now I would normally smile and pass them by (especially as they looked very worn, ugly, and bleached by sunlight) but there was this nice juicy sign saying ten stems for 50p, 30 for £1 and gosh, I knew they wern't worth much as flowers, but taken apart? That's valuble crafting equipment for practically free... ;) So I bought 30 stems, took them apart, steamed them flat and I now have thousand of nice flat leaf skeletons....

Question is, what do I do with them? I've debated using them for collage (which I've never done before) but can I emboss them, will they burn from the heat? Can I paint them, cut them into shapes.... gosh I don't know!! I'm looking forward to having fun with these things which are a far cry from the material I usually play with.

Does anyone have any ideas, photos or tips for what to do with the lot? I could really use some creative ideas and tips on how to scrap book them (is there a type of varnish or glue best for scrapbooking?)

Thank you all :)