Fig. 395.—Cut a sheet of tissue paper in half.

Fig. 396.—Fold the half sheet of paper.

Fig. 397.—Fold again.

Begin with the

Holly

and cut one sheet of the dark moss-green tissue paper in half ([Fig. 395]). Fold the half sheet according to the dotted lines through the middle and you will have [Fig. 396]. Fold [Fig. 396] through the middle as shown by the dotted line and there will be [Fig. 397]. Bring the two ends of [Fig. 397] together, folding at the dotted line, and it will give you [Fig. 398]. Again fold along the dotted central line and you will have [Fig. 399]. Fold through the middle, along the dotted line, for the last time and there will be an oblong, one and three-quarter inches wide by five inches long.

Fig. 398.—Bring the ends together. Fig. 399.—Fold once more.
Fig. 400.—The paper is folded and leaf cut out like this. Fig. 401.—Sixteen leaves like this.

Fig. 402.—Begin at the top to twist the points.

With a soft lead pencil draw the outline of a half holly leaf after the pattern ([Fig. 400]), the fold of the paper forming the straight edge of the outline. Cut along the pencil line, open the fold and there will be sixteen leaves like [Fig. 401]. The dotted line running lengthwise through the middle of the leaf shows where the paper was folded. Have a damp sponge ready and slightly moisten the fingers of your right hand on the sponge—never with your lips in handling green paper. Take one leaf in your left hand and with the moist fingers of your right hand twist each point of the leaf into a sharp spike, beginning at the top of the leaf as in [Fig. 402]. Twist the lower part of the leaf into a stem ([Fig. 403]) and, refolding the leaf down the middle, pinch the underside of the fold to form the mid-rib, bringing your two hands together and puffing the paper a little as you do so ([Fig. 403]). The finished leaf should resemble [Fig. 404]. The crinkled appearance given by pinching and twisting adds much to the natural look of the leaf. You may vary the size, making some leaves smaller than others, but keep as nearly as possible to the pattern, for experiment has proved it to be a good one.