Begin by drawing a leaf shape on a piece of paper. Mine is about 3 inches long and 1.25 inches wide, and I kept it symmetrical. Cut out the leaf shape.

Set this paper leaf on your piece of clear plastic. Trace around it with a marker and cut it out. This will be your pattern piece. I like using clear plastic because you can see the paint patterns through it.

Place the pattern piece on your paper plate palette and trace it with a pencil. If you are using the full plate, you can usually get five or six leaves from one plate. Keep tracing until you have plenty of leaves to work with.

Cut out the leaves with scissors.

Fold each leaf in half. You can press the fold with your fingers or use a bone folder if you want a sharper crease or if your hands need a break.

At this point, you can add any extra details you like. I splattered a few leaves with gold paint and used a gold metallic marker to outline some of the edges.

Using your hot glue gun, attach the pointed end of each leaf to the wreath form to create the first row. Wrap the leaves around the top and sides of the form. Then start a second row that slightly overlaps the first. Continue working around the wreath until the rows meet. It might take a little trial and error to find a rhythm, but once you get going, it comes together nicely.

Add a hanger by flipping the wreath over and finding the top. Make a small loop with ribbon or twine and glue it in place.

Once the glue is dry, hang your wreath and enjoy it.