Now that October and the autumn season is in full swing, it’s impossible to ignore the itch to take those colorful leaves home. If you’re nodding “yes”, chances are there’s a pile of leaves somewhere in your backyard that is just taking up space because you have no idea of what to do with them. But wait, here’s the solution – we’ve cherry-picked a few easy ways of how you can preserve these gorgeous fall colors!
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Leaf Prints Leaf prints are a great way to preserve a bit of fall. No matter what you are going to cover with leaf prints –gift tags, coasters, burlap, pumpkins, or wooden chips – you’ll need acrylic paint in bottles, wax paper, a brayer, and bunch of fall leaves (you can re-purpose our maple leaf garlands as well). Then, paint the back of your leaves – fabric takes more paint than paper. Once you’re done with the paint, place the painted leaf on what you want to print, cover the leaf with a piece of wax paper, press, and a beautiful print is ready. If you’re working with fabric, iron your prints with a press cloth after they get dry. |
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Leaf Prints
Leaf prints are a great way to preserve a bit of fall. No matter what you are going to cover with leaf prints –gift tags, coasters, burlap, pumpkins, or wooden chips – you’ll need acrylic paint in bottles, wax paper, a brayer, and bunch of fall leaves (you can re-purpose our maple leaf garlands as well). Then, paint the back of your leaves – fabric takes more paint than paper. Once you’re done with the paint, place the painted leaf on what you want to print, cover the leaf with a piece of wax paper, press, and a beautiful print is ready. If you’re working with fabric, iron your prints with a press cloth after they get dry.
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Leaf Shell Don’t want to mess around with paint? You can bring fall home with a DIY fabric leaf bowl. All you need is lots of fabric fall leaves, glue, a paint brush, and a balloon. Inflate the balloon, cover the leaf spot with glue, press the leaf, cover it with more glue, repeat with the remaining leaves, and let them dry overnight. Once your construction is dry, pop the balloon and peel off the bowl. Using the same strategy, you can also make leaf lanterns and other decorations. |
Leaf Shell
Don’t want to mess around with paint? You can bring fall home with a DIY fabric leaf bowl. All you need is lots of fabric fall leaves, glue, a paint brush, and a balloon. Inflate the balloon, cover the leaf spot with glue, press the leaf, cover it with more glue, repeat with the remaining leaves, and let them dry overnight. Once your construction is dry, pop the balloon and peel off the bowl. Using the same strategy, you can also make leaf lanterns and other decorations.
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Autumn Fairy Lights Miss the Christmas allure of the fairy lights? There’s no need to wait until the winter holidays – you can impress your Halloween or Thanksgiving party guests with DIY autumn leaf fairy lights! All it takes is a collection of beautiful fall leaves, a string of fairy lights, wax paper, and glue. First, if you’re dealing with real leaves, you should preserve them – it’s recommended to sandwich each leaf between two sheets of wax paper and iron it until it’s sufficiently coated with wax. Once you have a bunch of waxed leaves, use glue to attach each leaf to the bulb. When your garland is ready, you can hang it wherever you want. |
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Autumn Fairy Lights
Miss the Christmas allure of the fairy lights? There’s no need to wait until the winter holidays – you can impress your Halloween or Thanksgiving party guests with DIY autumn leaf fairy lights! All it takes is a collection of beautiful fall leaves, a string of fairy lights, wax paper, and glue. First, if you’re dealing with real leaves, you should preserve them – it’s recommended to sandwich each leaf between two sheets of wax paper and iron it until it’s sufficiently coated with wax. Once you have a bunch of waxed leaves, use glue to attach each leaf to the bulb. When your garland is ready, you can hang it wherever you want.
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Mason Jar Luminaries Brighten your gloomy Halloween days with DIY mason jar candle holders. You’ll need mason jars, acrylic paint, and vinyl leaf decals. Glue the leaf to the mason jar, cover the jar with 3 coats of paint (let your paint dry between each coat), and peel away the leaf. After that, put one of our votive candles inside and trim the upper part of your jar with a ribbon. Alternatively, you can skip the paint part, stock up on fall leaves, and just glue them to the jar! |
Mason Jar Luminaries
Brighten your gloomy Halloween days with DIY mason jar candle holders. You’ll need mason jars, acrylic paint, and vinyl leaf decals. Glue the leaf to the mason jar, cover the jar with 3 coats of paint (let your paint dry between each coat), and peel away the leaf. After that, put one of our votive candles inside and trim the upper part of your jar with a ribbon. Alternatively, you can skip the paint part, stock up on fall leaves, and just glue them to the jar!
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Glitter Leaves Garland Nothing screams celebration like glitter. If you have a pile of preserved fall leaves (or a bag of artificial leaves) and still have no idea how to use them, look no further than this glitter fallen leaves garland! Apply glue to each leaf and then sprinkle glitter. Once the glue sets, punch a hole at the top of each leaf, attach it to the ribbon, which you can tie to a larger ribbon. In case you can’t boast a bag of leaves, you can craft them using our hot glue gun and glitter sticks – draw a maple leaf, place a piece of clear glass on your sketch, draw the “skeleton” of the leaf using a hot glue gun, let it dry, and peel it off! |
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Glitter Leaves Garland
Nothing screams celebration like glitter. If you have a pile of preserved fall leaves (or a bag of artificial leaves) and still have no idea how to use them, look no further than this glitter fallen leaves garland! Apply glue to each leaf and then sprinkle glitter. Once the glue sets, punch a hole at the top of each leaf, attach it to the ribbon, which you can tie to a larger ribbon. In case you can’t boast a bag of leaves, you can craft them using our hot glue gun and glitter sticks – draw a maple leaf, place a piece of clear glass on your sketch, draw the “skeleton” of the leaf using a hot glue gun, let it dry, and peel it off!
What do you think about these ideas? Let us know in the comments below! Whether you find this list inspiring or have decided on something different, go right ahead – there’s no wrong way to get creative with fall leaves. Either way, before setting out on your DIY project, please don’t hesitate to drop by eFavormart – in our online store, you can find lots of supplies, which will make the leaf-crafting process a breeze!
