I am in love with the reds and purples, golds and coppers. that are decorating our city this fall! The leaves on the trees are absolutely stunning and Ive been filling up the memory card on my cell phone with fall pics in an effort to capture it all. If my kids had their way, we would probably have a pile of leaves in the middle of our living room that they could continually jump in, but since that is definitely not in the cards, here’s a great way to preserve a little of this fall magic, and bring some of that beautiful color indoors!
Pressed Leaf Cards
What you need:
- Fall Leaves, Grass, and Flowers
- White Paper
- 8.5″ x 11″ Card Stock
- Glue Stick
- Clear Contact Paper
- Very Heavy Books
Directions:
1. Get outside, enjoy the gorgeous weather, and collect some of those beautiful colored leaves from around town. Take them home and flatten them between two pieces of white paper, without overlapping. Once you’ve arranged all the foliage between the paper, sandwich each one between two heavy books and let sit for about 5 days to press.
2. Once you’ve pressed your leaves, you are ready to make your cards. Fold a piece of card stock in half to make a 5.5″ x 8.5″ card. Arrange the pressed leaves on the front in a collage and tack them down with your glue stick. Finally, very carefully cover the collage with a 5″ x 8″ sheet of contact paper – be careful to put the contact paper on very smooth.
These cards turn out beautiful and are so much fun to make with your kids! Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, they can be used to make festive “Thankful Cards’ or Thank You cards, or even place cards for your table setting.
Pressed Leaf Candle Holders
What You Need:
- Fall Leaves, Grass, and Flowers
- White Paper
- Very Heavy Books
- Clear Glass Votive Cup or Vase
- White or Ivory Tissue Paper
- Small Foam Brushes
- Decoupage Glue or Clear Drying Paper Craft Glue such as Modge Podge
Directions:
Follow the instructions of part 1 in the above craft for pressing your leaves and flowers. Once you have pressed your foliage, brush a small amount of decoupage glue onto the glass and press the leaves and flowers all around the cup or vase. Once your leaves are arranged onto the sides of the cup, carefully dab another thin layer of glue on top of the foliage and allow to dry.
Tear your tissue paper into small pieces. They don’t have to be a perfect shape, just similar in size. Once your glue layer is dry, brush a new layer of glue onto the cup and press the torn pieces of tissue paper, overlapping the edges, around the cup until it is covered completely.
When your project has dried, place a tea light or small candle inside your glass vase and watch your fall leaves shine through!
Image Sources: votive candle – http://templates.adrienb.com/wordpress/site1/, Fall Card – http://elizabeths-flowers.com/autumn-leaf-cards.htm
This is a guest post written by Emily Parman. To get more thoughts from Emily on kids, family, and bows, and crafts, please visit her website at http://www.doodlebugbows.wordpress.com
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