Fall Leaf Craft Ideas

My favorite part of living in the Midwest is the changing seasons, and my favorite part of Autumn is when all the leaves turn those beautiful warm hues of red, orange and yellow. While looking through all of the awesome Autumn craft ideas on Pinterest, I came across a few using leaves. Most of us probably have so many leaves outside that the last thing we want to do is bring them inside. But, I found two easy and cute ideas that could get you to put down that rake! Don’t worry, if you live somewhere that doesn’t have fallen leaves, fake ones will work just as well.

The first craft idea is from the Flame Foliage Candleholders from Martha Stewart. This idea is pretty versatile and can be personalized with different sized candle holders and with the leaves of your choice.

For This Craft You Will Need:

• glass candle holders
• leaves: either real or fake
• spray adhesive

I decided to use real leaves for this craft, so getting uniformed shapes and colors was kind out out of the question and I thought it would look cool with a variety of leaves. I’m not sure how long the leaves will stay on the candle holders without drying out but with a little scrubbing the candle holders can be reused.

*These look best at night when the light shines through the leaves!

How to Assemble:

1. Gather a variety of leaves (if using real ones, dry them by spreading on newspaper for an hour or so)
2. Spray adhesive to the back of the leaves and let them sit for about 30 seconds
3. Place them on the glass candle holder and press down for a few seconds
4. Continue around the holder until you have the desired amount

*Remember spray adhesive is very flammable so, let the leaves dry for a few hours before lighting the candles.

The second craft idea is from the DIY Printed Leaf Motif from Intimate Weddings.
I made this one to go along with the candles. It could be a great Autumn-themed table. I used the leaves as stamps to print leaf motifs on an easy no-sew table runner and place mats.

For This Craft You Will Need:

• 2-3 yards of light brown burlap, depending on how long you would like the runner and how many placemats you are making
• Acrylic craft paint, I used dark red, orange, yellow and gold glitter colors
• Scissors
• Ruler or a place mat you already have as a size guide
• Paint sponges and a small paint brush
• Leaves, real or fake

How to Assemble:

1. Cut the number of mats and the length of runner that you’d like
2. Pull out a few of the strands around each edge of the burlap (this helps to create a frayed look and helps even out edges)
3. Paint the leaves with the sponges, flip, and press down on the burlap
4. Gently lift them up. You’ll see that it won’t be filled in, this is where you can add more paint, highlights, veins in the leaves etc. After painted leaves dried I went over them with the gold glitter paint to add a little shimmer to the rustic burlap

A Few More Ideas to Finish the Table:

• Place runner over a red, orange or white table cloth
• Add a bouquet of Autumn colored flowers
• Roll silverware with a white cloth or paper napkin and tie with a strip of burlap and red or orange ribbon
• Sprinkle more leaves or pine cones on the runner

Whether you use these ideas for a large Thanksgiving table or just a casual dinner be sure that no one will be able to tell that it took just a few easy steps!

We hope you enjoy theses Autumn crafts as much as we do. If you decide to create either of these crafts, or any of the craft projects that we shared with you, please feel free to share your finished product!

Snap a picture and share it on our Facebook page! Have a craft idea you’d love to share? We’d love to mingle with you on Pinterest!