Activity: Leaf crafts

The windy and rainy weather has brought down a tonne of leaves this weekend 🍂🍂🍂  and it's sad not to see them on the trees any longer.  However, there are so many ways that we can still use and enjoy the leaves and their beautiful variety of shapes and colours.

If you're on the look out for red leaves, then acers or maples are best as they have rich, deep crimsons and scarlets.  Beech trees have the wonderful yellows and orangey tones that look so stunning against a bright blue sky.  All the other classic British trees such as oak, birch, alder, ash, sycamore and hazel will have beautiful rainbow of colours in the autumn, and the fun is trying to catch them at all the different stages of turning from one shade to the next!

Here is my list of my top favourite leaf art or leaf activities that you can do this November:

🍂 Crayon leaf rubbing

Take a good sized leaf (maybe one with good strong veins!) and place a piece of paper over it.  Gently rub a crayon over the top to get an imprint of the leaf from underneath.  Repeat with lots of different leaves and colours on a large piece of paper to get a collage effect. 

🍂 Leaf printing

Apply paint to one side of your leaf (can be one paint colour or a mix of colours!) and then carefully place it paint side down onto a piece of paper to create an imprint of the leaf skeleton.  Repeat with lots of leafs to create an autumnal masterpiece!

🍂 Leaf bowl

Place some large leaves over an upturned breakfast bowl and gently apply PVA glue with a brush so that they stick together.  Leave for a good few hours to dry (maybe even overnight) and then gently remove form the bowl.  It would make a beautiful mantlepiece decoration or even a table centrepiece.

🍂 Leaf lantern jars

Similar to the bowl, place your leaves on the outside of a large jam jar or mason jar and apply glue to stick the leaves in place.  Make sure the leaves cover the whole of the outside of the jar and leave to fully dry overnight.  Place some tea lights into your jar and watch the effect of the light glowing through the leaf colours.

🍂 Leaf mobile

This make a beautiful display for a window.  Get a long twig and some string if you can, and tie different sized and coloured leaves at different lengths along it.  Place in a window or from a mantlepiece where you can see all the leaves. 

🍂 Leaf wreath

I was so inspired to make a leaf wreath when I came back from New England a few years ago.  The Americans love seasonal wreaths (not just at Christmas!) and so I just had to give it a go.  Tie or glue some leaves around a circular wreath frame and then hang from your front door for a cosy, welcoming decoration. 

I hope that's given you some inspiration!  You might even find that you become a bit more expert at identifying the leaf shapes and and sizes while you're crafting away 🍁  Happy November!!