Blog

By: Kristen Johnson

Lasting Impressions

Crafting often means that your wallet is going to take a bit of a beating at times. It doesn’t always have to be that way. With this DIY nature creation, your purse doesn’t even need to leave it’s spot! This time of year with the changing seasons means falling leaves. With the pretty hues fading on the piles of leaves in your yard, why not pick up a few and bring them inside. It’s no secret that 52 Nature Craft Projects is a favorite due to its endless inspirational possibilities. For this Maker’s conquest, you will only need some of those leaves, acrylic paint, and a brush. That’s it!

Natural Beauty 

Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, that’s why you should be picking leaves you like. There is no standard to go by, so if you like the curly dried up leaves or the freshly fallen ones, go for it! With the crunchy dry leaves, be sure to be delicate as they will crumble if too much  pressure is applied. For the fresh and softer leaves, you may want to preserve them by sandwiching it between parchment paper and press inside a nice big book. You can always apply a glue component such as mod podge to preserve as much of the color as you can and to create a paintable surface. No matter which kind of leaf you choose, be sure that you like it. Now that we have taken in the fresh air, picked out and collected our natural beauties, it’s time to make them our own.

Nature has such a way to make us slow down and really admire its beauty. What a great reminder that crafting is much more than the final project but also about how creating makes us feel. Each leaf you have is completely different from the next. As we start to dip our brushes into our paint, you have the choice to make this into whatever you want. First, think about your endgame. Are these going to be place cards like the book showcases, maybe a centerpiece or even just a pretty home accent? Here we are going with a double duty purpose. Staging little “moments” of decor throughout the home is such a fun thing to switch out for different looks. While painting our leaves, we found that dipping the edges or even the entire leaf was really pretty to us. The stark white paint with these crisp brown tones were perfect.

Sustainable Art

There is nothing better than crafting without spending money and resulting in a gorgeous sustainable piece of art. Using additional materials that you already have on hand is another way to add embellishments with using what you have already. This gold leafing looked stunning with the neutral colors of our project and was left over from a previous project.

The 52 Nature Craft Projects book has enough inspiration for every single week in the year. The amount of ideas that are packed into this book encourages everyone to look around and see the world for the beauty we have right outside our doors. With so many ideas, you can create inspiring art, gifts and home accents. Go on and get outside and see how you can use leafs in your table decor or home decor!