Fall leaf craft ideas.

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Fall leaf craft ideas. What crafts can I do with fall leaves? What can I make from leaves? How to Make Leaf Skeletons. Leaf skeleton DIY.

As we get older, autumn pleases us less and less – grayness, cold, constant sleepiness, and soaked shoes do not give us much reason to rejoice. Just remember how, as children, we enjoyed running through puddles and gathering gorgeous bouquets of golden and scarlet leaves. Why not try to bring back that feeling of joy? Remember that fallen leaves in the house can be not only trash but also a source of inspiration. As you may have already understood, today I’m going to share with you my Fall leaf craft ideas.

Fall leaf craft ideas. Vase made of leaves.

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Most importantly, we need glue for decoupage, which after hardening becomes completely transparent. You can buy it in any store that sells products for needlework. You can take a jar of glue and a bouquet of fallen autumn leaves and make literally anything from it. For example…

To make an authentic vase for fruit or candies, that is what we need:
Fallen leaves (preferably not too dry)
Glue for decoupage
Balloon
Cover the balloon with glue and glue the leaves on top of it – make several layers, covering each one of them with glue. The leaves should completely cover the surface.

Put the glue on the surface again. Glue the leaves on it.

When the glue dries, carefully disassemble the creation. Blow off the balloon.

Spread the vase and cover it with glue again.

Fall leaf craft ideas. Lanterns from cans and leaves.

Now, let me show several more Fall leaf craft ideas. To make the original and very romantic autumn lanterns, we need:
Fallen leaves
Glue for decoupage
Glass jars
Twine

First, coat the jar with glue.

Then neatly glue the leaves on the surface and put glue on top of them.

Apply glue to the neck of the jar and wind the twine on it.

An ordinary candle inside will turn the jar into a charming lantern.

You don’t have to endure bad days with clenched teeth anymore because now you will see that bad weather has its charms. And how pleasant it is to wrap up in a blanket and relax looking at the golden flicker of candles while autumn rain drizzles outside the window… Just try it! And I still have some more Fall leaf craft ideas for you. Stay tuned.

Fall leaf craft ideas. Leaf skeletonization.

This is a very unique technique and you can use it in any Fall leaf craft ideas you want. Leaf skeletonization is a special technique that is mainly used to make materials for handmade items. As a result, you will get leaves but they will be a little bit changed – after processing there will be only a beautiful mesh of veins left (which is a leaf skeleton).

If you are fond of needlework and constantly need beautiful elements for your work, this article will undoubtedly be useful to you. Skeletonized leaves can be not only made yourself but also can be purchased in flower stores, in decoration shops, etc. Buying ready-made skeletonized leaves may be useful if for the work you need exotic leaves, which in your climatic zone are difficult to get. But most craftsmen prefer to perform leaf skeletonization at home.
With some skill, this is not difficult at all. To perform leaf skeletonization at home, you can choose one of the following methods: natural; wet; dry.

The natural method of skeletonization

Lots of leaves can be beautifully skeletonized using the natural method. It happens by itself in natural conditions under certain weather conditions. The leaves must first be properly soaked in snow and rain, perhaps pressed by other leaves. As a result, the green layer dries out and comes off, leaving only the veins. All that remains is to find such leaves and pick them off the ground.

You can create conditions similar to natural skeletonization for leaves at home. Pour water into a jar and put suitable raw materials in it. Then it should be covered with a lid and put away in a quiet place for about a month. Then take out the jar, but take out the leaves holding by the stem. If the leaves have softened enough, the green part will come off by itself and expose the veins. If not, the leaf skeleton needs to be rinsed under water – wipe it well with your fingers to remove any slime.

The wet method of leaf skeletonization

When you need a lot of leaves, you can use a more effective method – the wet method.
Wet leaf skeletonization is done as follows. We will need to pour the water on the prepared raw material and add an aggressive detergent (sink or pipe cleaning powders are good, in a pinch you can try baking soda). Let’s be more precise. Pour water into a pot and put it on the stove. Throw a few tablespoons of powder in there and stir, then put the leaves in and keep them there for a few hours boiling. The boiling should not be too active. The time depends on the hardness of the raw material. For example, maple leaves will be ready after an hour, large sycamore leaves will require 2 to 3 hours. Smaller leaves will get done faster.

The leaves processed this way should be taken out of the pot and rinsed well in a prepared bowl of water. To help the soft part better separate from the veins, you need to rub everything well with your fingers. If the separation does not go well, boil the leaves for a while longer. If the raw material is very hard after boiling, you can still clean each of the skeletons on a wooden cutting board using an old toothbrush.

While working, dip leaves in water more often. For skeletonization at home, it is best to choose leaves of sycamore, maple, white or black poplar. Birch, oak, aspen, and alder leaves are good, and you can also use leaves of linden, garden blueberry, and ficus.

Leave the skeletonized elements to dry – it is best to choose a place where air can circulate freely. Then you can gently iron them with a warm iron. But put a cloth on them. Or you can put them under the press. Don’t move weak, fragile leaves unnecessarily – you can accidentally tear or crumple them. First, it is better to dry everything as it is (just spread and unfold them) – dry leaves just the way they were taken out of the water. After that, you can already move all the leaves to where you want.

Dry skeletonization method

Sometimes when you want to implement some of Fall leaf craft ideas you may need the skeletonized leaves right now. Thus if you need only 2-3 leaves and you don’t have much time – then the wet method is not the best option, you can use the dry skeletonization method. Of course, no one forbids to make more than 2-3, but it takes a lot of time to make one element, and each master has to decide for himself whether there is a need for such expenses.

You will need an ordinary shoe-cleaning brush with natural not very long bristles. It should be as stiff as possible, otherwise, it will take a lot of time. Spread freshly picked leaves without holes and stains on the newspaper or a thick sheet of paper, then hit them with a brush. It will completely destroy the soft tissues of the leaf, leaving only the veins (the skeleton of the leaf). When drying the raw material under the press, you can also get a skeletonized base and thus you can make a more beautiful element.

Whitening of skeletonized leaves.

If desired, to make your Fall leaf craft ideas even more unique, the leaves can be whitened instead of being skeletonized. Dilute laundry bleach in water in a 1:1 ratio. Put the leaves in a cup and pour this water on them. Then you need to wait for about 1/4 hour. When the content of the cup turns white, drain the water and rinse everything several times under running water. You will get clear, white, very pretty leaves.

In addition, you can also hit such leaves with a brush for a while. Or first, boil with sink or pipe cleaning powder until you get a skeleton and whiten the leaves only after that. If done right, you will get a fine white lace. From there, you can do whatever your imagination tells you to do with the leaves and make any kind of Fall leaf craft ideas.