I adore crafting with natural materials, especially in the Fall. I always seem to come home with something I picked up along the way on my morning walks. This time of year, it is usually beautiful Fall leaves. They are simply too pretty and colorful not to craft with

Items Needed:

• Fall Leaves
• Sponge Brush
• Parchment Paper
• Blank Note Cards
• Scrapbooking Stickers And Stamps

Instructions:

I adore crafting with natural materials, especially in the Fall. I always seem to come home with something I picked up along the way on my morning walks. This time of year, it is usually beautiful Fall leaves. They are simply too pretty and colorful not to craft with.

In this craft idea, I show you how to preserve them and turn them into a one-of-a-kind note card. It’s a lovely way to send a personal note to someone. And it’s easy to add a little personal design and texture to each leaf using DecoArt Paper Effects. But, the first step is to collect beautiful leaves. You can also use silk leaves that you find at your local craft store. Note: if using real leaves, make sure to use fresh leaves that have fallen and haven’t started to dry out yet. Early morning walks are perfect for finding these.

I used Metallic Copper Paper Effects with the special thin applicator tip attached to create doodle designs on each leaf that I collected. I thought it complemented the nice amber and rusty red colors of the leaves I found.

I started by defining the lines of each vein in my leaves, and then adding a different pattern or design in each section of the leaf.

After the design on the leaves has dried completely, it is time to preserve them. Place your leaves on a sheet of parchment paper and apply a coat of Decou-Page on the top of them using a sponge brush.

After they have dried, it is time to attach to blank note cards. Apply another coat of Decou-Page on the back of your leaves now.

As the leaves dry, the decoupage with dry clear and give your leaves a nice shiny coat. If they start to curl up a little after drying, you can flatten them by placing another sheet of parchment paper on top and adding a little weight on top with a book or magazine.

Attach to the front of a note card where desired. The decoupage acts like a glue and a sealer.

To ensure that your leaves remain flat and dry solidly on the notecards, place another piece of parchment on top and weight it down with a heavy book. Let sit and dry completely for about an hour.

Now, you can leave your beautiful fall stationery as is or personalize and decorate them even more with stickers or stamps.

Each card is it’s own piece of artwork, sure to make anyone smile!

Enjoy the colors of Fall, and share a little with the special people in your life with this fun Fall craft project.

Happy crafting!