Paper Leaf Garland

I stumbled upon an idea for fall leaf paper cutting online today and it brought me back to the days of paper dolls. This might be a fun one for the kids to work on over Thanksgiving break.

I decided to recycle the ends of the kraft paper I use for the back of my frames...ahhhh, recycling!

I found a maple leaf out in my yard and cut a long strip of paper the same width, then folded it accordion style until I ended up with a 3x3 inch square. I used brown craft paper, but think outside the box with wrapping paper, parchment paper, paper grocery bags, or even pull some out of your printer.


I arranged the leaf so that part of the leaf extended beyond the borders of the paper on two opposite folded sides. Leaving the folded edges intact is what creates the "paper doll" effect when you unfold.



Trace the leaf then cut, being careful not to cut through the fold (see arrows). It's more interesting to angle it slightly rather than tracing it straight up and down.


Pull apart your leaves and you've made a garland! I draped mine over my mantle. Happy Fall!