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!

Fall Mantle - Tutorial Tuesday

I hang onto summer well into September. But, now that we've turned the page on the calendar and the nights are pretty nippy, it's time to bring out the Fall Mantle.

I have to admit, I'm not a huge fall decorating kind of girl. The boys have a huge "haunted trail" out back and I don't like the scarecrow, bale of hay thing out front (mostly because I'm lazy and begin my Christmas decorating right after Thanksgiving).

I keep it pretty simple around here. I do a bit with the mantle and place a pumpkin here and there and call it a day.

For the most part, I shopped the house. But, I picked up this fantastic wreath from TJ Maxx for about $30 last year. It has apples and pomegranates and it has the same color green as my wall. It's just about perfect! A tall orange pitcher, some moss in a dish, a pumpkin standing in for a candle on the candle stick...



I nestled my bird nest in some brilliant red fall leaves and sprinkled it with colorful feathers I stole off the ground by my neighbor's feeders...shhhh...



A fabric pumpkin nestles on the hearth:




A fun paper leaf garland to string haphazardly over it all:



Here are some tutorials to help if you're interested in crafting the pumpkin or garland:

Easy Fabric Pumpkin Tutorial

Simple and Beautiful Paper Leaf Garland Tutorial

Head on over to A Soft Place to Land to see some other Fall DIY projects



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Easy Fall Decorating Project

I stumbled upon an idea for fall leaf paper cutting online today and it brought me back to the days of paper dolls.

I decided to recycle the ends of the dustcover 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.


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!


Want more fall decor ideas? Hop on over to the Nester's Fall Nesting Party!