There are three trees in our neighborhood that change colors during the fall. Three. In the entire neighborhood. When Liv and I go for walks I stare longingly up at the branches willing those crisp green leaves to take on their yellow and orange shades.
When my mother-in-law was in town this past weekend it happened! Not only did the trees change color but they shed a good portion of those beautiful leaves to the ground. When she came back from taking Liv for a stroll she brought with her a huge bundle of these:
Naturally I pressed and framed them. I don’t know how long they’ll last but just maybe I can preserve them for the future. Waaaaay better than the fake ones I used over here.
Here they are sitting on a shelf in our dining room:
I first attempted to frame without flattening and the result was a bit sloppy, so my next approach was to organize them on my white sheet of construction paper, attach to paper with a double sided adhesive and then smoosh between two big heavy books.
Then I added the construction paper back into the frame and sealed it up.
I love the colors, especially against the brownish red frame.
I had quite a few leaves left over so I made a very simple garland by stringing the leaves through twine. Here they are on the other bookcase:
I think it’s a nice little fall detail, especially when casually strung up like they are here.
The process to make this guy was so simple and so quick: poke two holes in each leaf and string through – up and over for the first leaf, down and under for the next.
Just like you’re sewing a simple stitch.
Until you’ve finished the whole lot:
They’re perfect for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and I love how they bring just a little bit of the outdoors in!
Those leaves are so beautiful! We don’t have many trees in our immediate neighborhood that have great leaves like that, so I definitely feel your pain!
I love the framed leaves. Simple and elegant! Great idea.
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I love the strung leaves – they look great!!
Stringing the leaves with twine is such a great idea. They look perfect on your shelves!
Gotta love free decor!
Love the leaves in the frame! That is genius and they look soooo pretty!