Capture autumn’s vibrant colors
Make a colorful autumn leaf picture—gather your prettiest leaves and quick-dry them in the microwave
Preserve the most beautiful fall leaves in a picture. Use a branch that has fallen in the wind as the trunk of your autumn tree. Quick-drying the leaves in the microwave makes them instantly ready for crafting. You can also make your picture using pressed, dried leaves.
Autumn leaf picture: supplies
- Beautifully colored autumn leaves
- Paper towels and a pie dish
- A fallen branch
- Cardboard from a box
- An old photo frame (or acrylic paint for painting cardboard frames)
- A large darning needle or nail
- String
- Glue
Autumn leaf picture: instructions
First, quick-dry the leaves in the microwave
- Gather some beautiful autumn leaves. Spread them out so that they lie flat between sheets of paper towel on the microwave plate.
- Place a glass pie dish or another flat, heavy microwave-safe dish on top of the paper towels and leaves. Dry them in 30-second increments at 700–800 W. Check the leaves in between and replace any damp paper towels with fresh ones. They typically take about 2–4 minutes to dry, depending on thickness and moisture.
- Let the leaves cool for a moment. You can use them right away for crafting, or store them in a shallow cardboard box.
Craft an autumn tree picture from the leaves
- Cut a piece of cardboard from a box for the picture’s base. Insert the cardboard into a photo frame with the glass removed. Alternatively, cut a frame from cardboard and paint it with acrylic paint.
- Choose a branch that suits your picture as the tree trunk. Attach it to the cardboard base at a few points using string. Use a darning needle or nail to make holes on each side of the branch. Thread the ends of the string through the holes and tie them in tight knots on the back. Add as many ties as needed to keep the branch secure.
- Spread glue on the back of each dried leaf, one at a time. You can use a glue stick or apply liquid glue with a toothpick. Attach the leaves to the branch to form the tree’s foliage.
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