Thursday, November 7, 2013

Watercolor Leaves

One of the most memorizing aspects of fall are the beautiful colors nature creates.  It's amazing to see how once alive, green leaves, in autumn, will change to the most spectacular colors as they die and fall to the ground.  

Those beautiful fall leaves are what inspired a DIY version in watercolor form.  You could even say, they are a nature knockoff. 


To make some of your own watercolor leaves, start by cutting leaves out of cardstock.  Our leaves were cut out of white, yellow and pink cardstock, yellow being my favorite.

For each leaf, you'll want to start by painting it with water...yes water.  Paint the entire leaf with a coat of water.


Then, slowly begin to add some watercolor paint to your wet leaf.  


As the wet watercolor hits the wet leaf, the paint will spread and swirl and take on a life of its own.  Continue adding color until you achieve the look you want.  If you find your leaf is too wet, simply dab it with a paper towel.  


 Set your finished painted leaves to the side and allow time for them to dry. 


These nature inspired watercolor leaves look great simply as they are...


Or, like we are doing, you could use them to display the things you are grateful for. 


Play dates, family and bedtime stories...those are a few of the things are are thankful for.

12 comments:

  1. Amy, I love this! But I am a sucker for the changing color of nature in the fall and being grateful!
    Right now I am very grateful for a break in our homeschool day. This momma needs a snack! :)
    Happy Thursday.

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  2. I remember painting like this when I was a kid. Too much fun. I am definitely going to this this weekend with the kidlettes. Thanks for the great idea!

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  3. I love how these turned out! A really project to do with kids! And to decorate the Thanksgiving table!

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  4. Oh that's so fun, play dates and bed time stories how cute is that!!

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  5. These turned out really great!! I love that you turned them into "thankful" notes. Very cute idea! This is such a great project to do with the little ones. Definitely trying it with the little kiddies in my family. Maybe a Thanksgiving day project... how long did it take for the leaves to dry?

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  6. Knocking off Mother Nature! Leave it to you! (No pun intended!..okay maybe a little.) These are gorgeous Amy! What a fun and easy project...just my style!

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  7. Card stock.... when I first saw these I thought they were coffee filters, which I used to use in crafts when the girls were little. The filters sucked up colored water perfectly. This makes me want to craft some leaves now. But I have chairs to finish!

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  8. They're really beautiful! I could see them as placeholders/name cards at the perfect fall Thanksgiving dinner :). Plus, you don't have crumbly leaves on the table.

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  9. Amy, you leave the nicest comments. Thank you so much for your very thoughtful comment it meant a lot to me. So glad our blogging paths have crossed.

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  10. Wow, Amy, how easy and beautiful. A definite must-do! Thanks for the easy instructions:)

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I am head over heels you took the time to leave me a comment.

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