MNN - Mother Nature Network

It's not quite fall yet, but that hasn't stopped the leaves from changing and the the temperatures from bringing that oh-so-crisp autumn feeling into the air.  Whether you live in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia or on a sandy beach in Hawaii, you can celebrate fall with these colorful and creative autumn-inspired crafts.

 

Fall garland. This fun fall garland from Full Circle is beautiful in so many ways.  It's a breeze to make - just cut out leaf shapes and string them up.  And you can take the project one step further by asking family and friends to write something they are thankful for on each leaf.  Hang it vertically in a doorway or across a door frame or mantel.

 

 

 

 

Shaving cream leaves. Bring a burst of fall color into your home with this fun - and messy - craft from Little Wonders' Days.  Paint is swirled into shaving cream and then pressed onto cardboard leaves to make these cool autumn-inspired prints.

 

 

Bean leaves. Kids who love texture, patterns, and glue will love this fun fall craft from All Kids Network. Kids can use a leaf template from the site or draw out their own shape and then decorate with dried beans of every shape and size.

 

 

 

Leaf art.  Let your favorite leaf take flight by turning it into a butterfly, bird, dinosaur, or anything else your kids creative minds can come up with.  Just trim leaves to the desired shape and preserve with varnish or mod podge (see below).

 

 

 

 

Bowl of leaves. You can use this tutorial from Honest to Nod to preserve your favorite fall leaves using this simple mod podge method. Then you can use your beautifully preserved leaves to decorate the house.  Fill a bowl for a simple centerpiece, make a banner, frame and hang on the wall...you get the idea.