Creating a natural Autumn leaf decoration
As I sat down with a warm cup of tea and phone in hand, I came across some beautiful ideas for Autumn decorations. I must admit I love Autumn in England, the beautiful displays of vibrant colours that usher in the cosy, darker evenings filled with warm fires and hot chocolate - wonderful!
Add in Thanksgiving at the end of November, and Autumn is truly something to celebrate. Now, I know Thanksgiving is an American tradition, so why do we celebrate it? We decided the essence of taking time to slow down, connect with our loved ones, be thankful for who they are and what they mean to us, was such a treasure and a blessing. So why not incorporate it into our year? We have always been a family of celebration, so Thanksgiving became just another celebration to bring joy!
I digress :) Autumn decorations... this year I was really intrigued by the idea of preserving leaves in wax and creating a colourful display. First step - a walk along the North Downs way on a typical Autumn, slightly damp day, created the perfect opportunity to collect some beautiful leaves - red, yellow, orange, brown - a kaleidoscope of Autumn!
Once back home I cleaned and flattened the leaves under heavy books for a few days. Then hunted around the house for discarded and forgotten candle ends to melt down over a pot of boiling water. I wasn't sure how much I would need, but fortunately I had more than enough for the leaves I'd collected..
With the wax melted, I kept the jug over the boiling water, so the wax wouldn't solidify before I was finished. Carefully I dipped each leaf in the wax, gently scraping off any excess and placing them on wax proof paper to dry. Some of the leaf dunking went better than others :) My fingers didn't quite get out of the way quick enough on some!
Once the leaves were dry I cut a piece of thick string the length I needed and plugged in the glue gun.
I then simply stuck the leaves on to the string and created a really beautiful banner. It's very simple, but when the light catches the back of the leaves they seem to light up. The simple design and true colours of Autumn make me smile, and be so thankful for changing seasons and the beauty we get to experience.
