This is so simple everyone and fun too. Get everyone in the family involved with this DIY I am about to share with you all. The more the merrier.
Supplies needed:
Self hardening clay
Watercolor paints and paintbrushes
Instant drying lacquer (comes in a spray can at most hardware stores)
Rolling pin
xacto knife or butter knife (you can even use plastic if children are involved)
First for the fun part…collecting leaves. I used leaves in my garden but you can go anywhere to collect leaves. Just take a walk out in nature and there are choices everywhere.
My grape leaves have a nice shape to them so I used some of those.
I also picked some Jasmine and Gardenia leaves as well.
Knead your clay then roll into a ball, then with your rolling pin roll as flat as possible to about 1/4 inch thickness. I did not have a lot of clay left in my package so I rolled my clay out pretty thin to make several leaves. Press your leaves down into clay, making sure to get all the textures into the clay. Then gently cut around your leaves and pull leaf away.
Use a spatula to remove from work area. I use a plastic cutting board I bought from Ikea for all my clay projects.
Use cups and bowls to form your leaf bowls while they dry.
I left my leaf bowls out to dry for at least a day before I started painting. Depending on how dry your area is drying time will vary.
Then get out the paints and paint away.
Let your bowls dry for a day before you spray them with a coat of lacquer. You aren’t eating out of these bowls, they are for decorative purposes only.
Once dry you can display them around your Thanksgiving table. These are so inexpensive and easy to make that you can give each of your guest one to take home. Fill them with pretty hard candies and wrap up with a raffia bow. Make sure the candy is covered, remember these are not bowls to eat from.
With the smaller leaves make sure to poke a hole at top to tie some string to hang on your Christmas trees.
Hope you all get chance to make some of these, happy crafting everyone.
Our Little Red House 
So pretty!
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Thank you Linda.
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Wow! I love this and can’t wait to gather the supplies to make some! Thank you🙂
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Thank you Tanya, they are pretty easy to make and I know you will come across some beautiful leaves where you live. I also have huge cement leaf bowls that I have made from my sunflowers. I feed a feral cat out of one that visits my garden now and then, he is a shy little guy. I have seen pressings done with flower petals in plaster, they use a large tray fro that. When the plaster mold dries they remove the piece from the tray and paint it to hang on the wall. It looks like sculpted stone pictures . I have always wanted to try that. Have fun collecting and making these, they are cute.
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It sounds like you can do a lot with the clay using natural materials. I love that and this project might have to wait until next year. I took some photos of leaves today. A few years ago we made fall leaf lanterns using modge podge. That was fun. I have some big life projects I’m working on right now and really excited about them.
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I saw them just now, those photos of yours are beautiful. I am a fanatic when it comes to photographs and photography. Also just read about your life changes and think that is great news, everything your going for. Bet your happy that bathroom is finished too. I am working on the master bathroom now and hopefully will get around to redoing our master bedroom. Just a paint job and rearrangement of the furniture, it needs a make over so bad.
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Thank you!
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What a great idea. Look great,
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Thank you Sandra, wish I could take the credit for the idea but I remember seeing this years ago in a magazine I think. Anyway, like they say “There is nothing new under the sun.” Wish I could remember where I saw this project so I could link or give credit where credit is due. I will paint just about anything, that’s the fun part with all projects. Hope you get a chance to make some.
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I would have never saw this idea if you hadn’t remembered it though, I am not very crafty, but I pass these ideas to my sister who is. Thanks again.
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You’re welcome.
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They’re so cute! My son used to have a fascination with collecting leaves, but we never knew what to do with them, so we eventually threw them out and he stopped bringing them home. But this looks like such a cute project that maybe I should tell him to start collecting again!
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Thank you Kat. Your son can make a garland of leaves to hang in his room, that would bring a little nature indoors.
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I should collect some leaves. 🙂 These are so cute!
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There sure are enough of them out there. I have been seeing so many beautiful Fall photos lately now is the time to collect them. All those leaves I know would be so pretty as ornaments or little trinket bowls.
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🙂
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So cute and clever. Hubz bought me the cutest pottery bowls/trays one was a fall leaf then a set of ever green trees many years ago..they are still some.of my fave decor pieces. We did end up doing some hallween clay with my youngest but we didnt have time to paint it
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Thank you Dandelion. I had a bit of clay left over from my vintage Halloween decorations I made so I made leaves with it before the package dried up and got hard. You know how clay works. Once you open and forget about, then you go organize your crafts weeks later and you find a half package of old hard clay. That is such a bummer when that happens.
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We used up the entire package..thats exactly what I said…we got to use it all. Its too bad it has to dry for a few days..My youngest loved the scarecrow craft so much he has asked we do a xmas craft with siblings and cousins..im in the hunt for something that takes 30 mins or so
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Those scarecrows of yours were really cute. I liked how they were all different. I just got through fixing up one of my old scarecrows from last year that I bought. I just updated the straw and clothes. Youtube those fuzzy sock Christmas gnomes I was talking about. You cut the sock in half and fill up one half with beans or rice for weight, then you tie that off and use the rest of the sock for the cap (I think, it’s been awhile since I last saw the video on YouTube) you add a little nose and a faux fur beard. You can even add a tiny pom pom to the tips of their caps. I think Christmas gnomes are so cute.
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Hubz wants us to make ornaments but gnome ornaments might be a good idea! My kids like to do projects where they can be unique and original lol Im racking my brain for an ornament that isnt too quick has patterns and guidance but flexible to be customized…the kids doing it are 10 to 12 of them from ages 26 to 6 haha. I have this unique piece of scrap wood (light and ornament sizes) I know I want to make a gnome with it..i stare at it every so often and brain storm haha
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It is so hard because there are so many cool ideas out there. Snowmen are also fun. What ever you guys do, don’t forget to tales photos and share because I would love to see what you all come up with. I still have to make ornaments for my packages of cookies I give out every year and I also send ornaments to my cousins and aunt in Oklahoma and Arkansas.
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Wow, that’s so creative ✨
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Thank you.
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My pleasure 😇
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These are so pretty! Such a great idea and what lovely pieces to decorate with 💗
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Thank you Lisa. Nature has so much out there to inspire us all to create with. The other day I weaved a little nest basket with some Morning Glory vines I had growing around our house up north. It came out really cute. Maybe I will needle felt a little bird with some felt eggs to go in it.
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So Cute! I haven’t crafted with clay – yet. May have to pick some up. 🙂
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If you have candy molds you can use that for clay projects too but you won’t be able to make candy in them afterwards. I usually buy candy molds for plaster and clay, then add magnets and paint them. I am always on the hunt for molds.
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I like this! Creative with a very successful result.
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Thank you Anita, they are super easy too, so kids can make some.
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These are just darling!
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Thank you Laura, you can make these with your granddaughter. Find some little fairies or lady bugs to display in them.
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Omgosh! She’d be over the moon!
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This looks fun and actually doable (for me)! It’s on the list for next weekend. I’ll collect leaves this week. I hope my guys will want to make leaf bowls too!
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Your friend did an amazing clay piece, blowing kisses…this clay project is very basic and so much fun. Us beginners need baby steps when first working with clay. I wish I could sculpt something like your friend, that was a fun one to watch.
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Hello.
These are awesome. I do love them. I have never seen them. In my country people do many kind hobby things and learn to make them on courses, but this something new. Thank you.
Have a good day!
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Thank you, I hope you get the chance to make them. They are so easy. I make cement leaves from our giant Sunflower leaves but the clay is so much easier to work with. They look pretty hanging on walls, Christmas trees or even in frames. I bet tiny leaves would make a pretty necklace too. I use watercolors because they are so easy to travel with and take everywhere. Have fun making them and have a great weekend exploring out there.
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Adorable!
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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These are so cute! I am totally making this next year. Thanks for the awesome post 🙂
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Thank you so much, so happy you like them.
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I absolutely love this idea and it came out really well
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Thank you. Never a shortage of leaves that’s for sure, you are going to love making them. They are so easy.
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I tried this last year….you’re turned out way better! looks awesome 🙂
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Thank you. Sometimes photos make things look better then they are in person. I rolled my clay out very thin because I didn’t have a lot of clay left, also I used watercolors since they seem to blend better with each other, then I coated it with Mod Podge for extra strength and shine. I have made them thicker, and used acrylic paints but they also didn’t come out as good as this batch of bowls. Think the secret ingredient is using watercolors. They are fun to make aren’t they? I bet your leaves were beautiful.
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Thank you.
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I love this simple and beautiful bowl idea – I’m excited to give it a try when the leaves come back in Northeast America! Thank you!
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You’re very welcome, have fun making them.
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These are gorgeous!
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Thank you.
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