We take into our piggy bank ideas of autumn crafts from natural materials
Autumn is a fertile time, delighting the summer resident with a generous harvest and the brightest colors. The original ideas of autumn crafts made from natural materials, even among people far from needlework, will awaken creative impulses, help preserve the beauty of fruits, flowers and leaves for a long time.
Working with natural materials captivates both adults and children. Joint activities can gather several generations at the desk at once, and will bring a lot of joy and benefit. The older generation will have a great rest from everyday affairs. And the creation of crafts in childhood:
- develops imagination;
- improves fine motor skills;
- allows the child to believe in himself and achieve success, solving the most extraordinary problems.
Things made with soul will find a worthy place in the interior, will be excellent gifts for friends and family.
Flowers from leaves
Autumn colors the leaves in incredible tones, brightness and variety rivaling only garden flowers. So why not use yellow, red, orange and crimson leaves to make lush roses, chrysanthemums, gerberas and other species.
Hand-made roses made from natural materials make a lasting impression. At the same time, nature does not limit the master. Excellent flowers are obtained from maple, aspen and elm leaves.
Before starting work, you need to take care of quality material. Autumn leaves for making flowers should be as fresh and elastic as possible. It is important that the leaf has a strong stalk.
In addition, the master will need:
- scissors or a sharp clerical knife;
- strong thread;
- stapler;
- instant glue;
- thin paper tape or special floral tape.
A bouquet of roses from leaves: step by step instructions
Maple leaves produce dense buds, very similar to luxurious garden roses.
- To make the texture of the "petals" as close as possible to the natural one, pre-prepared leaf plates are folded in half with the bright side outward. Smooth the fold line with the palm of your hand.
- The first leaf, which will become the base of the bud, is twisted tightly, and the bundle is fixed with a thread. The petiole will subsequently become part of the pink stalk.
- Subsequent petal leaves wind more freely, making a small lapel at the edge. It will add extra splendor to the flower.
- Each petal is fixed with several turns of thread, using glue or a stapler.
- When the flower takes on the desired shape, the leaf petioles from below are tightly wrapped with tape or tape.
- The flower is ready.
Man-made roses look great in a bouquet together with maple leaves, cereals, the last greens, bright rowan berries, chokeberries, hawthorn, wild rose or snowberry.
Spectacular open corollas of roses can be made from aspen and elm leaves. They are dense and resilient enough to maintain the shape of the petals, while the crimson color and small size give the flowers a special realism.
The technique for creating a bouquet is similar to that used for making a bouquet from maple leaves. Only you don't need to fold the plates.
When the work is completed, the flowers look amazing, but time is very fleeting. Literally in 2-3 days, the leaves begin to dry out, the colors fade. So that you don't have to part with the original bouquet or other under the tree, natural materials should be properly prepared.
Methods for preserving leaves and flowers
Since childhood, everyone knows about the simplest way to keep the shape of autumn leaves. They only need to be transferred with paper and dried in a book. This option can be used if you have to create a mosaic, picture or panel.
The advantage of the method is simplicity and complete preservation of the shape of the leaves. The disadvantages include the fragility of the dried material and the loss of the initially bright color. Red and yellow shades on the leaf plates are replaced by brown, copper and bronze shades.
Plants left in the book dry at room temperature, which slows down the process. If you don't want to wait, the prepared leaves and flowers can be shifted with white paper and ironed with a moderate iron.
If you want to cut flower silhouettes, petals or other shapes from leaves, this must be done before drying. Otherwise, the leaf plates will simply crumble.
Another method will help to preserve the plasticity of natural material for crafts. While holding the flowers or leaf plates, they are immersed in hot paraffin and then carefully dried by hanging them by the cuttings. At the same time, the natural color changes, but very slightly. A thin coating protects the plant material from fragility.
Glycerin, mixed with water in a ratio of 1: 2, retains both the color and the vibrant texture of the leaves, but such processing requires at least a week.
Rowan, acorn and other fruit beads
Autumn fruits of rose hips, red and chokeberry, hawthorn and acorns are a great base for luxurious beads. Young beauties will surely like this decoration.
To make a necklace, the craftswoman will need:
- strong thread;
- needle;
- dense, not overripe fruits that do not crumple when pierced;
- acorn caps, which are convenient to use as "bead" restraints.
Fruits and berries strung on a thread do not serve as a decoration for long. After 1 - 2 days, the fruits lose their elasticity and begin to dry. Do not throw away your loving craft. If you dry the edible beads well, in winter they will saturate with useful substances, enrich the taste and aroma of tea, jelly or compote.
Long-lasting beads are obtained from acorns and nuts collected in the fall.
Crown of autumn leaves
Another precious adornment for the little princess will be a crown of flowers and leaves. It can be made like a wreath by intertwining the cuttings of maple leaves and stapling them with a thread or a stapler.
It is even easier to assemble an original crown based on thick paper. This work is within the power of the youngest princess, who will like to change the image of her own free will.
Candlesticks and candles made from natural materials
Among the crafts made from natural materials are candles and original candlesticks for them. Collected and dried flowers, leaves, fruits will help to decorate ready-made candles. You just need:
- melt some paraffin;
- apply it with a brush to the side surface of the selected candle;
- quickly, until the composition has frozen, fix a suitable dried flower on it.
To keep dry plants firmly on the craft and not break, cover the already fixed decor with liquid paraffin. When the composition hardens, the candle can be used for its intended purpose or decorate the interior with it.
Tiny but very cute candles are made from walnut shells and acorn caps. Making them is not difficult at all.
For the wick, take small pieces of a harsh thread, and wax or paraffin melted in a water bath is used as filling.The composition is poured into dried shells with a wick previously placed in the center. After that, it remains only to wait for the candle to solidify.
If an autumn family holiday is expected in the house, decorate the table with unusual candlesticks made of fruits. These can be strong ruddy apples, quince fruits or small decorative pumpkins with brightly colored bark. To make such a candle and candlestick set:
- focusing on the diameter of the candle, make a hole in the fruit with a sharp knife;
- choose excess pulp;
- set a candle in an impromptu candlestick;
- the junction can be decorated with moss, small twigs, viburnum fruits, snowberries, rose hips or cones juniper.
Another option will appeal to everyone who does not have time for lengthy preparations, but really want to decorate the interior with the help of natural materials. For a spectacular flower candle you will need:
- a glass or vase made of thin transparent glass;
- cylindrical wax or paraffin candle;
- dried plants.
The candle is firmly fixed at the bottom of the glass, and the remaining free space is freely filled with fruits, flowers and herbs, so that the plant decoration does not fall into the flame zone.
Panels, paintings and applications from natural materials
Panels created from flowers and leaves help to preserve the beauty of autumn nature. These can be flat paintings, three-dimensional images and even mosaics from plant fragments. This kind of creativity delights children, who can make a drinking contribution to work on a large wall panel or come up with their own scene.
For work you will need:
- cardboard, thick paper, canvas or other material that will become the background of the future painting;
- dried leaves, herbs and flowers, dried flowers;
- instant glue;
- scissors or utility knife.
Persistent and safe acrylic paints will help to paint the background. They will also come in handy if pine or spruce cones and twigs are used to decorate the panel.
You can paint the leaves with a white, gold or silver permanent marker. Convenient if cardboard, paper or canvas is fixed on a stretcher. This will simplify the work and make it easy to mount the finished work on the wall.
Armed with scissors and a set of colored pens, you can do applique work with your child, cutting out cute figures or their fragments from leaves.
Wreath of autumn fruits and leaves
A spectacular home decoration is a wreath of branches, fruits and leaves. Traditionally, a similar decor element can be seen on Christmas Eve, but why not hang a wreath on your door to celebrate autumn. It will cheer you up, and the work on its creation will bring satisfaction to any home master.
The base for a decorative wreath can be made from wire, vines, or flexible branches. In the latter case, the shoots are twisted fresh, and then carefully dried. In addition, the master will have to stock up on:
- instant drying glue;
- narrow masking tape for preliminary fixation of leaves, grasses and branches;
- scissors;
- with a sharp stationery knife;
- thin floral wire.
An incredibly bright attractive wreath is obtained from physalis. Its orange lanterns, even when dry, retain their exquisite shape, lightness and color.
Autumn is the time to prepare decorations for the winter holidays. If fresh fruits and yellow leaves do not survive until the New Year, then the rose hips or hawthorn fruits dried directly on the branches are very durable.
It is even easier to assemble a wreath of pine cones. This material is traditionally associated with winter. But with acrylics and a paintbrush, the buds turn into lush summer flowers that are timeless.
Frames for photos
Photo frames are made according to the same principle as decorative wreaths. You can decorate the craft using shells from nuts, acorn caps, twigs and dried fruits. The choice is great.The main thing is that the selected elements are resistant and durable. Natural fragments glued to a wooden or plastic base should be dried and varnished again.
Autumn garland of natural materials
Autumn, at the time of leaf fall, it is still too early to get Christmas garlands, but you can make a unique luminous decoration for the interior. To do this, the dried leaves are fixed on a thin garland with tape or glue.
The decoration will create the atmosphere of golden autumn in the house, allowing the shining golden casting to spin in the air day and night.
Leaf Dishes
It seems that fragile dried leaves can crumble with any careless touch. However, in skillful hands, this natural material sometimes turns into amazing creations. One of these crafts is an openwork decorative dish.
For work you will need:
- dried leaves;
- PVA glue;
- brush;
- scissors;
- Balloon;
- a thread.
The basis of the future dish will be a balloon inflated to a density. For greater convenience, it is placed in a vase or bowl so that the structure is motionless and stable. The upper part of the ball is evenly lubricated with glue, on which leaves are placed in random order. They should also be treated with glue, paying particular attention to overlapping areas.
The bottom of the leaf dish is made thicker than the walls. This will give the accessory stability and strength.
The last layer of foliage is once again coated with glue and the craft is left to dry completely. You can remove the ball by blowing it off or simply puncturing it. When the dish is dry, you can trim the edge with regular scissors.
The interior decoration will fit into any interior. The dish is not only beautiful but also functional. It is perfect for storing small items.
Nature is inexhaustible, like human fantasy. In the fall, there is less and less work at the summer cottage, so why not take advantage of the last, warm days to collect natural materials for crafts. Ideas are in the air, you just need to spy on them from nature and bring them to life.