Fall-Themed Painted Leaves

Have your trees lost their leaves yet? Ours haven't. I think we have another week or two before that happens. But, let me tell you, Fall leaves are gorgeous, don't you think? Today, I have a leaf-inspired kids' craft. Leaves have such amazing shapes, so we decided to display them by painting over them to create outlines. But wait...it gets better. Instead of painting it on with a regular old paint brush, we poured it into a bottle and sprayed it on. Upgrade!  (I've been doing a lot of kids crafts lately, like the Cookie Cutter Pumpkin and the Eyeball Candle Holder Jars. I think that Fall just inspires me to be creative...probably because I'm no longer sweltering from the summer heat and my brain senses the relief!)

So check it out: leaf shapes, fall colors, and paint.

 You will need:
- paper (we used standard printer sized paper)
- an assortment of leaves (small ones work better than large ones)
- masking tape (double sided would be better, but we didn't have any)
- spray bottles
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup of warm water
- food coloring

To make the paint, combine water and cornstarch with your food color preference. We made orange and red paint. Add the paint to the spray bottles and set aside.

 

Next, add tape to the underside of each leaf and press them onto the paper. I recommend spreading them apart to create more dynamic shapes. Make sure the leaves lay flat on the paper. Use enough tape to keep the corners of the leaves from curling up.

Using the bottle filled with paint, spray each paper with paint.

Allow paint to dry completely before removing leaves.

 

Display so everyone can admire!

P.S. If you have leftover paint, you can also use it on the sidewalk for sidewalk spray paint chalk. I allowed Mac to use the rest of it outside, and he ended spraying the sidewalk, the trees, the bushes, my foot, and the house. (I cut him off after our house got some additional color) AND since the paint is made with food coloring, water, and cornstarch, it's non-toxic...which is great if your kid has a habit of eating paper.

A couple of additional tips:
-We used standard sized printer paper, but the larger the paper, the more leaves you can fit on a paper, and the more fun your project will be.
- The paint recipe is similar to a chalk recipe. So if you drench your paper in paint, it will end up flaking off. Don't drench the paper. OR you could try a different kind of liquid paint. I chose this paint because it was quick and easy to make.

Eyeball Candle Holder Jars

I'm not a huge fan of Halloween. I don't like creepy things, but Mac has 3 Halloween shirts. And we made this eyeball jar the other day. So, maybe I am contradicting myself? Perhaps.

A couple of days ago, Mac and I made eyeball candle holder jars. They were pretty fun. Other than getting his fingers sticky, he loved making them. It's a quick and easy project for a four-year old. And it uses lots of eyeballs. How cool is that?

After Mac finished his eyeball jar, he proudly carried it around the house for the next couple of days (without a candle, of course). He was disappointed when I told him he couldn't drink out of it. He also repeatedly showed his younger brother, "Look! An eyeball jar!" Cheese had no idea what he was looking at. Mac was even planning on taking it to school for Show 'N Tell, but changed his mind at the last minute.

Anyway, this was fun for the both of us to do. And here's how we did it:

Supplies needed:
- jar
- orange tissue paper
- Mod Podge
- sponge brush
- a package of wiggle eyes

Start by crumpling your tissue paper to give a wrinkled look.

Tear the tissue paper into strips. Ours were about 6 inches long and 1 inch wide.

Using the sponge brush and the Mod Podge, cover approximately 1/4 of the jar.

Press the tissue paper strips on top of the wet Mod Podge. Continue painting Mod Podge in sections and covering with tissue paper until the entire jar is covered.

Once the jar is covered, do a second coat of Mod Podge, and cover with an additional layer of tissue paper. Continue with the second coat until the entire jar is covered.

Paint a section of the jar with Mod Podge, and stick on the wiggle eyes however your heart desires.

Once you have finished sticking on the eyes, allow to dry for about 10 minutes or so. (It doesn't need to be completely dry). Paint one more coat of Mod Podge over the entire jar including the eyes. Be sure to paint in the crevices between the eyes to keep them from falling off after it dries. Allow it to dry for several hours.

 A couple of tips:
-When painting over the eyes, make sure to use long brush strokes instead of blotting on the Mod Podge. Blotting creates tiny bubbles that will dry in the Mod Podge, which create a whitish film over the eyes.
-Instead of tearing strips of tissue paper, consider tearing tissue paper into 1 inch squares. This will probably be a little easier to arrange on the jar. I didn't think about this until after we finished.