Because nature does such a spectacular job of creating beautiful colors and textures in our fall leaves, why not use this as inspiration to bring it into our home? I also love the idea of filling the space in between the ceiling and tabletop in unusual ways for special occasions. Combining the colorful fall leaves with a way to be visually appealing above my table lead me to the thought of making these Leaf Tendrils for my Thanksgiving table decor.
***Wanna skip to the how-to video? Click here
Leaf Tendrils:
First step was gathering all the necessary supplies. Many of these I already had, but the few supplies I needed to purchase were not expensive which is always a WIN.
The next step to create my Leaf Tendrils I gathered leaves from the neighborhood, washed and dried them on paper towels. Often people will press the leaves at this point, but I opted to not do this as I wanted them to be more textured and freeform. But you do you.
Once completely dried, using a foam brush I applied Mod Podge on one side of the leaf. (Note: You can also use 1/3C water to 1C glue to make your own Mod Podge.) After the leaves were thoroughly dried I applied Mod Podge to the other side of the leaves and allowed them to dry completely.
Sidenote: If I were to do this again, I might opt instead for the matte version of Mod Podge. Having said that, the candles and chandelier played off the slight shine on the leaves, so maybe that is the best way to go. Either way, it works. It’s really just personal preference.
1.5” chiffon ribbon in beige – Photo by Amazon
I spaced my leaves out in bunches, but let those creative juices flow for your own vision. After applying the leaves, I used the additional fall items to play and create and JEUGE! (Michael’s was having 60% off fall items so I scored great deals on fall floral decor and cut them up to use with my own design.) I only applied leaves to one side of the ribbon, but you could definitely do both sides. I think I would go with a sturdier ribbon if you were going to apply to both sides.
Once I was confident everything was dry and secure, it was time to complete the installation. With a step ladder (of course, I’m “Fun-size”) I tied the varying sized ribbons from the chandelier in my dining room. Then my wonderful hubbie pinned additional ribbons into the ceiling near the chandelier so the ribbons cascaded down as a focal point to the dining table.
This was an inexpensive project that provided great visual impact—the pictures don’t really do it justice, but I tried. 🙂 The tendrils came out so pretty and I received so many compliments. Let me know if you gave this a try and how you tweaked it to make it work for you! Be sure and subscribe to Fun with Fun-Size for more FUN seasonal craft projects and Follow me on Intagram and Pinterest @FunwithFun_Size.. Happy Fall!