Autumn Leaves, Pressed and Pretty

Upon the coming threats of Hurricane Sandy last Sunday, I made the last minute decision to hop in my boyfriend's truck and hitch a ride up to Northampton, Massachusetts with him. Given the devastation to New York City public transportation, I ended up with a week-long Western Mass vacation! And coming from my cement jungle, I couldn't help but notice the beautiful autumn foliage. Walking the path between my boyfriend's home and downtown Northampton, picking up colorful leaves was just about impossible to resist.

What to do with them? Press them, of course! Fast and beautiful art.

Place your leaves neatly between the pages of a book.

Close up your book and put it at the bottom of a pile of books. The heavier the better! Leave them there for a few days to get good and flat.

Now brush a healthy coat of Mod Podge (or similar glue/sealer) on your paper, underneath where you will place the leaf.

Quickly! Before it dries! Place your leaf where you'd like it on the page and seal it with a full coat of Mod Podge. For a consistent finish, coat the entire surface of the page.

Give your leaf another coat or two, until it is satisfactorily glued to the page.

After they're dry, put them back under that pile of books for a few days if your paper curled from the glue. And once I get home to my calligraphy pens, I think I might label my leaves in pretty cursive for a little extra something.



I picked up this beauty today, so it's not ready quite ready for gluing. But I'm excited about it! I love the contrast of all those itty bitty leaves to my large, singular leaves. And that it will run off the page at the edges. A bit unexpected, I think.

Frame, or just hang up with push pins or binder clips for some beautiful fall wall art! I'll post pictures once I get mine finished and hanging.

With love,

Click here to see the finished product...

For more on pressing, check out last spring's flower pressing post...