Leaf Mobile

This is the first autumn my kids have really been able to experience the falling of colorful leaves. The twins were born in Colorado, in February. Since then, though, we've lived in Texas and Hawaii mostly. They were really excited to see all of the colors on the tree right outside their window, and I was actually surprised to see how much fun they had leaf hunting. They especially loved the red ones.

They wanted me to save a bunch of them, and I just happened to know how. After preserving them, I used them to make a falling leaves mobile, which they love.

To be clear, this mobile is NOT kid proof. I hung mine up near the ceiling. The leaves are preserved, but not protected against crushing damage.


Things you need:

Freshly fallen leaves
Newsprint
Mod Podge
Paint brush
Thread
A stick

How we did it:

Press Leaves - Lay fresh, supple leaves between layers of newsprint, and put something on top to weigh it down. Newsprint is more absorbent than most other printed paper, so it helps keep the leaves from retaining their moisture. I used the voter information booklet that was mailed to me (after I read it). You should weigh it down evenly. I put the booklet under my bamboo cutting board so it was out of the way, and evenly smashed. They should stay here for a week or two. The air is super dry in Colorado, so it only took about a week.

Seal Them - Paint an even layer of Mod Podge on both sides of each leaf. I applied two coats to each, allowing them to dry completely in between. Their color came back, and they regained some of their flexibility.

Hang Them - There are probably a lot of things you could think up to do with the leaves at this point. What I did was string them to a stick using beading thread. Another idea is decoupaging a jar to make a pretty candle holder like this.