Turning leaves into art

Three craft ideas with autumn leaves

Who says leaves are only good for rustling underfoot? The most colourful finds of autumn make proper works of art.

Red, yellow, orange – all unique and beautiful. Right now the forest floor is the finest art supply shop for miles around, a treasure trove for small artists. Collect the prettiest, brightest, biggest ones you can find. Then it's off to the craft table!

The suncatcher
Lay your leaves between two sheets of baking paper, scatter a few wax crayon shavings on top, and iron over it gently (grown-ups do the ironing). The heat melts wax and paper into a single translucent sheet. The leaves hang there in the middle, as if frozen in place. Cut it out, stick it to the window, and there's your little stained-glass window for autumn. In the sunlight the veins light up like tiny maps. Who can spot the most interesting shape?

Leaf rubbings
Place a leaf ribbed side up underneath a thin sheet of paper. Now rub over it with a wax crayon held flat, using the long side rather than the tip. As if by magic, the whole skeleton of the leaf appears: every vein, every jagged edge. The trick behind it is simple: the raised parts of the leaf pick up the colour, the dips stay white. Gather different leaves and try several colours on one sheet. You'll end up with a whole meadow of them.

The leaf crown
Now for the royal treatment. Cut a strip of sturdy paper or card to fit around the head and glue the day's most colourful finds all the way round: big leaves at the back, small ones at the front, and perhaps a chestnut or a conker husk in between. Finally, glue or staple the ends together. Who'll be wearing the grandest crown at the autumn parade?

Looking for more creative ideas? At the Familienhotels Südtirol every walk in the woods turns into a little art project. Come and see us!

The Obletter & Riffeser families
Family Spa Grand Hotel Cavallino Bianco

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