Remember absent relatives with these one-of-a-kind holiday leaf cards.

Materials

• Paper
• Autumn leaves

• Colored pencils or crayons
• Poster paint and brushes

Instructions

1. To make leaf rubbing cards, start by folding a sheet of paper in half widthwise and place a leaf, vein side up, inside the folded sheet. You will now have a card with a leaf hidden inside.

2. Use colored pencils or crayons to gently rub over the leaf so that the shape becomes visible on the cover of the card (switch colors midway to create a variegated leaf). Remove the leaf, then repeat with other leaves and colors.

3. To make painted leaf prints, first cover the work area with newspaper. Place a leaf vein side up on the newspaper and dab paint onto the leaf. (To create a multicolored effect, dab other colors onto the same leaf.) Carefully picking up the leaf, place it paint side down on the front of the card and press down on it to make a print (try a few test prints to figure out the right amount of paint.) Repeat with other leaves.

4. Finally, add a holiday message on the cover of the card.

Tips:

For both crafts, pick leaves while they're still on the tree. The dried-out variety will crumble if the artist gets too enthusiastic.

Variations:

Use this craft technique to make colorful place cards for the Thanksgiving table.

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Find more about:

• 1 Hour |
• All Ages |
• Autumn |
• Cards |
• Drawing Supplies |
• Leaves |
• Nature Projects |
• Painting Supplies |
• Paper Crafts |
• Preschooler |
• School Age |
• Thanksgiving |
• Toddler |
• Tween

Related Categories:

• Fall Nature Crafts |
• Backyard Nature Crafts |
• Preschool