22 Easy Crafts Made with Colorful Fall Leaves

Natural Beauty leaf name rag — Photo: Carson Downing

Looking for fall decorating ideas? Bring the beauty of colorful fall foliage indoors for some DIY fall home decor. All of our fall leaf crafts use decorative leaves to create seasonal home accents that can stay up from early fall all the way through Thanksgiving. We have what you need for indoor and outdoor fall decor. Plus, get our best ideas for displaying your fall craft projects.

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Metallic Magnolia Leaf Wreath

metallic-painted magnolia leaves wreath hanging on striped wall — Adam Albright

Stunning shades of gold, copper, and silver shine in this handmade magnolia wreath. You won't believe how easy it is to make. It comes together in just three steps: paint, attach, and hang.

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Magnolia Leaf Place Card

Set a stunning table with these handmade place cards. Use a metallic paint marker ($6, The Home Depot) to write your guest's name on the underside of a magnolia leaf. Display the finished piece on a simple white napkin and patterned dishware. Finish decorating your holiday table with a handmade magnolia garland centerpiece.

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Copper Leaf

gold metallic painted leaves on blue plates — Cameron Sadeghpour

Bright, shiny copper leaves are the perfect accent piece for your indoor and outdoor fall decor—just picturing a copper wreath has us excited! They're also a great alternative to a fall color palette if traditional reds and oranges don't fit your scheme. Use copper spray paint (or any metallic leafing material) to dress up plain leaves in any of your favorite fall leaf crafts. Grab a few leaves from the yard and start copper leaf-ing!

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Leafy Wreath

Wreath made of fall leaves — Helen Norman

Don't feel like raking that pile of leaves in the yard? Try one of our favorite fall decorating ideas: Turn them into an easy fall wreath instead! Use florists wire, tape, or pins to attach bundles of bright leaves to a wreath form. Mix the leaf colors in each bundle, or separate them to create an ombré look for easily customized outdoor fall decor.

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Magnolia Leaf Tabletop Garland

thanksgiving table with white napkins — Marty Baldwin

Another favorite fall home decor craft: Instead of a fall centerpiece, make a stunning DIY tabletop garland. Magnolia leaves, seasonal greenery, and clementines are wired together to create a draped garland that's sure to wow. Add fragrance and texture with cinnamon sticks.

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Glittery Fall Leaf Swag

Fall leaf crafts and glitter? We think yes. This outdoor fall decor adds a little glam to your fall front door with a glittery hanging display. To make, coat leaves with crafts glue and sprinkle with glitter. Let dry completely. Once dry, hot-glue a ribbon to the end of each piece. Gather them together and hang in a sparkly bunch.

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Plaid Leaf Wreath

Wreath made of branches and fall leaves — Jason Donnelly

A quick coat of paint transforms plain brown leaves into a colorful accent. To create this fall wreath, paint flat leaves with a simple plaid pattern and let dry. Wire the leaves and other fall accents on a simple grapevine wreath form and hang.

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Pressed Leaves Between Panes

This simple DIY fall home decor is one of the easiest fall leaf crafts for fresh fall decor. Preserve the vibrant hues of fall foliage between two pieces of glass for framed art using decorative leaves. First, press leaves between the pages of a book. When the leaves are completely dry, simply place a pressed leaf (or two or three) between two pieces of glass. (Have the pieces cut to the desired size by a local glass cutter or home improvement store.) Wrap colored linen book cloth tape around the edges of the glass to secure.

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Painted Leaves

Freshly fallen leaves are beautiful all on their own. Showcase their natural beauty with simple patterns made using paint pens. We love how these work as place cards, or use them as part of a fall table centerpiece. Try this easy kids craft to get the whole family involved in this year's DIY fall home decor.

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Leaf Wreath

Wreath made of leaves, branches, seed pods, and pinecones — Kim Cornelison

This easy handmade wreath showcases the beauty of preserved leaves and floral accents. Dress up a plain wreath with small brown leaves, dried lotus pods, and pinecones. Use florists wire and hot glue to secure them to the form.

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Leaves Span the Holidays

These no-carve pumpkins will last from Halloween through Thanksgiving. Gather leaves from your yard and decoupage them onto pumpkins. Place the decorated pumpkins around your house to enjoy throughout the fall season.

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Blooming Fall Wreath

natural woodsy wreath on door — Jacob Fox

Bring your favorite fall hues to your home with this stunning fall magnolia wreath. Autumn foliage and seasonal faux flowers are the stars of this easy fall leaf craft. We'll show you how to transform a twig wreath into a beautiful piece of fall outdoor decor.

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Framed for Fall

A simple pressed fern branch makes a seasonal art statement. Place a dry (but not brittle) fern branch between layers of newspaper, then top with several heavy books to press. Glue photocopies of pages from old books or newspapers to the backing of a picture frame. Decoupage the pressed branch to the page background and place in the picture frame, then hang your work of art.

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Fantastic Fall Color

Craft a striking wreath that incorporates all the colors of fall. Layer brown leaves and pinecones with vibrant mums and yarrow in shades of red and yellow. Pick up fresh finds on a nature walk, or use artificial items from a crafts store.

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Table Garland

Turn an ordinary white tablecloth into a fall sensation. Center the tablecloth on your table. Just below the top edge of the table, hot-glue or pin grosgrain ribbon onto the tablecloth. From fall-color card stock and decorative paper, trace various leaves; cut out. Glue them in clusters to the ribbon. Glue just the centers of the leaves so the edges curl up to mimic natural leaves.

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Fall Focus

For a quick seasonal update, grab a few glass jars or old florists vases. Attach dried leaves to pieces of card stock, and curl the papers inside the jars to display. Heavy jars make fantastic bookends.

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Hearth-Warming Leaves

Accentuate a beautiful frame with some fall foliage. First, string ribbon across an empty frame through S hooks, then hang pressed leaves on the ribbon. This easy DIY project makes a great accent piece.

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Gorgeous Fall Garland

This parade of fall leaves proves that handmade garlands aren't just for the Christmas season. The holiday classic can be adapted for any celebration, and this one is just right for autumn, Halloween, or Thanksgiving. Gather an assortment of colorful fall leaves (we used oak leaves) and use a needle to thread them onto a string; secure with knots at the ends. Tack your garland onto the edge of a table, across a stair rail, or around a door frame.

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Leaf Labels

For fun labels, trace the outline of a leaf onto card stock and cut out. Host a wine-tasting party and use these festive labels to help guests identify their favorites.

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Pressed-Leaf Ornaments

As ornaments or handmade gift tags, these transformed leaves are sure to delight. Use spray adhesive to adhere pressed, varnished leaves to card stock. Trim around the edges, leaving a 1/4-inch space. Punch a hole at the top and tie pretty ribbon through.

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Trimmed-Leaf Art

A maple leaf takes flight when it turns into artwork. Trim a butterfly head from the top point of a maple leaf. Press the leaf in a book until dry; spray the leaf with varnish to preserve its color. Mount it in a floating frame as a sentiment of the season.

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Grateful Display

Showcase the meaning of the season with this pretty (and sentimental!) fall craft. Use a framed cork board to display cut paper leaves. Write what you're thankful for on each leaf and use as part of your Thanksgiving decor.

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