Fall Inspiration

I recently asked you guys if you had any spare BHG DIY mags and I was lucky to get a couple sent over. Thanks, Tracy! I've started an international subscription so future issues will arrive via my mail box.

Wille asked me what I like about it because he couldn't really see past the not always so stylish articles (being my very style concious son). I have to agree, some stuff in there looks like crap, some craft projects are less than awesome and some are even to awful to mention but I like the fact that there are a great deal of handy tips on techniques and tools and some great ideas too if you skip their color choices. And of course, there's Sherry and John :).

So to get to the point here. In the current Fall issue I saw this article on dressing up your front porch for fall and I was totally inspired to do some decorating of our front door. Usually I just decorate for Halloween and Christmas and the rest of the year there are flowers in planters and that's basically it. I didn't go as far as the photo above but I did make the maple leaf wreath you see here. Here's how:

I picked fallen leaves off my lawn and stuck the stems in a solution of 1/3 glycerol and 2/3 water and left them there for a couple of days. The glycerol (available over here in pharmacies) helps preserve the color of the leaves.

 The leaves were then left to dry on our old patio table in the garage for another day or so. I made two times what you see above which was enough for one medium sized wreath.

I bought a styrofoam wreath ring at the craft store and hot glued the leaves onto it one by one. Pleeeeease be careful with the hot glue! I was but still burned myself a couple of times. A bowl with ice water next to your project to dip your fingers into is a good thing as Martha would say.

Back in 1992 I made a wreath like this for a (old ladies...) magazine and at the time I hadn't seen them around much. Since then they've appeared in all sorts of places but I still think it's an awesome fall décore item.

Ps. I'm still interested in the Spring, Summer and Fall issues of 2008 and the summer 2009 issue of the magazine if you're finished with yours and wants to sell them to me. E-mail me!

Comments

[Anna, United Kingdom]

I think this is lovely. Do you think it would work well with other types of leaves?

[Marianne from France]

Great job Benita. Can't wait to see your Holidays Decor(s) in a few weeks !!!

[rabenfrau]

I like these wreaths very much! 2 years ago I made one out of leaves of another tree, (don't know the name of the tree, the leaves have the form of an egg) and I simply let them dry and then I wired them like pearls on a string and formed the wire into a ring. I like the idea of putting them in a glycerol solution first!
Rabenfrau

[carol k]

You did a beautiful job + it looks gorgeous on your house. Did you paint an exterior wall black? I don't remember it being black. We have not had enough Fall over here (northwest U.S.) to make a wreath (yet).
I revisted the BHG DIY magazine after your post mentioning it. I had seen it but not purchased one before. I agree about the color usage and styling. The tips are good! It would be great if there were a DIY publication with great styling AND tips.

[Jan Scott]

Maybe that's the book you should write - simple holiday decor using natural elements and recycled goods.

[Kari]

Gorgeous. Thanks for the inspiration. Our leaves are just starting to turn so maybe I will give this a try.

[Petra from the Netherlands]

Very nice!

Fall is definitely coming our way, but we don't have that many leaves yet. Maybe a stroll in the woods would solve that "problem"...

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

That's our front door being jet black. It's been black for a few years and before that fire engine red. I'm considering repainting it but we can't decide which color...

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

I'm sure other leaves work too, it's just that we have a lot of maples in our back yard and the color on them is so stunning this time of year.

[Franziska]

your wreath is soooooo beautiful! Really nice! My version made a few weeks ago is really dry now, maybe I'll try your version. Without glycerol I think.

[helen x]

This is such a great DIY project!
I'm seeing different projects with fall leaves~ framing the really colorful and complete ones looks really good as well (saw that one on Apartment Therapy).

[mirka]

simple, natural and beautiful. i had no idea about the glycerol. thanks

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

Oh, I think I saw that on AT too. Someone had made areally graphic pattern, so you couldn't really tell it was all leaves. Awesome!

[Pó de Arroz]

Olá, bom dia,
achei esta ideia maravilhosa. A coroa ficou linda!
Continua com estas ideias girissimas! Obrigada!

[Kellie]

Thanks for your inspiration! :)

http://kelliejdesignsboutique.blogspot.com/2009/09/making-fall-wreath.html

[angela]

i have a couple of questions for you.

do the leaves stay soft after you soak them in glycerol? could this wreath be saved to use again?

thank you.

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

Mine are still fairly soft but I remember the wreath I made in '92 did turn brittle in the end. The water turns quite gunky after the leaves have been in so i wasn't tempted to save it.

[angela]

thank you! i think i'll give it a try - i need something new for the front door and fall is WELL underway in my part of Canada! :-)

[BloggerGirl]

That is sooooo pretttyyy!

[maria]

Hello, Benita!
Congratulations, your blog is marvellous!
I hope you cam help me... i put some glycerol mixed with water in my leaves but something must be wrong because they don´t get dry :(
Do you know some "secret" to put everything well???
Thanks
Maria

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

The leaves won't dry completely right away. You attach them to your wreath form when they are still soft and after a while they dry. The glycerol is mainly there to keep the colors somewhat as the leaves are drying, not to make them dry. Air does that :).

[maria]

Thank you! I will try and then i wll send you a photo.
xx

[Natalie]

Very nice! I used real leaves to liven up a print I made. I love using things for free to make new pieces. Pics coming soon! Happy weekend! :)

[k]

You can't use hot glue on Styrofoam, so I'm wondering how you did this. Maybe floral pins would be a better option.

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

But I did use hot glue. If you look really closely you can even see the threads it leaves behind when you pull way. I think there are different types of the glue sticks and guns available though and this might be the not hottest one. It's a few year ago and I don't have that glue gun anymore so I can't check I'm afraid.