Fall-Themed Painted Leaves

Have your trees lost their leaves yet? Ours haven't. I think we have another week or two before that happens. But, let me tell you, Fall leaves are gorgeous, don't you think? Today, I have a leaf-inspired kids' craft. Leaves have such amazing shapes, so we decided to display them by painting over them to create outlines. But wait...it gets better. Instead of painting it on with a regular old paint brush, we poured it into a bottle and sprayed it on. Upgrade!  (I've been doing a lot of kids crafts lately, like the Cookie Cutter Pumpkin and the Eyeball Candle Holder Jars. I think that Fall just inspires me to be creative...probably because I'm no longer sweltering from the summer heat and my brain senses the relief!)

So check it out: leaf shapes, fall colors, and paint.

 You will need:
- paper (we used standard printer sized paper)
- an assortment of leaves (small ones work better than large ones)
- masking tape (double sided would be better, but we didn't have any)
- spray bottles
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup of warm water
- food coloring

To make the paint, combine water and cornstarch with your food color preference. We made orange and red paint. Add the paint to the spray bottles and set aside.

 

Next, add tape to the underside of each leaf and press them onto the paper. I recommend spreading them apart to create more dynamic shapes. Make sure the leaves lay flat on the paper. Use enough tape to keep the corners of the leaves from curling up.

Using the bottle filled with paint, spray each paper with paint.

Allow paint to dry completely before removing leaves.

 

Display so everyone can admire!

P.S. If you have leftover paint, you can also use it on the sidewalk for sidewalk spray paint chalk. I allowed Mac to use the rest of it outside, and he ended spraying the sidewalk, the trees, the bushes, my foot, and the house. (I cut him off after our house got some additional color) AND since the paint is made with food coloring, water, and cornstarch, it's non-toxic...which is great if your kid has a habit of eating paper.

A couple of additional tips:
-We used standard sized printer paper, but the larger the paper, the more leaves you can fit on a paper, and the more fun your project will be.
- The paint recipe is similar to a chalk recipe. So if you drench your paper in paint, it will end up flaking off. Don't drench the paper. OR you could try a different kind of liquid paint. I chose this paint because it was quick and easy to make.