DIY Colorful Leaf Runner
/My table is a constant dump zone at my house. Pretty much any flat surface becomes a place to put things down “just for a minute” aka a month. Because of this, I decided that my flat surfaces didn’t need to be clear, but they did need to not have clutter. The best way for me to do this was to decorate them! Since everything for fall has pretty much the same orange and brown color scheme, I figured I’d make my own table runner this year. Would you believe I made it with some leaves I got from the Dollar Tree?! Yep, just $3 for 3 packs of these bad boys, plus some acrylic paints that I had on hand. I say it all the time, but my favorite way to do crafts is by popping on a seasonal movie after everyone has gone to sleep and getting to crafting! This time, I watched The Object of My Affection (streaming on Hulu and HBO Go) with a glass of wine. In case you’ve never seen it, it’s The One Where Rachel Falls in Love With Phoebe’s Second Gay Ex-Husband, Mike. Just kidding- kinda. This project was a great way to get in the spirit, but I also think this would be fun to make while watching all the Friends Thanksgiving episodes in a row! You all know I’m a huge Friends fanatic, and I love to watch the holiday episodes.
The final result is a pretty (but not stuffy) table runner that you can use in your decor every year. I don’t recommend putting food on or near it, since it’ll probably stain the leaves. But, it’s perfect to use leading up to Thanksgiving dinner on your table, buffet or entry table!
Directions:
Paint your leaves in your choice of colors. I used Martha Stewart paints because they’re nice and thick. The colors I used were Pumpkin, Mermaid Teal, Strawberry, Pink Raspberry, Mango and Moonstone Purple. I used lighter colored paints for lighter leaves, and moved up with the colors from there. I did 2 coats for the purple because it was light.
Note: I tried a few different methods for painting the leaves. The fastest method is to take a large box (like an amazon box!) unfold it, and place it across your table. Lay out your leaves in sections, and paint each section in your choice of colors. This allows for less thinking (just keep painting until you run out of leaves in your section) and also goes faster because you don’t have to stop to make more space or shuffle things around.
Once your leaves have dried, assemble them on your tulle or fabric. You want to come up with a general plan for them, and then start gluing as you go! I used fabric glue so that it was still flexible to fold up and store away easily. Put down your wax paper as a buffer to protect your surfaces.
*Note #1: don’t use Fabri-Tac on varnished furniture.
To get the same look I had, you’ll want to glue your leaves facing outwards along the edge of your tulle. Do this for the full perimeter. I didn’t cut my tulle (yet) because I wanted to make sure I had enough leaves!
*Note #2: Fabri-Tac took my nail polish off and kinda melted it. Be careful when using it with a manicure! I was wearing regular polish, not gel.
Put a row of leaves going in between the leaves you just glued down, alternating the colors. I didn’t follow a pattern so that it looked natural.
Put a leaf in the middle, alternating the direction. I wasn’t too cautious about bald spots or gaps because it added to the “tossed leaf” look. If you dislike that, you can pile them on but be sure you have enough leaves!
After you glue down your leaves, peel it off the wax paper so it doesn’t get stuck on when it dries. I let mine dry laying flat, glue side up.
That’s all folks! The most time consuming part of this project is painting the leaves. If you want to save time, you could always spray paint them instead! Personally, I find painting to be somewhat therapeutic which is why I always go for acrylic paint. Spray paint would also go on with better coverage, if you’re interested in more vibrant colors!
What do you think of this project? Will you be making it for your Thanksgiving decor? Where will you put it? Let me know in the comments below!
