26 DIY Ideas for Decor with Leaves to Welcome Autumn

The beauty of the changing leaves is a starting point for these easy fall leaf decor ideas.

fall leaf placemats and napkin holders
Photo:

Kelsey Hansen

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

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Reusable Leaf Centerpiece

diy decor with leaves

Kelsey Hansen

This sprawling fall centerpiece is made from twigs and coffee-filter leaves. To create the leaves at home, dye coffee filters with water and food coloring. Allow time to dry and flatten with an iron. Attach the leaves to twigs and sticks with florist wire and craft glue.

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Cloth Leaf Wreath

diy fall leaf craft wreath

Kelsey Hansen

This fall wreath features classic autumn colors yet will last year after year. Cut leaf shapes out of canvas, and dab them with orange, yellow, and red paint. Stretch the canvas leaves with your hands to curl the leaf's edges. Attach the leaves to a wire frame, and enjoy the look of a fresh fall wreath all season long.

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Hanging Leaf Suncatcher

fall leaf decor hanging silhouette craft

Kelsey Hansen

These leaf suncatchers will fill the rooms in your home with the stunning colors of fall. To make these suncatchers at home, dip flattened leaves into melted beeswax to ensure the leaves don't crumble. Attach the leaves to a metal craft hoop with cording, allowing the leaves to hang in the center. Finally, hang the hoops with extra cording near a window to see your project's full effect.

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Leaf Place Mats

fall leaf placemats and napkin holders

Kelsey Hansen

These homemade leaf place mats are perfect for holiday get-togethers. First, scavenge leaves of different shapes and sizes. Then, adhere the leaves to cloth place mats with decoupaging adhesive. Once glued in place, cover the leaves in a second layer of adhesive to ensure they are sealed and ready for use. For the napkin-tie leaves, start with an old art class trick: pencil rubbing image transfers on paper. Then preserve them in beeswax.

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Fall Centerpiece with Leaves and Gourds

diy decor with leaves cloche pumpkins

Kelsey Hansen

Bring the outside in with this fall foliage centerpiece. Using a flat-bottomed gourd, begin cutting a hole and removing the insides down the center. Remove enough so that a small, glass tube vase can fit inside. Once you're finished carving out the gourd, place the vase and fall foliage inside the gourd. Choose fresh flowers or faux foliage that will last for years to come.

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Magnolia Leaf Place Card

Natural Beauty leaf name rag
Carson Downing

Set a stunning table with these handmade place cards. Use a metallic paint marker 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 is the perfect accent color for your indoor and outdoor fall leaf 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.

09 of 26

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 Tabletop Garland

fall centerpiece with magnolia leaves

Marty Baldwin

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

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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 wreath. To create this fall leaf decor, 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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Painted Leaves

fall leaf craft

Dana Gallagher

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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Fantastic Fall Color

leaf wreath

Kim Cornelison

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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Hearth-Warming Leaves

leaf mantel frame

Helen Norman

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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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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Fall Focus

fall leaf vases
Dana Gallagher

Grab a few glass jars or old florists vases for a quick seasonal update. 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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Grateful Display

leaf craft for thanksgiving

James Carriere

Showcase the meaning of the season with this pretty (and sentimental!) fall craft. Use a framed corkboard 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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Leaf Labels

fall leaf decor wine labels

King Au

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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Gorgeous Fall Garland

leaf garland

Kritsada Panichgul

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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Pressed-Leaf Ornaments

Leaf Ornaments

Jay Wilde

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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Pressed Leaves Between Panes

pressed leaves

Matthew Mead 

This simple DIY fall home decor is one of the easiest fall crafts for fresh fall leaf 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, 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.) Finally, wrap colored linen book cloth tape around the edges of the glass to secure.

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Pumpkins and Leaves

Spanning the Holidays

Alexandra Grablewski

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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Trimmed-Leaf Art

Leaf Shadow Frame

Jay Wilde

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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Table Garland

Tablecloth decorated with leaves

Kim Cornelison

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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Glittery Fall Leaf Swag

glitter leaves

Dana Gallagher

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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Framed for Fall

Nature¿s Art Gallery

William N. Hopkins

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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