Real Maple Leaf Basket

The leaves are falling down.  The leaves are falling down.

Red, Yellow, Green, and Brown.

The leaves are falling down.

It’s that time of year again.  The holidays are approaching. It’s getting colder, the leaves are changing color and falling from the trees.

To help bring a little of the autumn softness into our home, I put together this maple leaf basket.

I had seen this on Pinterest, but all of them said to use fake leaves.  I didn’t want that.  I have beautiful maple trees on my property that are beautiful when the sun shines through their leaves.  That’s what I wanted for my home. 

It took a little extra finagling because nature made leaves have a mind of their own, but eventually it came out looking beautiful.  Here’s how I did it.

What you need:

Maple leaves (Pulled from the tree before they fall, if possible. An assortment of colors.)
A Balloon
A Bowl
Mod Podge
Foam Brush
Plastic Wrap

To prepare the leaves… Cut off the stem as close to the leaf as possible.

Next, Blow up the balloon so that the bottom is the size of the basket you want, and tie it off.  Place it, knot side down, in your bowl to keep it in place.

Brush a layer of Mod Podge over the balloon, as big as the size of your basket.

Once the glue becomes somewhat tacky, start layering the leaves over the balloon.

**Unlike fake leaves, real maple leaves are colorful on one side and dull on the other. 

Make sure that when you first start putting leaves on the balloon that they are colored side down.  That way the inside of your basket will be just as colorful as the outside.**

Place a leaf on the balloon, flattening it to the best of your abilities.  There is no way to make natural leaves completely flat.  There will be air bubbles and creases that you have to work around.

 

Brush a layer of Mod Podge over the top.

 

Do this repeatedly with every leaf. 

 

When the inside layer of your basket is done, flip the leaves over so the bright side is up, and place them over the inside layer. Keep going up as far as you want your basket to go.

**The higher up on the basket I went, I found it easier to brush the bottom of the leaf with Mod Podge before sticking it on, instead of covering every leaf once it was on.  This helped to make it not as slippery by limiting the glue.**

Now, because these were real leaves, some corners aren’t going to stay down as much as you want them to.  Once all the leaves are down, go through and brush some glue on the bottom of the edges that aren’t sticking.  Next, cover the balloon in plastic wrap to hold all of them down, and let it sit for close to an hour. 

Slowly peel away the plastic wrap and all the leaves should be flattened to the balloon.

   

Next, gently brush a layer of Mod Podge over the top of the whole thing.

Let dry overnight.

The next day, your leaves should be hardened onto the bottom of your balloon.  Take a sharp object and poke a small hole close to the tie on the balloon.  Slowly let out the air.

 

**If it looks as if the balloon isn’t pulling away from the leaves, you’ll have to gently help it along by peeling it away.**

**At this point, I did not have high hopes for this basket.  The dried glue came off with the leaves and some glue was still wet on the inside. It looked like a hot mess.

However, the inside dried, and I cut off the excess glue with a pair of scissors.  Once I was done, the basket looked lovely.**

Once your basket is done, you can put whatever you like inside of it, and it’s great to have to bring a little bit of that autumn peacefulness inside your home.

On a side note… The basket came out good.  After time, it will become more brittle since the leaves are drying out, but it feels great having made something from trees in my own front yard.  The process took longer than I thought, is REALLY messy, and I’ll probably never do it again, but it was a new experience that I wouldn’t change.

Happy Fall Y’all!!

**My mom made the recommendation to put it outside when I was through with it, and it would more than likely become some bird’s home.  I just might do that, and I will give you an update on how it turns out.** 

Until next time…

Happy DIY-ing!!!

Art Paper Box

In my house, art is a popular thing amongst my kids.  I always encourage them to have fun and create all the little things they can imagine.  We even have a special cabinet in our kitchen that’s designated for this.  That’s where we keep their chalk, magic sand, sensory balls, stickers, glue, markers, and more. 

What made no sense was that all their construction paper was stored in a cabinet in our hallway, to where they had to climb on a chair to get it.  I’m not exactly sure why it was there, but I knew that I needed to get the sheets to their cabinet. However, it had to be a way that kept the paper together, was easy for them to get to, and made it so paper wouldn’t become destroyed and thrown all over the inside of the cabinet.  (My kids can be little tornados sometimes.)

With this in mind, I came up with an idea, and I started to eye a box of Lucky Charms.

 

After everything, I now have a paper box that works great, and I couldn’t be happier.  Here’s how to make an easy, convenient, and non-obtrusive art paper box. 

What you need:

Empty cereal box
Pen / Pencil
Scissors / X-acto Knife

(Optional)

Wrapping Paper
Tape
Command Strips

First, find a cereal box that will fit the size of paper you want it to hold.

If you’re putting it on the inside of a cabinet door, like me, you will also have to make sure the box fits on the door without preventing it from shutting.

Place a piece of art paper on the box so you can judge where it will need to be cut.  Mark it.

Remove the paper and finish drawing your cut line, then take your scissors or X-acto knife and cut on your drawn line.  Make sure to cut both sides of your box.

              

**Don’t forget to cut out save those box tops to turn in at your child’s school! It’s such an easy way for them to raise money.**

There… your paper box is done.  You can stop here, and it would work just as well as mine.

 

However, I decided to dress up my box a little to make it more fun looking when the cabinet is opened.  I did this by wrapping it in playful wrapping paper.

Wrap and fold the box the same way you would a birthday or Christmas present, leaving the top open.

When that’s done, fold over the edges of the box at the top.

After a decent amount of paper is folded down into the box (enough so whatever parts of the box’s inside are showing will be covered in wrapping paper), cut off the excess.

Tape down the paper on the inside of the box.  **On the bottom and back, I used normal scotch tape, since I knew it wouldn’t be seen.  However, the inside that COULD be seen, I used double sided tape to make the appearance cleaner.**

I love how the finished product looked!

Except, I still needed to hang up the box.  This is where I broke into my supply of extra Command strips.  Yes, I keep everything!

I strategically placed the strips on the corners to best hold the weight of the paper, and stuck the box onto the inside of our art cabinet door.  Press and hold each strip for 30 seconds, and don’t load the box with paper for at least an hour.

 

**Side note: At first I put on Velcro Command strips, thinking that it would be great if I needed to take the box off for any reason.  However, they didn’t stick too well and made the box stick out more than normal. They easily came off, and I put on the sticky clear, and flat ones.  I’ve had no problems since then.  Trial and error, people! Trial and error!**

Now, our box is loaded with colored and white paper so the kids can easily get what they need.

It’s great watching them grab their paper and head off to create new projects. No more climbing on chairs or kids messing around in our adult office supplies.  It’s easy to make, convenient for the kids, and brings to mind so many more ideas I can make out of snack and cereal boxes.

Have you made anything amazing out of cereal boxes? 

What is the best thing you have done or made to make your life just a little bit easier?

Comment below to let me know!

Until next time…

Happy DIY-ing!!!

DIY Bug Jars

What does every little explorer need? Their very own bug jar to hold and carry their squirmy finds!!

My kids are notorious for going through loads of bug containers.  If it’s not my Mason jars that get lost or left outside, it’s the broken plastic ones that we bought from a store. (Those had no chance of surviving with my rambunctious children.)

After the gazillionth time of being asked for a container to hold a creepy crawly, I decided it was time for their very own, durable bug jars.  But what to make them out of??

Luckily, my family is full of pickle fanatics, I mean… my children even love pickle juice snow cones. **Shudder**

They had just finished off two pickle jars, and I snatched them before they were thrown away. 

The great thing about this project is that the ideas are endless!

Both my jars were 24oz, but any size can be used.

First, remove the label from the jar, and clean out the inside really well.  We don’t want to harm any of the animals because of leftover food! **Helpful Hint: Vlasic pickle jar labels come off super easy.  Water, soap, and lightly scrub off… Done!**

Now, what is a must have with every bug jar? AIR HOLES!!

Take a screwdriver and hammer, and gently tap through the lid to make small holes.

 

Oops, I accidently made one too big.  We don’t want any little insects escaping, especially in the house!  No problem, I just flipped the lid upside down and used the hammer to refold the metal back in place.

You can now leave the lid as is, but WE took ours outside and sprayed them different colors with metal spray paint. 

**Make sure to use a toothpick and clear out any air holes that got clogged with paint.**

It’s finally time to decorate! I knew I wanted to used everything foam, because if it gets wet it will dry just like new. Anything paper would disintegrate fast!

First, I cut out grass strips and hot glued them to the bottom of both jars.

 

Next, I got a ton of foam stickers, dropped them in a big pile, and told my kids to have at it!

 

This was their favorite part!  They could personalize it in any way they wanted, but I had to remind them that if they put too many stickers on, then they wouldn’t be able to see what was inside.  They did a great job!

As a secret surprise, they didn’t know that I had also gotten foam letters.

 

When they were done, I made the finishing touches and put their names on each jar, along with a little something extra.  They LOVED it!

That’s all that it took for them to have a bug jar whenever they needed, and my little explorers were off and hunting.  They are in charge of cleaning it out and not losing it, however it does still take “Mom” to remind them to let out their finds after a day, since the “animal/insect can’t live in a jar forever.”

So far in this short amount of time, my son has caught numerous insects, a praying mantis, and a GIANT insect my husband claims was a grasshopper. My daughter, who is outside more than inside and not afraid of anything, has had insects, a snake, and even a frog.  Okay, we’re going to be honest here… It was a toad.  LOL!

These jars are so fun that even my ten year old that was “too old for bug hunting,” now wants one. Score 1 for Mom!!

What other things have you made bug containers out of?  Or better yet…

What is the strangest/coolest thing that you or someone you know has caught?

Comment below to let me know!

Until next time…

Happy DIY-ing!!!