The leaves are falling from the trees, and they are just too pretty to ignore until they need to be raked up and thrown away. So we decided that it might be fun to glue them to mason jars, similar to the tissue paper crafts that we once did as children. Spoiler alert: leaves are much more difficult to glue to glass than tissue paper. Anyway, we begin.
The neighbor had a beautiful maple tree with tons of leaves on the sidewalk for us to look through. We brought them back to the house and sorted them by color and size.
After that we spread out all the jars (quite the variety) and made sure they were all rinsed. We read a tutorial that recommended cleaning them with rubbing alcohol, but we didn't have any. I suppose this could've been our big mistake, but I doubt it.
Then we mixed up the homemade ModPodge. Which, as we found out previously, is just Elmer's glue and however much glue you use, add half that amount of water, and stir.
For best results, I recommend covering the jar with a thick coat of glue where you will be placing the leaf. Also add a layer of glue to the side of the leaf that is sticking to the jar. Once applied, paint more glue over the top of the leaf. You'll have to do this several times, and like us, you'll probably find that the redder the leaf, the harder it was to get them to lie flat.
I only made two, but my accomplices cranked out a bunch. Here they are, all sitting out to dry. That clue will dry and then they will be clear.
Here's a drier looking one.
Here's what it looks like with a tea light inside. Pretty good.
The general consensus was that this was a great craft. I'm inclined to say it's not my favorite, since it was difficult to get the leaves to lay down properly, and that was how I preferred them to be. Others liked the raised look. I thought it looked a bit sloppy, but who knows, maybe after a few more coats they could all be persuaded to lie flat.
What do you think? Have you tried something similar, and do you have some tips?
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