Autumn Leaf Garland (salt dough)

 

Autumn is a magical time of year and one of the things we look forward to the most, if the beautiful display of colourful leaves that come with the seasonal change.

This tutorial with guide you in creating your own salt dough autumn leaves that you can make into a garland. They are also wonderful to just create fragrant leaves that you can have around your seasonal display, nature table or table centerpiece. You can also create smaller leaves to turn into Autumn necklaces.

 

What you'll need

• 1 cup Flour
• 1/2 cup Salt
• Warm water
• 3 tsp Mixed spice/pumpkin spice mix
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• Toothpick
• Knife or dough tool
• Paint & brushes 
• Twine
• Mod podge or rust oleum to seal
• 2x Acorn caps
• Drill

How to make your Autumn leaves

1. Pre-heat your oven to 120c
2. Create your salt dough by combining the flour, salt, spice mix and cinnamon. Slowly add warm water as you are mixing, until your dough forms a playdough-like consistency and knead for a few minutes. Colouring is optional. 
   
3. Roll your dough out and using your knife cut your leaf shapes into the dough. Remove the excess dough and transfer your leaves to a lined baking tray. Using a toothpick, gently push your leaf lines into the dough. Then create a hole in each leaf by pushing your toothpick through and moving it in a circle motion until you have the desired hole to fit two strands of twine.
   
4. Pop into the oven for 1-1.5 hours depending on the thickness until they are ready. Allow to cool. Use this time to drill holes through the acorn caps.
5. Using a range of autumn colours, paint the leaves then using a smaller paint brush, select a different colour to paint your leaf lines with for a little extra detail. 
   
6. Once dry you can seal the paint onto your leaves using mod podge or rust oleum. Gloss or matte is up to you. We used a gloss for the ones pictured.
   
7. Once your sealant has dried completely, cut your desired length of twine, allowing a little excess. Slip knot your twine through the first leaf the thread your acorn cap on, tie a knot above the cap to secure it.
   For each leaf following, slip knot them by keeping the loop quite wide as you gently thread your already tied leaves through, then tighten your slipknot.
   Once you are up to the end leaf, thread your acorn cap through the top of the cap, BEFORE you slip knot it. Thread the other leaves gently through the slip knot then tighten it, threading the end twine through the acorn from the bottom of the cap. Tie a knot above the acorn cap to secure it. 
   Your garland is done!