The Rolls Royce of glitter meets the rustic charm of October foliage in today’s DIY tutorial. Here’s Polly to show you how you can add some autumnal sparkle to your fall wedding using German glass glitter and fallen leaves.
California doesn’t get a lot of extreme seasonal changes, but here in Oakland, we’re lucky to get a bevy of falling autumn leaves from our namesake oak trees. This week, the colors took a turn for the amazing, and I was immediately inspired! I’ve seen lots of wedding projects using fake leaves, but I wanted to make use of the real deal, especially since they’re beautiful, plentiful, and right outside my front door.
German glass glitter is one of my favorite craft supplies; unlike your average preschool-style glitter, it’s made from real glass and adds real class to anything you sprinkle it on. It’s wildly versatile and comes in all colors of the rainbow, so it’s perfect for wedding celebrations! I created a simple way to turn your fallen leaves into sparkling decorations for favor boxes, garlands, or to enhance place settings and tables with a bit of autumn magic.
Supplies needed:
1. Leaves (If you’re in a leaf-free zone, you can buy real pressed leaves on Etsy.)
2. White craft glue
3. German glass glitter (I get mine here)
4. Optional: archival pens in contrasting colors
Step 1: Make sure your leaves are clean and dry. With a popsicle stick or straight from the tube, spread glue on your chosen part of the leaf. You can add glue to just the tips, follow the natural veins or outline of the leaf, or cover the whole thing. It’s up to you!
Step 2: Dip the glue-covered area into the glitter. It should adhere right away, but if you want more to stick, press the leaf down into the glitter and hold. Allow to dry for 30 minutes.
Bonus step: Before gluing and glittering, you can dip the leaves in hot wax for added shine and posterity. (Here’s a more detailed tutorial for the waxing process.)
Step 3: If you like, write a message or draw a picture on each leaf with a pen. Now you’re ready to turn these leaves into tags, flags, table number cards, or whatever your creative mind comes up with!
I really love glitter on just about anything. I really like the idea of using glitter on a leaf and using it as a gift tag!
Can’t believe that leaves can make so many changes. Beautiful.