Metallic Leaves on Canvas

I have a Fall Bucket List. I'm doing pretty good at it.

One of the items on my list is to collect and preserve leaves. I have not done so well with that.

But fear not, friends, because I have a pretty fun project up my sleeve that gives you the joy of leaves in the Fall AND metallics and smooshes them all together and then your brain explodes.

Kidding.

But this is a pretty sweet way to add some glam to your Fall decor without breaking the bank.

This project cost me all of $3.00 because I had a majority of the supplies laying around the house. If you don't have a 12 x 12 canvas laying around (I'm sure a lot of people don't) you can grab them on sale at your local craft store, or make sure to use a coupon. All in all, if you are buying all of the materials for the first time, I don't see this costing more than $25.00 (but come onnnn--gold leaves!)

Here's what you'll need:

12 x 12 canvas, or any size you'd like
Pack of leaves from the Dollar Store (I bought three and only used one pack and had a few leaves left over)
Metallic craft paints (I used gold, copper, rose gold, and rust)
Foam brushes
Spray adhesive or a hot glue gun

Here's what to do:

Take one of your leaves and apply a coat of paint of your choice.

 

It'll be a little streaky at first, but you'll add another coat of paint once the first coat dries.

Repeat.

Once you've got your leaves painted, it's time to attach them to your canvas.

But first, you'll want to paint your canvas so if you happen to leave any bare spots, it'll blend in nicely.

I just took all of my paint colors and painted them on, one by one, until I had layers of each color paint. Let it dry. Like, really dry.

Once that's done, you'll want to take your spray adhesive and mist a nice coat of adhesive onto your canvas. Wait a few seconds for it to get tacky, and start pressing on your leaves. There's no rhyme or reason to this, just stick them on where you'd like them.

Allow the adhesive to dry, and you're done! Feel free to hang it where ever your little heart desires or lean it in a spot that needs a little shimmer.

In a happy accident, I initially planned on Mod Podging them onto the canvas and then applying a coat of Mod Podge over that to seal the leaves flat to the canvas. I couldn't find my Mod Podge when it came time to do this project, but I did find a can of spray adhesive and I'm so glad I used that instead. It really allowed the texture of the leaves to enhance the overall effect of the metallic goodness.

Oh baby.

My canvas is currently hanging out on my buffet, which is all decked out for Thanksgiving.

And that, my friends, is how you "preserve" leaves--but with more sass.


Wanna see where I party? Click here for an awesome list of link parties I participate in..

Also linking up to:
Savvy Southern Style
Imparting Grace
Jennifer Rizzo