Fall Leaf Bowl
This bowl made out of fabric leaves just screams fall! It’s such a simple, pretty, and creative DIY project for autumn, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. We made these fall leaf bowls by pressing artificial leaves onto a balloon with fabric stiffening glue. These are lightweight bowls that are good for smaller decorations, like chunky yarn pumpkins, and they also make great candy bowls! This is such a great craft that can be made with leaves from the dollar store. Fabric leaves can be a bit fiddly to work with, but hopefully our tips (see them below!) will help you out!
Check out our DIY Leaf Bowl video tutorial:
*Note: Scroll down for the step-by-step photo tutorial.
Mason Jar Leaf Lanterns Marbled Fall Leaves Painting Fall Leaf Chalk Art
Here’s what you’ll need:
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Balloon Bowl (to fit inflated balloon) Fabric leaves Fabric stiffener Foam brush
What kind of leaves do I need?
In order for this craft to work you need to use thin, flexible leaves that are as close to plain fabric as you can get. If the leaves are very stiff and have a plastic or waxy coating on them, they won’t lay flat on the balloon and may not stick to one another. We bought leaf bunches (attached to plastic stems) at the dollar store that felt soft and flexible.
Do I have to iron the leaves?
Yes – I would recommend ironing the leaves. Dollar store leaves tend to come with a wrinkled texture which makes it really difficult for them to lay flat and stick to the balloon. Ironing leaves isn’t the most exciting thing to do, but it will make assembling the bowl a lot easier!
Can I use Mod Podge or regular glue instead?
You can use Mod Podge and regular glue, but you probably won’t be happy with the results (especially regular glue). We made a test bowl using Mod Podge and not only was it difficult to get the leaves to stick to each other, but the finished bowl was also really flexible. The leaves rolled in towards the middle rather than keeping a firm bowl shape. The bowls we made with Aleene’s Fabric Stiffener held their shape really well. You could probably use Mod Podge Stiffy, which is also a fabric stiffener, but I haven’t personally used it before.
Can I make a leaf bowl without a balloon?
Yes, you can! Simply cover the outside of your favourite bowl shape in plastic wrap and attach the leaves to the plastic covered bowl instead of a balloon. Let the leaves on the outside of the bowl dry for a few hours and then remove them and the plastic wrap from the bowl. Peel away the plastic from the inside of the leaf bowl and let it dry for another hour or two.
Use your DIY leaf bowl as a centerpiece or place it on a side table. Use it as a candy bowl or fill it with fall decorations – like pinecones, acorns, or pot pourri – or even set it by the door to hold keys and sunglasses.
Here’s even more fall leaf craft ideas:
Mason Jar Leaf Lanterns
Marbled Fall Leaves Painting
Fall Leaf Chalk Art
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
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