By Alyssa Green

It’s an absolutely beautiful year for fall leaves in Sacramento.  I don’t know about you, but when I see trees all over the Sacramento Valley just bursting in colors of gold, orange and red, I want to preserve them.  Well, guess what I’ll be doing next week with my kiddos?  Yep, we’ll be preserving some Sacramento leaves in the way of Thanksgiving projects that my boys and I can do together in preparation for Turkey Day.  Take a look at the following three projects – maybe you’ll be making them too!

Leaf Lantern –  This is a fairly quick and easy project, assuming you plan ahead of time (you’ll need pressed leaves for this lantern.)  Take a canning jar, cover  the outside with Modge Podge, then layer your pressed leaves around the jar, to your liking.  Once the leaves have dried, add another layer of Modge Podge.  Add a votive and voila!  A beautiful Thanksgiving table decoration!

Magic Leaf Rubbings – you probably remember leaf rubbings from grade school.  Well, this technique takes leaf rubbing to the next level.  Using two pieces of watercolor paper, place your leaves between the sheets, then use a white crayon on its side, to rub over the paper and the leaves underneath.  Lastly, you’ll bring out the watercolor paints.  Using a paint brush, paint over your leaf rubbings, and…ta da!  Beautiful fall leaves appear!  Frame your picture or make them into greeting cards.  There’s a myriad of things you can do with this beautiful artwork.

Leaf Feather Turkeys – You’ll need some pressed leaves for this project as well, but once the leaves are pressed and dried, this work of art will take just minutes and is easy enough for even the smallest child to do themselves.  Cut out two circles (one large, one small) from brown paper, place the pressed leaves behind the large circle and glue.  The leaves become beautiful turkey feathers!  Next glue the small brown circle in the middle – this will be the turkey’s head.  Add eyes, a beak and waddle and you are done!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone – hope you enjoy our Sacramento leaves projects!