Fall Candle Wraps

I put to use some more of those cold porcelain leaves I made using my recipe from this post and had also used to make fall napkin rings and made some really simple candle wraps to match the rest of my leafy decor.

I just cut four pieces of twin to the same length (long enough to tie around my candle) and then used a glue gun to secure the leaves to the twine.

Wrap those guys around your candles and you're instantly festive.

Apple Garland

This simple apple garland is made with faux apples strung together on twine. It's a pretty decoration for fall and you can make it as simple or grandiose as you'd like with as many embellishments as you prefer. For now, I think I like this one very simple with only apples and leaves.

Since I don't have a special tool for threading styrofoam apples, I fashioned my own out of wire and duct tape. I attached the twine to the end of the makeshift wire needle with the tape and got ready to string a dozen apples.

Once I pierced the apple, I worked to make sure that my wire remained as straight as possible as it made its way through the apple.

When I could see that it was beginning to poke through the other side, I pierced that area just a bit with another wire end, just to make my "needle's" exit as easy as possible. I used my wire cutters to grab and pull the wire all the way through, just because their grip is better than mine.

Your wire will obviously push through some of the styrofoam so that you'll get some small pieces that are pushed out with the wire. Also, your exit hole might look a little messy once you pull everything through; just use your finger to push the styrofoam and apple skin back into place.

I tried to make sure that I strung them at different angles so that the final result would include apples that could be viewed from multiple angles. String a whole bunch of them and hang them up!

At this point, I cut up a faux leaf branch with some wire cutters in order to get smaller 3 leaf bunches, poking the ends of those into the holes I made for stringing the apples, just to one side of each apple. I added two bunches to either end of the garland.

Of course, you could get really creative and add many different things. Maybe even blend a pennant banner between the apples. Or, keep it simple. I really love mine.

Fall Leaf Hanging

This pretty leaf hanging is just the thing to hang in an archway. It's easy to make and almost free, since I gathered the leafy branches from my back yard.

First, I dried the leaves between two towels for a few days, just to insure that they dried flat. I understand that there are more involved methods of drying leaves, especially if you're looking to preserve them for a long time. But since I sprayed them afterward with a clear, acrylic sealant, I figured they would be durable enough for my purposes.

Once they were sprayed with the acrylic spray and completely dry, I could begin to plan out the placement of the branches.

From there, it was pretty quick. I used hot glue and twine to hold together my bundles.

I looped a piece of twine to act as a hanger and attached that to the center of the two bundles.

I used hemp to create a simple bow for its center.

And hung the finished product in my dining room.

Pretty!