DIY: Leaf Bowls

My granddaughter and I were looking for fall crafts that we could do and I found step by step instructions on how to make a leaf bowl! They’re gorgeous and it seems to be straightforward and fairly easy. Then we saw the picture (near the end) of what a leaf bowl looks like in a year or two! I decided to purchase fake leaves now and save them till next year when we will attempt these!

Here’s what you’ll need to craft a gorgeous fall leaf bowl at home:

Real fall leaves (make sure they’re still fresh and pliable as this project won’t work with leaves that are already dry) or artificial fall leaves

Balloon (or plastic mixing bowl in the size that you want to make your leaf bowl)

Mod Podge (matte or glossy—I prefer to use matte)

Scissors

Large paintbrush or sponge brush

Plastic wrap (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Remove Leaf Stems

Whether you’ve chosen to use real or artificial fall leaves, your bowl will look much nicer and come together much better if you remove the leaf stems. Use scissors to cut off the stems so that only the leaf remains.

Once you’ve cut off the leaf stems, blow up a balloon to the size of your choosing. The size of the balloon will determine the size of the leaf bowl.

If you’re using artificial leaves, stick with a smaller size. The humidity in real leaves makes them stick to the balloon a lot better, even if its size is larger, but artificial leaves are a lot stiffer and they may simply slide right off if the balloon is too big.

Note: Skip this step if you’re planning on using a plastic bowl instead of a balloon as the base for your leaf bowl.

Place Balloon in Bowl

Take your inflated balloon and place it neck-down in an appropriately-sized mixing bowl to keep it in place while you go through the rest of the steps.

Add Plastic Wrap (Optional)

Because you’ll be using the balloon to create the shape of the leaf bowl, you’ll need to glue the leaves to the balloon using Mod Podge and let the Mod Podge dry before you can peel them off.

If ever you’re worried that the leaves will stay stuck or won’t peel off properly, feel free to cover the balloon in a layer of plastic wrap before you get started.

Note: This step is optional if you’re using a balloon, but if you’ve chosen to use a plastic mixing bowl to create the shape of your leaf bowl instead, cover it with plastic wrap as this will both protect your bowl and make the leaves a lot easier to peel off.

Add Mod Podge

Use a large paintbrush or sponge brush to cover some of the balloon’s surface with Mod Podge. Make sure the area you cover is larger than the leaves you’ll be using, as you’ll be layering them and will need the entire area beneath them to be covered with Mod Podge.

Cover Balloon with Leaves Press a leaf face-down onto the balloon, then cover it with Mod Podge as well.

Continue doing this until you’ve covered as much of the surface of the balloon as you wish to in order to create your bowl, covering each new leaf with more Mod Podge as you work.

If needed, brush the Mod Podge directly onto the surface of the leaf before pressing it onto the balloon.

Let Dry

When you’ve added all the leaves you wish to add and can no longer see any parts of the balloon that have been left uncovered, put away the Mod Podge and let your project dry completely before moving on to the next step.

If your leaves keep sliding down the surface of the balloon instead of staying in place while the Mod Podge dries (which will probably happen if you’re using plastic leaves), try covering the entire balloon in plastic wrap and peeling it off a little bit at a time, allowing each uncovered section to dry before uncovering the next section.

8. Peel Off Leaf Bowl

Once the entire surface of the leaves is completely dry, carefully peel the leaf bowl off the balloon and place it on a flat surface.

The Mod Podge on the inside of the bowl may still be a little wet; if that’s the case, simply let it sit for a while uncovered to allow its entire surface to dry.

Once all the Mod Podge is dry, your bowl is ready to use.

A NOTE ABOUT USING REAL LEAVES:

This project can work with both real and artificial leaves, and they both have advantages and disadvantages.

The first time we tried it, we used real fall leaves that had been freshly collected from the ground. Because the leaves came straight from outside, they were soft and pliable, which made them easy to craft with—especially with young kids participating.

Using real leaves also meant that this project cost us next to nothing, and it gave us an opportunity to spend time outdoors and craft with nature!

However, because the leaves were real, they did eventually go brown and lose their bright fall hues. Here is what that bowl looks like today, two years after it was made: