Watercolor Leaves

One of the most memorizing aspects of fall are the beautiful colors nature creates.  It's amazing to see how once alive, green leaves, in autumn, will change to the most spectacular colors as they die and fall to the ground.  

Those beautiful fall leaves are what inspired a DIY version in watercolor form.  You could even say, they are a nature knockoff. 

To make some of your own watercolor leaves, start by cutting leaves out of cardstock.  Our leaves were cut out of white, yellow and pink cardstock, yellow being my favorite.

For each leaf, you'll want to start by painting it with water...yes water.  Paint the entire leaf with a coat of water.

Then, slowly begin to add some watercolor paint to your wet leaf.  

As the wet watercolor hits the wet leaf, the paint will spread and swirl and take on a life of its own.  Continue adding color until you achieve the look you want.  If you find your leaf is too wet, simply dab it with a paper towel.  

 Set your finished painted leaves to the side and allow time for them to dry. 

These nature inspired watercolor leaves look great simply as they are...

Or, like we are doing, you could use them to display the things you are grateful for. 

Play dates, family and bedtime stories...those are a few of the things are are thankful for.

Thankful

It's that time of year when we are reminded to be...

So, I decided to make a 'thankful' garland.

And to display some of the reasons for which I indeed am thankful.

 

Because there are days, when I definitely need the reminder.

Days when the dog has stolen not only the toilet paper but also some socks {thankfully, they were my husband's}.
 

Days when someone {my husband} thought it was a good idea to give Grace a pen {thankfully, it wasn't permanent marker}.

Days when crafting has gone terribly wrong {thankfully, tears don't occur very often around here}.

Or nights when my husband snores so loudly I can't fall asleep {fortunately, he is willing to retreat to the sofa, with the dog, on those nights}.

Now, when one of those moments should strike, I can look up and remember to be thankful.

Perhaps I should leave this up all year long.