While most of us are busy planning and preparing our favorite Thanksgiving dishes, the autumn fairies of Pixie Hollow are scurrying about turning the foliage red and gold and then jumping on the newly colored leaves to make them fall from their branches. Inspired by the artistry of these tiny folk, this sponge-painting craft lets kids transform yellow craft paper into beautiful dappled leaves to dress up your holiday table or use as place cards. For an extra shimmery effect, they can even add a frosting of glitter glue "pixie dust."
Download Autumn Fairy Leaf Table Toppers Template
by Cindy Littlefield
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Christmas Table Decoration Ideas
What you'll need
- Template for Autumn Fairy Leaf Table Toppers
- Scissors
- Yellow craft paper
- Red craft paint
- Paper plate for the paint
- Newspaper or cardboard for covering your work surface
- Sponge
- Glitter glue
- Glue dots
- Glue stick
- 5.5-inch length of brown pipe cleaner for each leaf
- Small paintbrush or foam brush
- Glue sealer, such as Mod Podge
- Scrap paper and string (for making name tags)
How to make it
- Print the template and cut out the pieces. Use the pieces as patterns for cutting different size leaves from yellow craft paper. For each leaf, you'll need to cut a matching pair of shapes (one for the front and the other for the back).
- Put some paint on the paper plate and thin it with a few drops of water.
- Working on a protected surface, show your child how to sponge red paint onto the leaves to give them a colorful mottled appearance. (Have her practice on scrap paper first, if she likes.)
- Add a touch of "pixie dust" by accenting the painted leaf tips, or the whole leaf, with glitter glue.
- Now it's time to assemble the pairs into leaves. Turn over each leaf back so that the painted side is facing down and use a couple of glue dots to stick a pipe cleaner stem in place, as shown. Now use a glue stick to attach the matching leaf top, making sure the edges of both leaf halves line up.
- Coat both sides of the assembled leaves with glue sealer and set them aside for a short while to dry. Then you can give the leaves a little more shape by gently creasing the centers and/or curling the tips and stems.
- To use the finished leaves for place cards, simply tie name tags to the stems. Or you can scatter the leaves on the tabletop for a festive flare.
