One of the things that New England is known for is its outstanding fall foliage. By now, most of the leaves from the trees around our property have fallen and I have to say that I like how our yard looks with the blanket of warm colors. Soon enough, someone will come and blow them all away but I am enjoying them while they are here. Then on a whim, I realized that I wanted to keep some of them before they get sucked up by the landscaper’s enormous vacuum. So…I gathered a pile of leaves from our yard and decided to cover a mason jar with them.

For this little DIY project, you’ll need leaves, a mason jar (or a glass vase), spray adhesive or glue. I bet you already have everything you need right in your own home! Luckily, we’ve had a few days of steady light rain and the leaves were soft and perfect for forming around the jar. You can use any leaves you want, I was going for an ombré effect, so I started with light brown leaves at the base and ended with the darkest red at the top. I purposely applied the leaves in a random pattern at the top to mimic flames. This was so much fun and an ideal craft to do with the kiddos because it isn’t complicated or time consuming. I think I gasped when the jar was lit, seriously, how pretty is that? One is not enough though – in order to have the best impact there should be more of them clustered together.

Pick out the leaves that you want to use and make sure they are dry. Place them on paper towel or newspaper and lightly spray the back of the leaf with spray adhesive or glue.Stick the leaf on the jar/vase. You can remove the stem first or cut them off later like I did.Apply leaves all the way around the base of the jar/vase.

Continue to apply the leave until you get to the top. I was after an ombre effect, so I started with light brown leaves and gradually used darker colors.
Insert a candle or battery operated lights.