Make a Leaf Necklace from Recycled Materials

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This easy necklace made from recycled materials is a fun craft for all ages. This post is written by Stacy from A Delightful Home.

Leaf Necklace from Recycled Materials

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I enjoy making crafts from recycled materials. It’s fun watching something that would otherwise be discarded turn into a useful or beautiful item. Plus, it’s inexpensive.

In my local area, we have to pay for grocery sacks. While I do my best to bring reusable bags, there are occasions when I forget, thus, I’m stuck paying 25 cents for each brown paper bag! So, it’s nice to find uses for them. This leaf necklace is one of those uses.

Besides using up old grocery sacks, making leaf necklaces provides an opportunity to teach little ones about fall colors and give them a chance to express their creativity.

Older children could make these necklaces on their own, while younger ones will need help from mom.

How to Make Leaf Necklaces

Materials needed:
If you have kids in the house you may already have all of the craft supplies on hand.brown yarn or leather cord

  • brown yarn or leather cord
  • scissors
  • newspaper
  • grocery sack or lunch bag
  • 3 paper towel rolls (or sponges)
  • masking tape
  • paper bowls or plates
  • red, yellow, and orange paint
  • leaf stencil or patterns (if needed) – download printable pattern here
  • pencil
  • hole punch

Instructions:
Drape yarn or cord around neck and decide how long you wish the necklace to be. Cut to size, adding an extra inch to leave room for tying.

Cover work area with newspaper and lay the grocery sack on top.

Cut a large rectangle out of the grocery sack, avoiding creases or seams (if you don’t have a grocery sack, use a brown paper lunch bag). This will be the paper on which your child will apply paint.

Fold paper towel tubes into thirds and tape to secure, as shown. This will be the paint “stamper.”

Make a leaf necklace from recycled materials | Life as MOM

If you have sponges or other paint stampers, they could be used instead.

Put red, yellow, and orange paint in separate bowls (or on paper plates). Dip one stamper into red paint and allow extra paint to drip off before applying to paper.

Make a leaf necklace from recycled materials | Life as MOM

Stamp one color all over the paper before applying the next color. Use a new stamper for each color. Colors should overlap. Once paper is sufficiently covered with paint, leave to dry.

If using a grocery sack, you may wish to turn over once dry and apply paint on the back to cover any patterns or words that appear on the grocery sack.

Print and cut out leaf patterns. Use patterns to trace leaves all over the paper. (Leaves could also be drawn free hand.)

Make a leaf necklace from recycled materials | Life as MOM

Leaves can all be one size (as pictured) or a variety of sizes.

Cut out leaves and punch holes in the top of each one.

Make a leaf necklace from recycled materials | Life as MOM

String leaves on yarn and tie. The quickest way to string the leaves is to stack them so the holes align and thread the yarn or cord through the stack. Leaves can also be strung using a over-and-under pattern, but this will take longer.

Let your child enjoy wearing his creation!

Make a leaf necklace from recycled materials | Life as MOM

This craft was adapted from one found in Holiday and Seasonal Crafts from Recycled Materials by Deborah Whitacre and Becky Radtke.

— Stacy is a preacher’s wife and homeschool mom. She blogs at A Delightful Home, where she encourages moms to create happy, healthy homes. Slightly obsessed with DIY projects, Stacy can often be found whipping up sugar scrubs or other natural skin care products.

DIY-on-a-DIME-falling-for-fun-125Ready to fall for fun?

This post is part of the DIY on a Dime: Falling for Fun series. Check it out for all kinds of budget-friendly, family fun ideas to celebrate one of the most beautiful seasons of the year.

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