How to Make Paper Leaves (DIY Fall Leaves)

by Gina · Published September 23, 2022 · Updated December 13, 2023

red, yellow and green Fall Dictionary leaves made from an old dictionary

DIY Fall Leaves – How to Make Paper Leaves

DIY Fall Leaves are some of my favorite DIY Fall Decorations to create. These DIY Paper Leaves are so easy to make from scrap paper and can be used as an accent for fall decor.

I am so excited for Autumn to begin which is my favorite season. I love the crispness of the air and everything smells so fresh and clean. The beautiful rich brown, amber, gold and red tones of autumn inspire me. This is probably why it is my favorite time to decorate and create for the upcoming holidays.

As some of you may already know, I enjoy reusing household items to make some of my creations. Not only do I save money on supplies but I can make such interesting things out of ordinary items like these DIY Fall Leaves. They are easy to make and can be used in so many ways to decorate for the season. I love transforming old books and reused paper into autumn leaves.

These would look great with some of my other Fall Decorations DIY Ideas like my Easy DIY Fall Centerpiece and my Cheap and Easy DIY Pumpkin Topiary. Both of these fall decorations are made with reused items and things from the dollar store.

Here is a video I made showing how to create my DIY Fall Decorations Autumn Paper leaves!

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Materials – DIY Fall Leaves

Dylusions Ink Spay
Old Books or Reused Paper
Rubber Gloves
Spay Bottle Filled with Water

Another option for spay ink is to add food coloring to a small spay bottle to make the ink. It will not be as vibrant as the Dylusions Ink Spray but will still give the paper leaves the autumn colors.

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How to Make Paper Leaves – DIY Fall Leaves

I went outside to gather some leaves.

I traced some of the perfect leaf shapes on card stock to create my leaf template.

I tore out some pages from an old dictionary and cut out leaves from my template. I stacked about five or six pages together so I could make a lot at one time.

I put on rubber gloves because the ink will stain your hands, laid the leaves down on a paper plate, sprayed them with water and then began with the colors.
You don’t need to spray much because it goes a long way. You can rub the leaves together to meld the colors.
Spread them out and let dry.

After the leaves have dried, you can use a pencil to curl the edges to simulate the shape of real leaves.

Real leaves and…

DIY paper leaves.

I think I like my version better. They came out beautiful. I am going to spread them around my Thanksgiving table to add a festive touch and also serve as a conversation piece. Maybe everyone will learn a few new words while they are gobbling down the turkey.