Decoupage with real leaves: ideas for the autumn DIY

Using the leaves you can make many decorations, let's discover together how to make the decoupage with real leaves: a wonderful DIY idea for the autumn

How to make the decoupage with real leaves 

In the autumn the nature is lit with a thousand shades: the summer green leaves progressively placed to the warm colors of yellow and red, which herald the arrival of winter cold, but at the same time they give what for many is the most evocative of all seasons.

To bring home some of the magic of autumn, the decoupage with real leaves is the ideal technique; first of all because it offers the opportunity to wear comfortable boots and spend a half day walking through the woods and secondly because it is a simple decorative technique, within everyone's reach, to be experimented, why not, even with the help of children, but with truly surprising results.

Here is how to do it: once you have collected a good quantity of leaves, possibly of different sizes and colors, these will be cleaned of any residual earth and pressed.

For this purpose it is advisable to lay them gently between two sheets of newspaper and leave them for at least 48 hours under a weight (if you do not own a real press, use books or old telephone directories). However, we should avoid using particularly stiff or fleshy, old, damaged or visibly diseased leaves.

While waiting for the leaves to be ready, we decide which object to decorate. The decoupage technique with real leaves is well suited to various surfaces, from cardboard boxes to notebooks, photo albums, wooden objects, and so on. For an even more striking effect, however, the ideal support is glass.

So go free to dishes, bottles, trays, but above all to glasses and jars, which in a second time it will be possible to use candle holders. Accomplice the play of transparencies of the decoupage, the flame will maximize the colors of the leaves, projecting all around soft shadows and returning in an instant that warm and suggestive atmosphere typical of the autumn season.

How to glue the dried leaves

Once the leaves are ready and the arrangement that you want to give them is established, proceed with the brush applying a first layer of vinyl glue on the glass. One by one, we make the leaves adhere to the surface of the jar and proceed with a second coat of glue, taking care to review all the leaves well. So that our decoration is not too fragile, at this point we can overlap a sheet of rice paper (or tissue paper) that we have previously cut to size. Conclude then with a last layer of glue. To give greater protection, once dried, it is finally possible to finish the work by applying a coat of protective transparent varnish or, even better, a vitrifying water-based varnish.

Decorations with dry leaves

The dried leaves can be used for different decorations, not just for decoupage. For example, you can make beautiful bouquets, ideal for decorating the table or other rooms of the house in the fall. Also in this case it is simple chores, the important thing is to choose the leaves carefully and clean them well without damaging them. If the leaves are very colored, for example they are beautiful yellow or bright red, the bouquet can only be composed of these; if, on the other hand, the leaves are brown, a small bunch of colored flowers can be placed in the center of the bouquet to brighten up the whole.

To create skeletal leaves we can use leaves just fallen from the tree, but not dry. To get the right effect you need to put in the boiling water with a little 'bicarbonate the leaves that we have chosen, better to opt for the most colorful, and let simmer for about an hour and three quarters. The leaves must substantially lose part of their color, but above all they must soften. Once you get out of the water you have to remove the turgid part of the leaf with a brush. Then put the leaves to dry on a cloth and lay another one on top.

The Hardanger Stitch

The Hardanger stitch also defined as the Norwegian stitch, is one of those points that creates an antique and elegant embroidery and is often recreated on linen or cotton fabrics. This technique provides a main element of the Kloster block, in which an embroidery is offered to customize many objects including tablecloths and cushions.

At this point you will need to get the following materials:

• an embroidery needle, 
• white cotton or white linen, 
• a loom, 
• a pair of scissors.

The procedure is very complex, you have to be careful to count the wires and it takes very little to make mistakes and consequently have to redo all over again. Before starting to embroider, you will have to make the hem around your embroidery with an open stitch, and it is important to perform this passage well otherwise it becomes difficult to group the threads of the fabric.

To create the Norwegian stitch, you will have to divide the work into three steps: 

• the hem of the part to be pierced, 
• the full embroidery of the figures chosen to be embroidered, 
• the perforations.

Begin your work with a past stitch that must be done on four threads, the points of which must be divided by a single fabric thread at least five times. You choose the direction from which you want to start your embroidery. As soon as you have finished this step, you will have to pass on the reverse side of your work with a diagonal point, eventually obtaining a square.

Decoupage on wood, how to get good results

Decoupage is a decorative technique that can be used to embellish objects, furniture and everything we desire. There are different materials on which you can make the decoupage, as different materials to make it. Fabrics, fabrics, papers and plastics as supports, but also as decorative materials. Let's find out together the decoupage on wood made with paper decorative material. With this simple technique it will be possible to obtain an exceptional result, with the possibility of creating unique and particular objects, to give an original touch to your home. Here is a brief guide to the realization of the decoupage on wood.

Necessary for the realization of the decoupage on wood is:

• obtain the base we wish to treat,
• an acrylic color of your choice,
• water,
• a brush,
• of the vinyl glue,
• of newspaper cuttings at our pleasure
• of the varnish to water for surface finishing.

Put the acrylic color in a plastic plate and dissolve it with a little water to make it homogeneous. Coloring the entire wooden surface that we want to work with our decoupage and let it dry: we pay attention not to have the color too dense but fluid and soft when passing the brush to spread it quickly.

Now spread the glue with a brush on the part we want to decorate: then place the cuttings one by one making them stick to the glue with your hands taking care not to create bubbles. Once the laying is finished, apply a further layer of glue on the applications and let it dry: lastly pass a coat of transparent varnish to the finish water and let it dry again.

Through the execution of this technique it is possible to renew and give new life to furniture that has lost its beauty or that shows itself anonymous and undressed. The possibilities are practically endless, as this type of decoration can be customized in every aspect, just choose the background colors, if you want to change the original color, and combine them with decoupage decorations to be applied, which can be of infinite shapes and size.

How to make flowers with the steam stitch

The steam point is a classic point in the art of embroidery and is mostly used for comforishing. It is often used for making small flowers, given that this point gives a sense of lightness to work. This motif is usually applied in some doily or possibly placed in the bibs for newborns, whose particularity will be the relief of the chosen motif. The procedure is very simple and therefore is also suitable for beginners, but you will have to pay close attention to the various steps and be very patient.

For the steam point you have to get yourself: 

• a needle, scissors, 
• embroidery cotton,
•  a cotton fabric.

Start by threading the thread through the eye of the needle, then insert it into the fabric and go out halfway with the needle, then with the thumb of the right hand, hold the thread still. Now, holding the thread firmly, wrap the last 5 or 6 times on the needle with your left hand.

You will eventually get a kind of spiral. Hold the spiral with your left thumb and remove the needle. Finally, in order to definitively fix the vapor point, you will have to enter the same point where it was inserted the first time.

Embroidery - The satin stitch

The art of embroidery provides many points to embroider the design you have chosen, which will then consequently embellish the object you have selected. In this tutorial, you will read how to make the satin stitch, also known as a painting point.

This point is part of the circle of classic points, the particularity is the use of multiple yarns whose point must be irregular and of varying length. Just this arrangement brings the design to have excellent color passages creating a beautiful chiaroscuro effect. The final effect, in addition to the contrast between the various colors is also the satin surface creating a real painting.

The painting point, was born for the first time in the East, precisely in China, in the fifteenth century, where it was used to embroider flowers and animals.

The process for making the satin stitch is really simple, even if it requires a lot of precision precisely in the combination of colors. The yarn to be used is one or two-colored mouliné cotton and you will have to make the embroidery on a loom, so the thread tension will always be the same.

The procedure involves rounds of return and return with two wires, the first round you have to alternate between long and short points and the return, however, plans to alternate the arrangement of the various points.

The carving in the art of embroidery

The embroidery technique was born around the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the embroidery carving also known by the term "Guipure" is the master in this art. This embroidery is executed tone-on-tone to the maximum the ivory color is allowed and, the carving technique was often used to decorate the household linen and some garments.

It was born mainly to imitate lace and lace made with the tombolo and it was precisely this sewing to be accessible even to the middle and lower middle class women. At that time the cost of this decoration was much lower than the Venetian lace spread throughout Europe in the nineteenth century.

First you will need to have the following materials available: 

• a needle, 
• some thread, 
• some cotton fabric or possibly linen but which is compact, 
• some scissors, 
• a loom (optional).

Procedure: 

Begin by returning the design on the fabric that you will then begin to delineate with the filza point, the point to be executed must be delineate if you want a uniform result. Subsequently cover the threads with the festoon stitch. Finally, finish the embroidery by carefully trimming the fabric especially along the rib of the last stitch. Here is finished the carving in the art of embroidery. If necessary, you can place the fabric on a frame.

Amigurumi Tutorial - Parrot

Amigurumi are small stuffed animals that are made through the art of the crochet or knit with the use of needles. The terminology of the word itself comes from a union of two Japanese words: ami (crochet) and nuigurumi (stuffed doll). 

This technique originated in Japan, in which these puppets are created through a crochet or an iron of small size, because you have to build a fabric very tight to be able to hold
firm the padding. Mainly don't have a practical use, they are only collected by lovers of amigurumi. 

Their characteristic is to possess an over-sized spherical head on a cylindrical body with undersized extremities. These little dolls have become popular in Western culture only in 2003. 

In this tutorial you will see the realization of a parrot, where you have from classic magic ring and, it made six points lower and close it by pulling on the wire. Then, begin to make gains
as shown in the video, until you have a cylinder that will be the body of your parrot. Eventually there will realize that the wings with the same procedure of the body but decreasing the turns increases. Finally, enter the batting and sewn wings and possibly created by hand details. And here's your amigurumi finished, ready to be collected.

How to recycle a wooden box with the decoupage technique

As you know, the decoupage technique can be applied on many objects and surfaces. This technique does not fear anything, in fact the more a surface is complex and deteriorated, the better the final effect will be. In this video tutorial, you will see how to apply the decoupage on a case of wine, to be able to recycle it then as a storage box.

For this work you will need to have: 

• a wooden wine case, 
• blue acrylic, 
• a brush, 
• white paste, 
• a chisel, a stencil with floral or geometric pattern,
• white acrylic, decoupage glue, 
• a motif chosen in paper.

Procedure: 

Take the cap and start with a brush to apply a coat of blue acrylic and continue on the entire surface of the box, including the inside. Let it dry and then proceed to the next step.

Take a little white dough with the spatula and place it on the surface of the whole box. The white dough will tend to highlight the various "flaws" and grains of the box, which you will then have to cover with another painting. Now, take the stencil, place it on the cap, fix it with a scotch of paper and pass a white acrylic coat over it. Always with the latter go to pass a coat of color in the outer part of the box.

Subsequently cut out the chosen motif and apply it with some decoupage glue. Finally, you can use other stencils to embellish your wine box.

Easter Eggs Decoupage

In this video tutorial, about the decoupage technique, you will see how to customize with the DIY simple polystyrene eggs. With this technique, you will see how to create Easter eggs to your liking.

To make these eggs, you will need:

• white acrylic color, 
• a polystyrene egg, 
• fine sandpaper, 
• a brush, 
• a saucer, 
• blue acrylic, 
• gray acrylic, 
• Easter card motif, glitter, 
• vinyl glue, 
• white precision acrylic color, 
• various decorations.

Procedure: 

For each work in decoupage, take the sandpaper and level the surface, then paint the entire surface with white acrylic paint. As soon as the latter has dried, mix in a blue colored acrylic plate with a little gray and you will get a dark blue hue. With the color just obtained, start painting the ends of the egg, trying to blend the color.

In the center of your egg, glue the Easter card motif. Now, with the precision white acrylic color, make some abstract motifs on the upper end and before the color dries pass it into the glitter. Finally, add decorations to your liking, such as faux pearls or satin bows, as shown in the video tutorial the YouTuber Craft Tutorials.

Decoupage on wood and floral application

In this simple video tutorial, dedicated to the decoupage technique, you will see how to customize a simple wooden box also applying a floral decoration. The aforementioned floral application will be made of plastic and paper.

For this work of decoupage, you will have to use the following materials: 

• a plastic plate, 
• a wooden box, 
• of brown acrylic color, 
• a brush, fine sandpaper,
• vinyl glue, 
• gift card, 
• a black stamp, 
• a sheet of transparent plastic, 
• napkin with floral pattern,
• a candle, hot glue.

Procedure: 

In a bowl pour a medium amount of brown acrylic and with a brush start spreading the color over the entire surface, if the color is too thick, dilute it with a little water. Pass only one coat of color, since you will have to see the grain of the wood. Now, with some fine sandpaper, start sanding the surface of the box a little bit. At this point, proceed to decorate the top of the box, glue the gift card and along the tamponing edges with a black stamp.

Now, you'll have to create the floral decoration in 3D, that is, take the floral napkin and remove all the layers of paper and cut the shape of the flower. Glue the latter on a sheet of transparent plastic with vinyl glue. Next, cut the various pieces of the flower and shape them with the heat of a candle flame. Finally, with the hot glue, assemble the various pieces and place them in the center of the box cap.

The Crochet Starburst motif

The Crochet Starburst motif is really spring and is nothing more than a card whose central motif is a simple flower. Often the Starburst motif is used in the realization of the blankets together with others. 

For this block you must have: 

• four yarns of different colors (purple, aqua green, dark green, white),
• a crochet hook, 
• a pair of scissors, 
• a needle.

Procedure: 

Start with the purple yarn, take the crochet hook and start the work by making five little chains and then run a low link in the first stitch. You will have thus formed a holed circle. Now, go on making three little chains and make sixteen high points inside the hole of the circle and, close with a very low shirt. Now cut the purple thread and continue with the dark green one and add it inside a purple motif buttonhole. Continue making three little chains and make a blown point for each shirt and always close with a very low point.

At this point, you will have to do the same procedure as before, cut the dark green wire and add the green one by inserting it in a shirt of the last color. Make three little chains again and create a half-high jersey four times for each shirt. When you have finished the first shirt, always make two little chains and continue as before and close with a very low point.

Finally, you just have to use the white yarn, replace the color as always and make four little chains and then make a double top jersey twice in the same place. Continue with this procedure until the end of the entire lap and close with a very low point.

The shell stitch

In the crochet technique there are many points to create blankets, rompers and various objects. In this video tutorial made by YouTuber Bella Coco, you will see how to make the shell stitch.

This really imaginative and particular point is suitable for the realization of baby blankets, it is advisable during the creation of the shell point to use at least two colored yarns to make the best texture of this point.

For this point you have to get: 

• a crochet, 
• a yarn or two of cotton.

Procedure: 

Before starting the work, you must know that this point is a multiple of six plus two. Then start this point by making eighteen chains plus two or twenty. At this point, take the crochet hook into the second jersey and make a high point, jump two stitches and in the fifth work five high double jersey. Jump again two little chains and at the next point make a high point.

Now proceed with these steps until the end of the chains, then either continue with the same color or you can change it to make the second round. Turn the work, make a chain and in the first shirt create three times a double high point, jump two stitches and in the next one make a simple high point. Now, jump again two shirts and in the third one make five double tops, jump two more and then perform a high shirt in the next one. Proceed like this until the end of the second lap.

For the third round, where you can eventually change the yarn, you will have to turn the work and continue by making a chain, jump two stitches and in the third one in the same shirt five times a double top stitch. Then proceed by jumping two stitches and in the next one make a high shirt, jump two more and then run five times a double top shirt again. Repeat this step until the end.

Bracelet with beads using crochet

With the crochet technique you will see how to make a particular bracelet in which you will be inserting multicolored beads.

For this bracelet you have to get yourself: 

• multicolored beads, 
• enamel, 
• a 2.5 mm crochet hook,
• a 12 mm button, 
• 3 mm cotton yarn.

Procedure: 

Start by gluing the tip of your yarn so you will insert the beads better, then make a circle and then run a chain and two low links. As soon as you have done the two low stitches, pull the thread and close the circle. Make a chain, turn the work and inside each of the two points make another low point. Turn the work and inside the newly created stitches make two low stitches for each of them.

Now, make a chain turn your work back and make a series of low stitches for each stitch. Continue by making a chain, turn the work around and now, make two low links in the outer points and only one in the inside stitches. Turn the work around by making a chain and make a series of low points and then continue doing the last step described.

At this point, do eight buttonholes as shown in the video tutorial, close the first buttonhole then pass a bead along the thread and close the next two buttonholes and proceed with this procedure until you have finished the buttonholes. Now, repeat the previous sequence again based on the length of your bracelet. Conclude by performing the first procedures in which you will create the piece of fabric with the crochet hook, and then embroider the button that will be your closure.

Infinity scarf with Broomstick lace

One of the garments that are often created with the crochet is the scarf, in fact in this video tutorial you will see how to make a really special one. This is an infinity scarf with Broomstick lace. The procedure for making this scarf includes the use of the chains and the low point, whose execution is really simple and is suitable for anyone. For this garment it is advisable to use a multicolored yarn.


For this scarf get yourself: 

• a 5.5 mm crochet hook, 
• cotton or wool yarn, 
• a thick iron.

Procedure:

Start your scarf by making thirty little chains that should be slightly wide and therefore not taut. Stretch the last jersey where you have the crochet and put the big iron, take the crochet hook and place it inside the second tight jersey and pull out the thread and then pass it into the iron. Repeat this step for each shirt. Now, put together five little chains, put the crochet inside and close the links with a chain.

Then take out the group of chains just collected. After pulling the chains, make five low points inside the circle of chains. Repeat this process until the end of the stitches on the iron. Finally, all you have to do is repeat the whole sequence based on how long you want your scarf.

Blanket Tutorial - Corner to Corner (C2C)

The "diagonal point" in the art of crochet is fantastic for making blankets or scarves, since you can decide departing the size of their work. In this tutorial video we see the creation of an Afghan blanket, with a multicolor wool yarn with a crochet hook 5 mm. 

This is a really simple point in its construction, the facts have to start forming six simple chains, where we need to go in the fourth to build a colon as well as in the second chain. Next, turn the work and run the preceding procedure. 
At this point you have two square format, to unify them must insert the wire in the space of the third chain of the first square and put them together with a simple point, then formed three chains at the same hole created three double points. 

Finally turn the work and start over with the first procedure. Now that you have trained the first two squares will not have to do anything but keep repeating the same step, but remembering from time to time when you start to do the first six simple chains then have to do the remaining
steps in the two squares. Going forward in this manner diagonally many squares will realize that ultimately will form a blanket. Unless you have a multi-colored yarn can also use a single color, the effect will be the same.