Pressed Leaf Art Gallery Wall and Fall Entryway
And just like that summer melted into fall.
Well, actually we’re in South Carolina so it’s more like summer heat kept raging on through September, but we put out pumpkins hoping no one would notice. 😉
That’s how we do it.
Here is a little peek of an experiment I’ve been doing the last couple of weeks to dry hydrangeas and press leaves.
How to Make Pressed Leaf Art for Fall
Today, I finally get to show them off the way I’ve envisioned since plucking them out of our backyard!
My favorite thing is sharing lots of budget-friendly ideas for styling spaces at home without sacrificing the high end look. This is definitely one of those wall decor projects that look high end using art you can make practically for free in your own backyard.
It only requires the cost of paper, scotch tape, and picture frames (that you can easily grab at the dollar store). It’s so simple yet rather sophisticated.
The hardest part is waiting on the autumn leaves to press. The rest of it is so easy a kindergartener could do it.
Can I tell you a secret though?
I’m not a fall girl.
I know! Strangle me with all the cable knit scarves! Throw your pumpkin spice lattes in my face and call me a traitor.
I blame it on the fact that orange is my least favorite color. Or the fact that the days get shorter.
BUT the thing I DO love… the warm glow of candles, the feeling of being wrapped in a warm blanket by a fire, the smell of a crisp breeze and spiced hot apple cider.
Okay, okay. I kind of like fall.
Related: Simple DIY Pressed Flower Art
Supplies
- Pressed leaves of many different colors and shapes (See this tutorial about how to press flowers and leaves yourself using either heavy books or a flower press.)
- Linen textured paper (not required but the linen texture makes it look a tad more upscale)
- Clear double sided scotch tape (acid free glue works well too)
- Picture frames (Check Walmart or the dollar store for inexpensive options. Or for an eclectic look, keep a lookout for them at thrift stores. You likely won’t get a matching set, but you can create an interesting look with a collection of different ones.)
Alternative for Pressing Leaves
If you don’t have the time or patience (or trees) to press your own fall leaves, you can buy fall leaves already pressed from small shops on Etsy or Amazon. You might even find a bigger assortment of shapes and colors that way.
But it’s really fun to take your kids for a walk around a neighborhood to go on a leaf hunt and find the prettiest ones.
It always feels weird to me this time of year, when normally, back in 2013, I would have been embarking on another school year as a high school English teacher.
A part of me does miss it, but there was always that bigger part of me that knew I wanted to create, design, and build.
I left teaching to stay home with my older daughter when she was just a toddler with the plan of returning to education one day. And then life had other plans. Better plans. Not easy plans, but the good stuff.
The stuff of painting thrift store furniture in our garage to help pay the bills. The stuff of spilling my heart out to complete strangers on a little one-horse blog that only my mom read for the first 6 months.
The stuff that eventually, little by little, made all of my dreams come true.
I think I have fall to thank for that. For the closing of a season that would eventually lead to a new beginning.
I take it all back. I love fall. 😉
How to Frame Pressed Leaves
This pressed leaf art hardly warrants a tutorial. I literally just stuck a couple pieces of double sided scotch tape on the middle of a piece of parchment paper and attached a press leaf to it to place in the picture frame.
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I wanted to create a lot of variation in my gallery wall, so I made sure to stagger the different colors, shapes, and sizes of leaves I used so that no leaf similar to another would be side by side.
It’s okay if your leaves have imperfections; that’s part of the beauty!
How to Hang a Gallery Wall in a Grid
To make a perfect grid with my picture frames, I used a level to draw a line across the wall with pencil. I started on the middle row so that the middle of the picture frames would hang about 60 inches from the floor.
Related: Mistakes Most People Make When Hanging Picture Frames
Then, I place Command picture hanging strips on the back of the frames (pressing each strip in place for 30 seconds to allow them to adhere well, like the instructions say to do… people tend to miss that step).
Using Command hanging strips allows me to line up the picture frames directly on the level pencil line I made on the wall. I just press them on the line and that’s it!
I always start by hanging the very middle picture frame first and work my way outward hanging the rest of them.
Repeat the process with the top and bottom rows of the gallery wall grid.
To finish styling our little entryway wall, I tucked my dried hydrangeas into their little woven leather-handled basket.
Related: How to Hang a Gallery Wall Perfectly Every Time
I tossed a soft throw blanket onto this sleek entryway bench and cozied it up with a classic striped throw pillow and a whisper of blush pink velvet.
And I thanked fall and all of the ones that came before it.
Here’s to closing seasons to open new beginnings. And all the warm, fuzzies of spending fall at home.
Related: 28 Creative DIY Wall Decor Ideas for Your Blank Walls
Decorating Sources
You can find all of the sources I used below.
Cheers to free fall decor in your own backyard. Woot!
Is this a project you would try? Got any other free fall decorating ideas to share with the class? We’re always willing to learn more tricks over here.
More DIY Fall Decorating Ideas
DIY Fall Decor Ideas to Create Cozy Home Vibes
Simple DIY Fall Centerpiece Ideas + the Best Fall Branches
