fall watercolor leaf banner | DIY or buy

I made this leaf banner with my daughter two years ago and it makes me smile each year I take it out to hang. The fall colors are so pretty and it adds a nice touch to our mantle area. It’s such an easy project to make so I included the DIY instructions below. Then I thought that a lot of you may not have the time or the materials to do your own version so I made a bunch of them and they’re for sale in my Etsy shop. Now that’s easy!

If you want to purchase one, click here to be directed to my Etsy shop. They’re only $10 each. If you’re a local peep, just send me an email or comment and you won’t have to pay shipping! Each banner comes with a fun pom-pom string to hang with the banner. These just go together so well!

But if you’re feeling crafty, and want to make your own, you’ll need the following materials: watercolor paper, watercolors, glue gun, twine or string, paint brush and a pencil.

And here are the DIY instructions:

1. Visit my freebies page to print these leaf templates. To get my freebies, you must be a subscriber to my blog. If you’re not yet a subscriber to my blog, it’s easy to do, there’s no commitment and you get access to lots of free stuff. Enter your email address in the box on the right (above the SUBSCRIBE button). Click the SUBSCRIBE button then follow the instructions fully. Be sure to confirm your subscription – and then you’ll have access to all my free stuff! If you’re already a subscriber, you should have received an email with a password to access these fun freebies already.

2. Trace the shapes onto THE BACK of your watercolor paper. Tracing them on the back side of the paper means no pencil marks to erase on the front. Trace as many as you’d like. For my 54″ banner, I used 21 leaves. A little tip for tracing: tape the template onto a window and tape the watercolor paper over it. The daylight shines right through the paper, making it easy to see through and trace.

3. Turn the paper over and start painting the ENTIRE paper with your watercolors.

Check out my post on watercolor painting tips here. These colors look so pretty!

4. Once you’re done painting, let it dry and then cut out the shapes that you traced on the back side.

5. Attach each leaf to your twine or string. Place the string on top of the leaves where they should go and fold the tab of each leaf over the string. Using your glue gun, glue the tab onto the back of the leaf.

6. Hang how ever you choose. I used clear Command Strip hooks but you can also use small tack nails or thumb tacks, or hang it from an existing hook you may already have in your home.

So DIY or buy – either way you have a fun, colorful banner that will be a nice addition to your fall decor. Now I have to get going on my other fall decorating!