frosted fall leaves tutorial

"autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower..." ~ Albert Camus

that's one of my favorite quotes about autumn.
i saw something the other day that caused that poetic line to spring to my mind:

isn't it pretty? i love the 'fall-into-winter' feel of the leaves shown here.
this image on writer Ann Voskamp's website inspired me to create
my own 'frosted fall leaves' for a simple Thanksgiving tablescape...
it's a really easy project, and it turned out perfectly.

continue reading for the easy tutorial if you need a last-minute Thanksgiving idea
that won't take much time at all...

'Fast, Cheap & Easy' Idea: Fall in Focus

In a companion post to this one on Saturday,

here is another 'Fast, Cheap & Easy'TM idea for decorating with FREE natural elements:

 use your camera!

 head outside, in search of natural elements that reflect the beauty of the season.

you might come across some gorgeous grasses, waving in the breeze, like these...

which are located in a median strip next to the parking lot of a car dealership!

[art class #101 tip:

by focusing in closely on the grass in these images and making it fill the entire photo, 

everything around it disappears. even the car lot. ]

even if you live in the heart of a city, 

you can find natural elements to photograph:

*head to a local park, museum, library, or even indoor courtyard at a hotel for great landscaping

*go to the farmer's market or green grocer to find fresh local food and flowers

*visit a local home + garden center or nursery for beautiful foliage and flowering plants 

snap photos to your heart's content (don't we LOVE digital cameras for just this reason?!)

and then head home to print them out - 

in full color for a blaze of fall, or artfully subtle black & white -

and frame them 

 [cheap frames available at dollar stores, thrift shops, and target dollar bins]

hang your finished work on your walls, lean them on the mantel or bookshelf, 

clip them with binder clips to a wire or ribbon strung across a wall or window,

or take them into your office for a lovely seasonal change at work.

in small spaces, this is a perfect solution to 'too much stuff'

and

it's an easy way to personalize your rooms each season.

while you are editing them, here's another idea:

add a quote about nature or fall right over the top of your image. 

[adding a layer of text is an option in almost every graphic/photo editing program. 

OR you can print out a quote on a piece of clear acetate, 

then place that OVER your photo when you are framing it.]

if you don't have a favorite verse or quote to use,

finding them is easy - a simple Google search gave me dozens to chose from.

check out my 'fall quotes' search results here

Sing a Song of Seasons...

 

Autumn Fires

In the other gardens
And all up the vale,
From the autumn bonfires
See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over
And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes,
The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!
Something bright in all!
Flowers in the summer,
Fires in the fall!

Robert Louis Stevenson

i have always loved this poem.
if allowed, i would add a few of my own lines to the last stanza
and make it appropriate for use all year:

Sing a song of seasons!
Something bright in all:
Flowers in the summer,
Harvest in the fall

Snowflakes in the winter,
Raindrops in the spring...
 Nature offers such delights
that only she can bring.