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Mod Podge Leaves Thanksgiving Art: Crafting with a Toddler

Using Mod Podge to create fall art with a toddler

Having a two year old makes finding time to complete holiday crafts a challenge but also makes me take on projects that he can enjoy doing and create a special memory for me when finished. I wanted a quick craft to decorate the dining room for Thanksgiving and we had fun making this "Grateful" canvas with the colorful leaves scattered throughout the yard.

Using Mod Podge to preserve fall leaves for crafting with a toddler


We gathered some leaves, pressed them in a book overnight and then painted them on both sides with Mod Podge. The leaves painted by the little hands had an extra thick coating!


Using Mod Podge to preserve fall leaves for crafting with a toddler

I painted some smudgy gold paint on a flat canvas and used some stick on letters to spell grateful, then painted them black.

I chose the word grateful because there's no better way to sum up the meaning of Thanksgiving to us and how I try to live each day.
I know just how lucky we are and never want to take it for granted.

Using Mod Podge to preserve fall leaves for crafting with a toddler

I arranged the leaves on our canvas and coated it with a few thick coats of Mod Podge, drying completely and pressing under a weighted cookie sheet between each coat.


Using Mod Podge to preserve fall leaves for crafting with a toddler

Once dry, the leaves shine and their colors are preserved. I love that the little basket of leaves we collected together from the yard will be something I can bring out every year with our fall decorations.

Here is the canvas when it was hanging in the dining room.

Using Mod Podge to preserve fall leaves for crafting with a toddler

I moved the canvas to our mantel so it would be in a room we will see it more.

Using Mod Podge to preserve fall leaves for crafting with a toddler


Using Mod Podge to preserve fall leaves for crafting with a toddler


I hope everyone takes time to focus on what they have and how precious their gifts in life are rather than too much on the round the clock shopping, Christmas countdowns, or anything else that just doesn't matter as much as the moments we can never get back once they pass.

No project could mean to me what one those tiny little hands helped me with because I know they won't be tiny for long.

Using Mod Podge to preserve fall leaves for crafting with a toddler














Thankful for My Favorite Time of Year


We took a long walk around the neighborhood today and even though there are houses with Christmas decorations up already, it was the most perfect fall day with leaves falling on us as we walked and a bright blue sky. It may still be a little too warm in Georgia to remind me of fall in New York but it's getting there!


It is tempting to start putting up Christmas decorations early but we have so much to be thankful for I can't let myself skip right over Thanksgiving.


Instead of rushing through my favorite time of year to get to Christmas decorating, I like to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to deck the halls and then I just leave it all up until February.


We took down most of the black and white Halloween decorations from the mantel and added some more pumpkins and pussy willows.


I finally changed our hallway flowers for fall and hung a fall wreath on the front door.



We went apple picking and drove north to a pumpkin patch.




We worked on some toddler friendly crafting including these Mod Podge leaves that I'm using in a project and a little handprint spider.




It was our first year with a little one old enough to trick or treat!


It may not be a NY fall but I'm grateful for every minute of it so far!