Mod Podge Leaves Thanksgiving Art: Crafting 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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.