Leaves

We hosted an afternoon of crafting and playtime at our place today. It was a cold day, mitts and hats were on and off, but the rain held back making it possible for us to be outside. There were three families we have become friends with and a family new to us join us, the kids ranging in age from 1 to 13 years old. The kids enjoying running around the woods, swinging out of the tree and playing endlessly.
The craft was leaf hammering. This has become a bit of a fall tradition for us, which is always nice to share. Everyone went around collecting leaves; colourful maple, vibrant sumac, and a few clover. The leaf is lay down on a piece of wood, over top a piece of material. With a hammer you bang the colour of the leaf out onto the material. The kids brought table clothes, pillow cases,

cloth bags, material to adorn with a little bit of fall. After you have hammered the print of the whole leaf it needs to be soaked in 2 cups of water and either 1 cup of salt or vinegar (either works), rinsed with water and hung to dry. Then you heat set it using an iron.

We chose to decorate napkins for our thanksgiving celebration this year. Elias and I also made a little wall hanging for above our nature table. The crafting and company was wonderful. A leaf felt like it was turning today.