Quick, before you start decorating for Christmas, here’s one last Fall thing from me. I’ll confess this craft did not turn out as Pinterest worthy as my mom and I had hoped, but hopefully we’ve done the trouble shooting for you.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Beautiful fall leaves – they’re going fast so grab some today. You can let them dry out for a few days or use the method below to dry them fast.
• Newspaper or something to cover your work surface
• Jar with a SMOOTH SURFACE – this is key, don’t use a mason jar or anything that isn’t smooth. I suggest using jars from pizza sauce, jelly, etc.
• Mod Podge (glue)
• Paintbrush

Step 1: Gather some leaves

Step 2: Lay the leaves out on a paper towel. My daughter is into using the microwave lately and she just about put the entire plastic bag in. Don’t do that.

Step 3: Place another dry paper towel over the top and microwave in 30 second intervals until you feel that the leaves are dry but not brittle.

Step 4: “Paint” jar with a generous amount of Mod Podge. Hint: Better to complete steps 4 and 5 in small sections instead of “painting” the entire jar first.

Step 5: Place a leaf on the Mod Podge and add more Mod Podge on top. Apply very liberally – don’t worry it will all dry clear.

Step 6: Allow jar to dry 24 hours. It really takes that long, especially when you pile on the Mod Podge.

Step 5 ½: (a secret step you hide from the kids): Smooth leaves down as much as possible and apply even more Mod Podge. Our leaves still stuck up a little bit, but we’re thinking the smooth surface would make a big huge difference and they would stick better. Tip: Don’t use the same brush you used before unless it’s completely dry from being washed. I ended up soaking my leaves with the leftover water on the brush and some of them ended up brown. I should have really gotten the water out of the brush or used a fresh brush.

Here’s the final product:

This could be a really great way to get your kids involved in prepping for Thanksgiving. This would make a great gift for them to bring to a family member’s house for Thanksgiving or something they could display proudly on their own Thanksgiving table.