This Simple Autumn Leaf Luminary is a Fun Fall Craft for Kids

Looking for a simple DIY craft for your family? This autumn leaf luminary makes an adorable fall decoration.

Fall is our family’s most anticipated season. One of our favorite things to do is to make autumn DIY projects together to decorate our home. My older kids still enjoy craft projects, especially when they’re centered on a holiday.

To celebrate, we made these simple, frugal fall luminaries to decorate our home and let me tell you, they are so beautiful at night.

DIY fall leaf luminary lit up with a tea light candle at night.

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Fall Luminaries Craft

This is a simple fall craft that looks amazing when lit up.

Gather all of your supplies and get ready to create a cute project that will look great on a table or a mantle this season.

Supplies you’ll need:

Glass Tealight Candle HolderGlass Tealight Candle HolderGlass Tealight Candle HolderTissue PaperTissue PaperTissue PaperMod PodgeMod PodgeMod PodgeConstruction PaperConstruction PaperConstruction Paper

 

Autumn Leaf Luminary

Use these step-by-step instructions to make a fall luminary with your kids.

Homemade fall leaf luminaries lit up on a table at night.

Fall Luminaries

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: Under $10

With supplies from the Dollar Store, you can create these beautiful fall luminaries with your kids to decorate your home for the season.

Materials

  • Round Glass Tea Light Candle Holder
  • Colored Tissue Paper
  • Mod Podge
  • Construction Paper in Fall Colors

Tools

  • Foam Brush
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Newspaper or Scrap Paper
  • Tealight Candle

Instructions

    First, you need to pick a glass container, any shape or size.

    Personally, I LOVE using these rounded globes because they are a good size and look beautiful when they're finished. I found these at the Dollar Store.

    Make sure you take the time to clean them and remove any stickers.

    3 clear round glass candle holders on a table

    Trace leaf outlines on red, yellow, and orange construction paper and cut them out. We used 3 different leaf shapes for our luminaries, but you can add as many styles as you'd like.

    That's the beauty of DIY - it's all up to you!

    Different leaf shapes cut out of construction paper on a table.

    Choose the tissue paper colors you want to use, tear it up into various sizes and put it in a pile.

    It's challenging to rip tissue paper after your hands are full of glue, so it's best to have this done before you start.

    This is the stained glass portion of the luminary, so choose the colors you want to shine through.

    Ripped pieces of red, lime green, and yellow tissue paper in a pile.

    Smooth a layer of Mod Podge onto the glass with your foam brush. Take a piece of tissue paper and place it on the glue, carefully tapping it to stay in place.

    It's easier to work in sections, so start with an area and after that is full, move to the next one.

    For the top, either fold the tissue paper over the edge or stop layering just before the edge.

    Kid's hands gluing strips of color tissue paper onto a glass candle holder.

    Keep the bottom clear so you can set the glass container aside to dry. Make sure you're layering to create new colors and add depth to the project, like stained glass.

    Be creative!

    Carefully add a top layer of Mod Podge over the whole luminary, making sure all tissue paper ends are secure.

    Using a foam brush to add a top coat of Mod Podge over tissue paper on a glass candle holder.

    Now is when you will add on your construction paper leaves.

    Decide where the shapes you cut out should go, then coat one side of the shape with Mod Podge, dabbing with your foam brush.

    Place it on the glass, over the tissue paper.

    A red construction paper leaf glued over tissue paper on a glass container.

    Coat it with a thick layer of glue, using your fingers to get it as flat as you can. This can be challenging, but be patient and use a lot of adhesive.

    Set the luminary down on your newspaper or scrap paper to dry (usually less than 24 hours).

    Once it's dry, add a tea light and stand back to admire the beautiful fall luminary you've created.

Notes

  • To make this project more challenging for your older kids, encourage them to draw intricate shapes or fall images.
  • Don't forget to leave the bottom free of Mod Podge so it's easy to put it down to dry.
  • This craft takes little time to make. You'll just need to wait for the glue to dry after you're done.

Recommended Products

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Did you make this?

If so, please leave a comment or share a photo on Pinterest

This is such an easy and frugal craft that looks amazing when lit up and you can easily adapt them for any holiday or season, like these Christmas and winter luminaries.

For a different type of luminary, check out this candy corn luminary.

These may be very simple crafts, but older kids will have a blast making them.

DIY fall luminary lit up with a tea light.

More Fall Projects for Middle School

Crafts aren’t the only thing you can do to celebrate the season. Check out these fall activities for families with older kids.

Have you ever made autumn leaf luminaries with your kids?

Megan Zechman
I love homeschooling! Learning is a way of life for our family. Most days you will find us exploring our Central Florida community, having fun while learning. I am constantly looking for new and interactive ways to engage my older children.
Megan Zechman
Megan Zechman
Megan Zechman

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27 Comments

  1. Pingback: Autumn Inspiration Week - Education Possible
  2. These are beautiful! Often times, glass pieces can be picked up at garage sales, flea markets, or estate sales for little to nothing. Great project idea – thanks for sharing! Be blessed! #InspiredBN

    1. Thank you DaLynn. What a great idea for gathering unique glass pieces. I usually grab mine at the dollar store, but I think my girls might enjoy seeking them out your way. We love making these for the different holidays.

  3. Pingback: Fall crafts
  4. Pingback: What Central Florida Looks Like in Autumn - Education Possible
  5. Pingback: Autumn Holiday Ideas from History of Holidays - Education Possible
  6. These would make a beautiful addition to our Thanksgiving table in November – I know what we’ll be doing for artclass soon. Thank you for the inspiration!

  7. I love this idea! So easy and beautiful. I chose your link up from the Hearts for Home Blog Hop as one of my favorites and I am featuring it on the blog hop tomorrow. Thanks for sharing!

  8. Megan,
    These are so pretty and I love that the kids can make them too! I love when I can use decorations from October through Thanksgiving and don’t have to put them away because they go with both Halloween and Thanksgiving 🙂 Thank you for linking up to our Spooktacular Halloween link party.
    Michelle

    1. I love multiple use decorations too! We always have some luminaries sitting out – they just change with the holiday/season. What a fun link party!!

  9. Pingback: Autumn Leaf Creations Inspired by Pinterest - Education Possible
  10. Pingback: 20 Awesome Fall Craft Ideas – I Heart Homeschool
  11. I recently found your site and am already a fan!I wanted to reach out to you and see if you would be willing to test out some of my glass etching craft supplies for free for feedback. Will you please let me know by email? I will try to come back to this page later to see if you replied in the comments too. These will be shipped directly to you at no cost. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you Eric

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