By Near White,
Staff Writer,
and Olly Constantine,
Media Editor.
Everyone can be creative and express their creativity in unique ways. This fall, “do it yourself” is all the rage, so obviously the best crafts are ones meant for teenagers on a budget, even if they have the attention spans of squirrels. The crafts in this article are affordable and easy to follow—and, of course, fall themed.
One easy DIY craft is a fall-themed lantern. Whether as a handheld jar of wonder to light your way on Halloween or a cute centerpiece to pique the curiosity of your guests, this is sure to be a conversation starter. You will need a clean glass jar of any size, the best multicolored leaves you can find, Mod Podge or diluted glue, twine and a tealight candle of your choosing.
To start this craft, collect fallen leaves. Dry them out by letting them hang or pressing them in a notebook, and leave them overnight. Once dry, the second step is to coat one side of the chosen leaf in the Mod Podge or diluted glue of choice. Apply to the outside of your glass jar. Repeat the pattern in whatever style you like. Make sure to apply another coat to adhere your leaves to the jar, then let dry. For the third step, tie the neck of the jar with twine, leaving a loop for the handle. To bring it all together, take your candle and glue it into the center of the jar. Light the candle, turn out the lights and admire your masterpiece!
Another decorative craft to fit the season is autumn-themed paper garlands. These can also be made out of felt, but for those who aren’t up for sewing, construction paper is a great option. For this project, you will need construction paper, string or twine, scissors and tape. Begin by cutting the construction paper into different shapes (leaves, pumpkins, ghosts or anything else fall- or Halloween-related are great options). Cut some string to the desired length depending on your preference of where to hang the garland. Next, you can either tape each of the paper shapes onto the string or use a sewing needle to attach the paper. Finally, hang the garland up and enjoy.
A great way to make use of brightly colored fallen leaves is making a leaf collage. This simple craft requires leaves, paper and Mod Podge or diluted glue. Start by collecting leaves of a variety of shapes and sizes, dry them and set them under a heavy object like a large book to flatten them out. After letting them sit for a couple hours, arrange the leaves on the paper in whatever design is preferred. Next, use the Mod Podge or your substitute to glue down each leaf.
Although these are just a few options, there are many other fall crafts to choose from. Senior Alexa Bannister crochets in her free time and has worked on a variety of autumnal projects including crochet pumpkins. “They are super easy to make, and I can make them in a bunch of different sizes,” said Bannister.
Our final craft has to be the cutest and simplest to do; even so, don’t underestimate the instructions! To create these adorable desktop pumpkins, you’ll need two orange pipe cleaners and a single green pipe cleaner.
First, tie the ends of your two orange pipe cleaners together to form a longer one. Take that extended pipe cleaner and wrap it tightly around a shaft of a pencil, creating tight loops all the way down, a shape similar to a Slinky. Then, push the coil down carefully, removing it from the pencil. Take your green pipe cleaner and thread one end through the orange loops. Take the other end and bring it through the opposite end of the orange curls, only threading through half the loops before pulling the end through. Pull both ends of your green pipe cleaner to tighten, and you’re done!
We hope that with these crafts you’ll be able to enjoy the fall season as much as your heart desires.
