DIY Fall Inspired Book Page Leaves

This is seriously one of the easiest DIY’s I’ve done to date as well as the least expensive! I purchased two books from the Salvation Army for $1 total. That’s it. A $1 DIY. Now that is a DIY that even my most frugal of friends can get on board with. Am I right?!? It definitely helped that I had all the other items on hand.

To make these budget friendly fall inspired book page leaves you’ll need the supplies listed below.

Supplies:

Old book(s)
Scissors
Acrylic paint in desired colors
Paint brush for each color
Bowl
Water
Freezer paper

Tip: I used crimson, gold, and orchid yellow paint.

Step 1: Tear out the book pages from the book(s).

Step 2: Line up several pages, then fold them in half, long ways.

Tip: Apply ample pressure when folding the pages to ensure the crease is well defined.

Step 3: Starting near the bottom of the side with the crease, cut upwards then out to make a leaf shape. I just eyed mine. Reference the picture below to give you an idea of how mine looks.

Step 4: Fill the bowl half way with water.

Step 5: Tear off about 2 feet of freezer paper and lay flat. Then Tear off a second smaller piece to cover the space you will be painting the paper leaves on. This makes the clean up easy.

Step 6: Dip your brush in the water, then dab it in the desired paint color and paint the leaf. Once your done, lay it flat on the freezer paper. Let the leaf dry for about 15 minutes, then flip it. This will prevent the leaf from sticking to the freezer paper.

Tip: For some of the leaves I dabbed the paintbrush in two or even all three colors to give them a more discolored authentic look. 

Step 7: Repeat step 6 until you have the desired amount of book page leaves.

Step 8: Let the leaves dry overnight then the sky is the limit!

I snapped a couple of photos to give you ideas on how to style them below, but the possibilities are endless.

You can also use them to make:

a wreath
name cards for a table setting
table runner
garland

I am using them to create a table runner for my fall tablescape post that will be on the blog next month and I can’t wait to show you all. Stay tuned!

Well friends, that’s it for this post. I hope you enjoyed my budget friendly DIY as well as inspired you to think outside the box when decorating your home for the upcoming fall season. This just goes to show you that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make something beautiful. If you decide to make these book page leaves, I would love for you to share it with me on Instagram! My handle is @acarriedaffairdesigns You can also message me on Instagram or leave a comment below if you have any questions. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Until next time. Xoxo