DIY Pressed Fall Leaves Glass Frame

Fall is short, but your decor doesn’t have to be. This pressed fall leaves glass frame captures the season’s best colors — crimson maple, golden oak, rusty beech — and keeps them glowing between two panes of glass. It’s a 20-minute craft that looks like something from a boutique, and it costs almost nothing if you gather the leaves yourself.

What You’ll Need

• Freshly picked fall leaves (maple, oak, ginkgo, or fern fronds work best)
• A floating glass frame (two glass panes with a metal edge, available at craft stores)
• Heavy books or a flower press for flattening
• Parchment paper
• Soft cloth and glass cleaner
• Cotton gloves or clean hands to handle the glass

Step 1: Pick and Press Your Leaves

Choose leaves with strong color and no tears or brown spots. Arrange them between two sheets of parchment paper, then sandwich that inside a heavy book. Stack a few more books on top and leave them for 3–5 days. You want them completely flat and dry — any moisture left in the leaf will fog up the glass later.

Step 2: Clean the Glass

Put on cotton gloves or make sure your hands are clean, then wipe both glass panes inside and out with glass cleaner. Floating frames show every fingerprint, so this step really matters.

Step 3: Arrange Your Design

Lay one pane flat on the table. Arrange the pressed leaves on it while you still have room to move things around — try a scattered natural look, or a neat row of three by three. Step back and look at the balance before you commit.

Step 4: Close the Frame

Carefully lay the second pane over your arrangement, holding it by the edges so you don’t smudge it. Lock the frame’s edge clips or screws, working from one side to the other so the leaves don’t shift.

Step 5: Hang and Admire

Hang your frame in a spot that gets indirect daylight — a window-side wall or above a console table. Sunlight streaming through the glass makes the leaf veins glow.

Styling Tips

Group two or three frames in different sizes for a gallery wall, or stand one on a mantel between candles for a cozy fall vignette. Swap the leaves for pressed flowers in spring to reuse the frame year-round.

Safety Note

Handle the glass panes by their edges only — floating-frame glass is thin and can chip. If a pane cracks, wrap it in newspaper before throwing it away.

This little project turns a walk in the park into wall art you’ll love all season. Gather the prettiest leaves you can find, press them well, and let the light do the rest.