Spectacular Fall Foliage!

Mother Nature has put on quite a show for us this year! Since I live in Indiana, I'm used to seeing pretty fall color in our trees and shrubs before the leaves begin to fall. This year we must have had just the perfect combination of rainfall and temperatures because the fall foliage is prettier than I remember seeing for the past several years. Over the past week, I've been taking photos around the neighborhood when I go for a walk and thought I'd share with you.

Color in the park adjacent to my neighborhood.

Golden park path.

The little Japanese maple next to our screened porch.

A neighbor's front yard is full of these red maple trees.

Golden fan shaped leaves on my gingko tree. This is the first year the leaves turned yellow - we usually have a freeze before now and that makes the leaves fall off overnight!

The forecast is for rain and wind on Friday, so by the weekend most of the leaves will be on the ground. The trick or treaters will be hearing the crunch of leaves underfoot while on their search for treats.

Natural Decor Part 1 - Pressed Autumn Leaves

Collect, then press, a variety of colorful autumn leaves to use for crafts and home decor.

Whether you go for a hike through the woods, or just take a stroll around the neighborhood, this time of year it should be easy to find plenty of fire hued leaves.

Pressed leaves can be used to make cards, as table top decorations, or framed and placed on a shelf or mantel.

To press leaves, space them out between layers of newspaper or between the pages of a phone book, and weight with a stack of books. They should be dry in 3-4 days.

Once the leaves are pressed, you can iron them between two pieces of waxed paper to enhance the color. (Be sure to use a pressing cloth so that you don't get wax from the paper on your iron.)

My first leaves are pressed and ready to use. Next week I'll share what I made with the leaves I've collected.