Capture the Colors of Fall with DIY Clay Leaf Trinket Dishes

Capture the beauty of autumn with this simple DIY project. Create stunning leaf-shaped trinket dishes using materials you probably already have at home. All you need are a few colorful leaves from your yard and a package of clay (either oven-bake or air-dry). Let’s get started!

Crafting with Clay: Leaf-Shaped Trinket Dishes

Embrace the cozy charm of autumn with this easy DIY project. Create leaf-shaped trinket dishes that add a touch of nature to your home. These versatile pieces can be used to organize keys, jewelry, or simply as decorative accents. Perfect for adding a touch of fall flair to your entryway table or mantelpiece.

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Gather Your Supplies: Autumn Leaves and Clay

Fall’s Finest: Selecting the Perfect Leaves

One great thing about this project is that you don’t need many supplies to create these pretty trinket dishes! All you need is to go outside and collect a few leaves and get a package of clay…and then you can paint them whatever colors you would like!

When picking out leaves you want to look for leaves with good veining that will leave a detailed imprint on the clay.

I am going to make a set of 3 trinket dishes and I picked a large hydrangea leaf, a maple leaf, and a sunflower leaf.

Prepping the Clay Canvas

Choosing Your Clay: For this project, you can use either oven-bake or air-dry clay. Both are easy to work with and roll out, so choose the option that best suits your timeline. For the oven-baked clay, you will bake the clay leaves in a 275° oven until they are set, mine took about 30 minutes. While air-dry clay may need a day or two to fully harden. Both types of clay are generally available at similar prices.

Note: If you’re using oven-bake clay and baking it in small porcelain bowls, it might take a bit longer to set.

Rolling Out the Clay: To create a sturdy base for your trinket dish, roll out your chosen clay on a silicone baking mat using a rolling pin. Aim for a thickness of about 1/4 inch and a size that comfortably accommodates your chosen leaf.

Creating Leaf Impressions

Once the clay was rolled out, I placed a maple leaf into the center of the clay and rolled over it with a rolling pin.

Use a steak knife to carefully cut around the edges of the leaf.

Then I lifted the maple leaf out of the clay starting from the stem end and pulling the leaf upward.

Doesn’t it look cool already?? After I removed the leaf I just pulled off the excess clay around the edges.

To create a variety of trinket dishes, I repeated the process with a hydrangea leaf and then with a sunflower leaf. This resulted in a beautiful set with different sizes and shapes.

I was particularly impressed with the hydrangea leaf imprint. Its delicate details are truly stunning, and I can’t wait for you to see the finished trinket dish!

Shaping Your Trinket Dish

To shape your trinket dishes, gently press the clay into shallow oven-safe bowls or create molds from aluminum foil. To prevent sticking, lightly grease the bowls with cooking spray.

Baking Your Clay Creations to Life

Remember to monitor your clay closely during baking to ensure it’s fully hardened.

If you’re using air-dry clay, check the trinket dishes after a day to see if they’ve hardened. Drying time can vary depending on your home’s temperature and humidity. A simple touch test can help you determine if the clay is dry.

After I removed the baking sheet from the oven I left the maple and hydrangea leaves inside of the bowls to cool down before removing them.

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A Touch of Color: Painting Your Trinket Dishes

Once the leaf dishes are completely cooled it is time to paint them. For this project use whatever colors work for you!

Both acrylic craft paints and spray paints will work well with the clay leaves.

Today I used spray paints because I already had them left over from other projects. I painted the hydrangea leaf with antiqued gold, the maple in a pretty copper, and the sunflower leaf a dark green.

Once the paint was dry, I wanted to highlight the natural veins of the leaf and reduce the metallic shine slightly. To achieve this, I applied a small amount of Waverly Antique Wax to the leaves and gently rubbed it in. I love the chalky texture of Waverly wax, which makes it incredibly easy to work with

A Set of Nature-Inspired Trinket Dishes

OK, can you believe a couple of hours ago these beautiful trinket dishes were a pile of clay?? They are just perfect for using on my entryway table this Fall!

This would also be a great project to do with children…but I would just use acrylic paints so they can paint them on their own!

It’s amazing how much detail from the leaves you can see in these little dishes! Honestly, they came out better than I had imagined that they would!! I love when that happens with a project…because I’ve had my share of Pinterest fails!!!

The hydrangea leaf is definitely my favorite one!! The shape and the point detail at the end of the leaf are giving me heart emoji eyes!!

Congratulations on creating your beautiful autumn leaf trinket dishes! These unique and personalized pieces are a wonderful addition to any home.

Whether you use them as functional organizers or simply as decorative accents, your handcrafted creations are sure to bring a touch of nature and warmth to your space.

My friend Rachel and I are always on the same creative wavelength…this week she used clay to create leaf napkin rings! Such a cute project that I am definitely going to make for Fall!

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