Blank Canvas Arts and Crafts

Autumn Leaves

Every year the brilliant greenery of creation explodes into a myriad of colors highlighting the glory of God’s artistry. Shortly after the climax of the stunning display the bright and cheery leaves quickly breathe their last fading to brown and then falling onto chilled grounds of graying grass. The welcomed warmth of early fall days and cool nights tumbles into chilly daylight and brisk darkness that merit extra blankets. What can we learn from the seasonal melody of God’s creation? If we choose to ignore the change in tempo we do so at our own spiritual risk.

The writer of Ecclesiastes was a wise man when he penned the famous verse, “There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.” (Ecc. 3:1) One of the disadvantages of contemporary living is our isolation from the powers of nature. While tragic and overwhelming to behold the recent disasters in America and Asia have reminded us as human beings that we are apart of God’s creation, not separated from it by some privilege of intelligence and human superiority. Jesus and His disciples walked the fields, the streams, and plains of ancient Israel. Jesus constantly called on the book of God’s creation to teach His followers, whether He spoke of a tree and it’s fruit (Matthew 7:15), a mustard seed (Matthew 13:31), or a vine (John 15:1).

The royal colors of autumn’s leaves point to the Royal King of the Universe but we must slow down enough to read their message. God provides us in the seasons a visible reminder of His constant work of creating, re-creating, of death, and resurrection. The very processes we see in nature reminds us of the process of transformation we pray that the Spirit will work in us. If we ignore the turning of the leaves we run the risk of believing that we can live spirituality without seasons in our lives. We will buy into the lie that we can live at 100 mph with no risk to our salvation or our souls. We would be quite mistaken if we took such a path.

Father Kevin Goodrich O.P. is an Anglican Dominican Priest who travels as a teacher of Christian spirituality and living. He is the author of the book, “Cell Phone Spirituality: What your cell phone can teach you about Life and God.” You can visit Father Kevin’s blog at [http://dailyspirituality.com]

I have some autumn leaves that I want to preserve. Is Mod Podge the best product to do this?

Is there another product, even better than Mod Podge, that preserves autumn leaves? Thank you!

You need to dry the leaves by laying them flat and covering them in a bed of silica gel. Craft stores sell this for drying flowers and it’s relatively inexpensive. Just follow the directions. Or, you can lay them flat inbetween sheets of newspaper or paper towels (any absorbant paper) and putting a heavy weight on top. The key is to dry them first. If you don’t, they will probably get moldy under no matter what you paint over them. A florist may also have a product to preserve your leaves.It comes in a can and goes on in a fine mist like hair spray. You didn’t say what you were planning to do with these leaves…put them in a frame, stick them to a lampshade, use them in a floral arrangement? The ultimate use should dictate what product would be best.

Autumn leaves

Autumn Splendor Maple Leaf quilt top/#T42B $49.99

Autumn Leaves Tags Embossed Acid/Free Stickers (M320) Scrapbooking $2.19

JOLEE’S BOUTIQUE SCRAPBOOK AUTUMN / FALL WREATH LEAVES 7 PIECE STICKERS $3.49

DMC VARIATIONS FLOSS – AUTUMN LEAVES #4070 $1.35

JOLEE’S BOUTIQUE SCRAPBOOK AUTUMN / FALL LEAVES VELLUM 12 PIECE STICKERS $2.29

Rubber Stamp Autumn Fall Harvest Leaves Leaf Oak Maple $4.99

60-30204 AUTUMN LEAVES 2.5X2.5″ CLEAR STAMP SET $1.99

New autumn INKADINKADO RUBBER STAMP FALL LEAF FLOURISHED DISTRess $7.29

Rubber Stamp Clear Acrylic See Through Autumn Fall Harvest Maple Leaf Solid Bold $6.99

Rubber Stamp Teddy Bear Fall Autumn Leaves Pumpkin Leaf $13.99

Counted CROSS STITCH BOW TIES Autumn Leaves Fall Door Decoration Kit $11.01

PEDDLERS PACK Rubber Stamp AUTUMN LEAVES Playing RAKING Girl KITTY Throwing FUN! $6.45

BUCILLA – VERA POINT “AUTUMN LEAVES” NEEDLEPOINT PILLOW KIT – 14″ SQUARE $30.00

Autumn Leaf Coasters Kit By Carol Rodgers $4.99

Red Leaves Autumn Fall Counted Cross Stitch Pattern $9.99

Mrs. Anderson’s Leaf Cookie Cutter Set $6.49 This set of 7 leaf shaped cookie cutters is perfect for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or any autumn celebration. Constructed of solid tin, the cutters vary in size and shape but are generally about 1 1/2 inches wide by 2 inches long. Each cutter resembles a different type of leaf and they fit conveniently into the handy storage container. They’re also great for creating attractive steam vents in the…

Mahogany Oak Leaf 100-Percent Cotton Jacquard Tablecloth The Oak Leaf pattern is a beautiful seasonal design woven into a rich, heavy jacquard weave that will dress up any kitchen or dining room. The light background is a textured beige taupe, with the oak leaf and acorn design woven in a dark brown contrasting pattern. The jacquard weave is 100-Percent Indian cotton, and is completely machine-washable. Each piece has a sewn hem for extra durability….

Gourmet Classics Harvest Fun Leaf Adult Apron, 27-by-32-Inch $15.92 Gourmet Classic’s Harvest Fun Leaf Adult Apron is made of heavyweight, twill-weave cotton. It features a double pocket and adjustable d-ring neck strap. It’s easy to clean; simply machine wash and dry. Overall apron measures 27 by 32-Inch. 100-percent cotton. Part of the Gourmet Classics Collection, apron is made by expert craftsmen with high quality materials. The Gourmet Classic Collection offer…

Songbird $10.37 Songbird cherry-picks tracks from the three locally released albums of Eva Cassidy, whose hauntingly beautiful vocals went virtually unheard outside her native Washington, D.C., during her short 33 years with us. Lost to melanoma in 1996, Cassidy sang with an unaffected purity and an astonishing ability to make both classic and contemporary songs sound like they were written just for her. Sting’s …

The Very Best Of Nat King Cole $5.19 No Description Available.Genre: VocalsMedia Format: Compact DiskRating: Release Date: 2-MAY-2006…

Somethin’ Else (Rudy Van Gelder Edition) $5.00 …

Autumn Leaves Joan Crawford stars in this absorbing drama as a lonely spinster who finds the dark side of love….

Rugrats – Dr. Tommy Pickles [VHS] $12.95 In the hilarious “Hiccups,” Tommy has the hiccups but is too scare-proof to be shocked out of them. Angelica, however, is happy to change that. In the funny but touching “Autumn Leaves,” the Rugrats think that the impact of the fall season on trees must be a disease, and they set out to save a few. Also on this video are “Potty Training Spike,” “Chicken Pops,” and “Grandpa’s Bad Bug.” –Tom Keogh…

Autumn Leaves [VHS] $19.98 A lonley spinster is seduced into a romance with a man 20 years younger. Once married, their lives come unhinged when the young man begins to have a psychotic breakdown. …..

Gardex LS-1000 Poly Leaf Scoops $5.08 Designed for all season yard clean up these scoops fit either hand and are ideal for spreading mulch and peat moss, picking up leaves, pine needles, thorny or poisonous plant trimmings, sweet gum balls, and weeds. Constructed of lightweight, durable polycarbonate with rake teeth. 14.5” W. Holes in top for hanging. Solid in pairs. Color: Yellow….