Last year I came across these patterns for Japanese kirigami leaves, which are really easy to make and result in a beautiful repetition of leaf shapes. Although it’s far from being fall here in Texas, I’m eager to start bringing an autumn look to our home, so I decided to use the kirigami patterns to create a set of votives for our table.

Here are the materials you’ll need:

• Paper (standard weight works better than cardstock)
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Decoupage glue
• Balloons
• String
• Votive candles and candle holders

I started by printing and cutting out the patterns (found here). Next, I folded the paper according to the instructions and traced the leaf pattern onto the paper.

I cut out the leaf, creating a series of attached leaves in a circular shape.

I prepared the balloons in advance, and then dipped the leaves in glue and carefully placed them on a balloon. I let them dry for about 8 hours and then popped the balloons and peeled the leaves away. There was quite a bit of excess dried glue between the leaves that I also had to remove.

Finally, I added votives to the center.