There is something especially fun about bringing a handful of autumn treasures indoors and turning them into art. Colorful leaves, tiny twigs, berries, seed heads, and other finds from a fall walk can become the centerpiece of this simple autumn umbrella craft.
The finished project looks like an umbrella overflowing with everything beautiful about the season. Folded construction-paper pockets create the umbrella canopy, while real or artificial fall foliage spills from the top. Set against a contrasting sheet of blue paper, the warm reds, oranges, yellows, and browns of the natural materials really stand out.
This is an easy fall craft for kids, families, classrooms, or anyone looking for a creative way to use treasures collected during an autumn nature walk. It can also make a charming Thanksgiving decoration for a refrigerator, bulletin board, classroom wall, or seasonal display.
🍂 What You’ll Need
You do not need many supplies for this project, and there is plenty of room to substitute what you already have at home.
- Blue construction paper or cardstock for the background
- Purple construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue or a glue stick
- Purple marker or crayon
- Colorful autumn leaves
- Small twigs
- Berries or artificial berries
- Dried grasses, seed heads, or small flowers, if desired
- Pencil and ruler, optional
The photographs use purple paper for the umbrella and blue paper for the background, which creates a pretty contrast. You could easily change the colors, however. Burgundy, orange, mustard yellow, dark green, or kraft paper would all work beautifully for an autumn version.
🌿 Start with a Fall Nature Walk
Part of the fun of this craft can happen before you ever reach the craft table. Take a short walk through the yard, neighborhood, garden, or another place where collecting fallen natural materials is permitted and look for interesting shapes, textures, and colors.
Flat autumn leaves are especially useful because they are lightweight and easy to tuck into the paper pockets. Thin twigs, dried grasses, seed heads, and other small natural finds can add height and texture. Artificial berries are an easy alternative when you want a bright splash of red without bringing fresh berries indoors.
If you are crafting with young children, adults should supervise the collecting and preparation of natural materials. Avoid unfamiliar berries, mushrooms, or plants, and use only materials you know are safe to handle.
Once you are home, gently brush away dirt or debris and allow anything damp to dry before adding it to the project.
🌂 Make the Paper Umbrella
The umbrella in the photos is made from four folded pieces of purple construction paper. Rather than lying completely flat against the background, each piece forms a shallow cone or pocket. When the four pieces are arranged side by side, they create a dimensional umbrella canopy.
Begin by cutting four squares of purple construction paper. Squares approximately 3 to 4 inches across work well for a standard sheet of construction paper, although you can adjust the size to fit your background.
Take one square and gently bring two neighboring edges toward one another so the paper forms a loose cone. The bottom should taper toward a point while the upper edge remains open. Add a small amount of glue where the paper overlaps and hold it in place until it begins to set.
Repeat with the remaining three squares.
The cones do not have to be perfectly identical. Slight differences actually give the umbrella more dimension and handmade charm.
✂️ Arrange the Umbrella Canopy
Place your blue construction paper vertically on the work surface. Before gluing anything down, arrange the four purple cones across the upper half of the page.
Position the pointed ends so they angle inward and downward toward the center of the umbrella. The open portions should face upward, creating four little pockets that can eventually hold your autumn leaves and twigs.
Move the pieces around until the overall shape resembles a curved umbrella canopy. Depending on the size of your cones, the outer sections may angle slightly outward while the two center pieces sit more upright.
Once you are happy with the arrangement, glue each cone securely to the background. Pay particular attention to the pointed ends and overlapping areas, but leave the upper openings accessible so you can fill them later.
Allow the glue to dry before adding the heavier natural materials.
🖍️ Draw the Umbrella Handle
With the canopy in place, use a purple marker, crayon, or colored pencil to draw the umbrella shaft extending downward from the center.
Finish it with a curved J-shaped handle. You can keep the handle simple or give it an exaggerated curl for a more whimsical appearance.
Another option is to create the handle from a narrow strip of construction paper and glue it to the background. A drawn handle, however, keeps the project simple and allows the dimensional canopy to remain the main attraction.
🍁 Fill the Umbrella with Autumn Leaves
Now comes the most creative part. Arrange your autumn treasures inside the four paper pockets so that they appear to be spilling from the umbrella.
Start with the largest leaves. Tuck their stems into the paper pockets while allowing the colorful portions to rise above the canopy. Mix different colors and leaf shapes rather than placing all similar leaves together.
Next, add thin twigs or dried grasses for height. A few pieces extending above the leaves help create a loose, natural arrangement rather than a perfectly even row.
Small clusters of berries or artificial berries can then be tucked between the leaves. Bright red berries are especially striking against purple paper and blue cardstock, but orange, gold, burgundy, or neutral-toned materials work just as well.
You do not need to fill every pocket exactly the same way. In fact, the decoration looks more natural when each section contains a slightly different combination of autumn finds.
🍂 Secure Loose Pieces if Needed
If the leaves and twigs sit securely inside the folded pockets, you may not need to glue every natural element in place. This can be useful if children want to rearrange their display or replace leaves later.
For a more permanent craft, add a small dab of glue near the base of each stem before tucking it into the umbrella. Lightweight craft glue is usually enough for dried leaves and small pieces of foliage.
Avoid overloading the paper pockets with large pinecones, thick branches, or other heavy objects. The dimensional paper canopy works best with light materials.
🎨 Add Your Own Autumn Details
The simple umbrella and nature arrangement can stand on its own, but the blue background also gives children plenty of room to add their own artwork.
Draw a few falling leaves around the umbrella to make it look as though an autumn breeze is blowing through the scene. Small clouds, raindrops, swirls of wind, or tiny leaf shapes can help tell a story.
You could also write a seasonal message such as “Hello Fall,” “Autumn Is Here,” or “Happy Thanksgiving” near the bottom of the page.
For a classroom activity, children could write something they are thankful for on several paper leaves and add those to the umbrella alongside the natural materials.
🌰 Autumn Umbrella Craft Variations
One of the nicest things about this project is how easily it can be adapted.
For a completely paper-based version, cut leaves from orange, red, yellow, and brown construction paper instead of using real foliage. Younger children can decorate the paper leaves with crayons, markers, fingerprints, or watercolor paint before placing them in the umbrella.
For a more rustic version, use kraft paper or brown cardstock for the umbrella and fill it with dried grasses, seed heads, pressed leaves, and small pieces of raffia.
You can also turn the project into a Thanksgiving gratitude craft. Give each child several small paper leaves and have them write or draw something they are thankful for on each one. The gratitude leaves can then be tucked into the umbrella to create a seasonal keepsake.
Preschoolers may enjoy a simplified version using larger paper cones and pre-cut leaves, while older children can measure and fold their own pieces and spend more time arranging the natural elements.
🏡 Ideas for Displaying the Finished Craft
Once the project is completely dry, it makes an easy seasonal decoration. Display it on the refrigerator, tape it to a classroom wall, place it on a fall bulletin board, or lean it against a shelf as part of an autumn vignette.
If you want to hang it, cardstock makes a sturdier background than lightweight construction paper. You can punch two holes near the upper corners and thread a ribbon through them to create a simple hanger.
Because real leaves naturally dry, curl, and change color, the appearance of the craft may gradually change. That can be part of its charm. If you would rather keep the display looking the same throughout the season, use pressed leaves, artificial foliage, or paper leaves instead.
🍁 A Simple Way to Celebrate Fall
This autumn umbrella craft combines several things kids tend to enjoy: exploring outdoors, collecting interesting treasures, folding and gluing paper, and deciding exactly how their finished artwork should look.
No two umbrellas will ever be quite the same. One might overflow with brilliant maple leaves, another with delicate grasses and twigs, and another with colorful paper leaves decorated by hand. That freedom makes the project just as enjoyable for a family craft afternoon as it is for a preschool, kindergarten, or elementary classroom activity.
Most importantly, it gives those little treasures gathered on an autumn walk somewhere special to go. Instead of a handful of leaves disappearing into a pocket or being forgotten on the kitchen counter, they become part of a colorful celebration of the season.
