updated on Creative Time DIY Projects

Fall Decor: Make Autumn Fruits and Vegetables with Paper

image of fall fruits and vegetables made of painted paper

These paper fruits and vegetables would be fun in a fruit bowl or an autumn tablescape. Consider hanging them from a string to make a bunting or mobile. They also fold up nicely to tuck into a letter or card. Make five or more printouts of the artwork. You can see how the pomegranate looks with five or ten pieces and decide how many is best for you.

Materials

Download printable PDF here.
image of materials needed to make fall fruits and vegetable decor with paper: paper print outs, glue stick, scissors and bone folder
  • Minimum of five copies of the fall foods printable PDF
  • Glue stick
  • Bone folder
  • Scissors

How to Make Paper Fruits and Vegetables

  1. Cut out the fall foods leaving a bit of the shadow outline. This will give you a little wiggle room to trim spots where the edges don’t exactly match up.
  2. Fold each piece in half vertically with right sides together, matching up the outside edges, and burnish with the bone folder.
  3. Apply glue to one half of the white side of a picture. Match up the outside edges and then press the halves together.image of 5 red painted and folded paper shapes and an assembled paper pomegranate
  4. Repeat by gluing the next half to the next page or leaf. As you go around, open the pages behind so that the stacks are equal. Keep matching the outside edges and averaging the two halves so that when you get all the way around the last page matches the first.
image of 2 paper pomegranates - on the left, one pomegranate is made with 10 layers of paper, and on the right, 5 layers of paper
Paper pomegranate with 10 pieces on the left and 5 pieces on the right.
image of fall fruits and vegetables made of painted paper

Cleo Papanikolas is a painter, author, and educator. Her daily practice classes on Creativebug are Painting Repeat Patterns By Hand: A Daily Practice and Learn to Paint with Gouache: A Daily Practice in Questions and Answers . You can find more of her printable crafts on her website, and while you are there, take a look at her Patreon scarf club.