Create a fall leaf banner in Canva – no fancy art degree or access to expensive design software needed!

Fall is here and it’s time to bring a little bit of the colder weather and colorful leaves indoors. In this quick Canva project I show you how to create a coordinating fall leaf banner to match this Autumn Inspired Art print. Let’s get started!

What You Need to Get Started

This fall leaf banner project is super simple – you probably have most of the supplies you need at home. You can create one that looks exactly like the one I make in the video, or you can customize your saying, colors and graphics. Designing with Canva makes the sky the limit!

SUPPLIES

  • a computer with access to the internet
  • a color printer (or send your file to your favorite copy shop)
  • a FREE Canva account
  • white cardstock (if you’re printing your files at home)
  • jute, ribbon or baker’s twine
  • scissors and/or paper trimmer
  • tape (I often use painters tape because that’s what I can find, but anything will do)
  • a shelf or mantle to hang your banner on

Putting Your Banner Together

I’ve created dozens of banners and have learned a few tricks along the way. Here are a few to help make creating your banner a success.

  • “Bubble Cut” or the “White Sticker Border” that I mention in the video is your best friend. All it means is to leave that white border around the edges of images that have a lot of curves – like the leaves in this particular project. I’ve learned that loosely following the outline is the quickest option – for those leaves that have lots of little cut-ins simply skip every other one or two and you’ll still get the same effect.
  • I usually use painter’s tape to put my banners together – that’s not only because it’s easy to find but because then I have it on hand to help me hang my banner and it won’t destroy my mantle, shelf or wall. If you’re hanging from something that has an top (like a mantle or shelf) I often take the tails of my banner up to the top and tape it there and then place a plant or candlestick over the tape to hide it. If hanging in one location becomes a routine thing, I use the small clear command hooks and place them alongside the edge of the mantle or shelf.
  • Cutting out the pennants can be time consuming – so speed up the process by using a paper cut on all the straight cuts. On the pennant side, line your paper cut up with the points, then you can come back and cut in the “v” shape with a pair of scissors later.
  • Line your paper pieces up on a table like you’d like them to appear on your banner (you’ll obviously want to flip placement of words so that it hangs right) and then secure the ribbon or twine with your tape about a 1/2 inch from the top of each paper piece. This way the tape doesn’t show but the string isn’t so far down that the paper piece flips showing the back of some pieces and the fronts of others.

Want to learn how to create more design awesomeness in Canva? I can show you how in Digital Printables – Simplified.