There is something quietly satisfying about coming home from a walk with your pockets full of treasure. A handful of oak leaves, a few curling beech leaves, a length of fallen birch twig — these are the raw materials for an afternoon of making that costs almost nothing at all. The five projects below are simple enough for children to join in, but handsome enough to sit on a mantelpiece or slip into an envelope for a friend. Here is how to turn a modest haul into decorations, cards and small gifts.

Collecting and Preparing Your Finds

Take a basket or a cotton tote rather than a plastic bag, as leaves bruise and sweat in plastic and will be limp before you get home. Choose leaves that have fallen recently and are dry to the touch; damp ones go mouldy long before they press flat. Oak, beech, maple, birch and horse chestnut all press beautifully, and so do ferns, ivy and the smaller ornamental leaves from garden shrubs.

For twigs, pick ones that snap cleanly rather than bending like rope — that tells you the wood is seasoned and will hold its shape once dried. Birch, hazel, willow and apple are all excellent. Give everything a good shake outdoors and, if you are at all worried about tiny visitors, pop your haul in the freezer for 48 hours before you start making.

• Pressing: sandwich leaves between sheets of newspaper or blotting paper, then weigh them under a stack of heavy books for one to two weeks.
• Glycerine method: mix one part glycerine with two parts warm water, submerge the leaves for three to five days, then pat dry. They stay supple and hold their colour for months.
• Sorting twigs: trim into 10 cm, 20 cm and 30 cm lengths and stand them upright in a jar so you can see what you have.

Pressed-Leaf Cards and Gift Tags

This is the project to start with, because it uses the leaves you have already pressed and takes about ten minutes per card. You will need blank card blanks, undiluted PVA glue, a small brush and a couple of heavy books for weighting.

Brush a thin layer of glue onto the card where the leaf will sit, lay the leaf down, then brush a second thin coat gently over the top, working from the stem outwards so you do not tear the veins. Leave it to dry flat, then add a handwritten message above or below. The glue dries clear and gives the leaf a soft, slightly glossy finish that looks far more considered than the effort involved.

For gift tags, cut kraft card to size, punch a hole in one corner, thread through a length of jute twine and glue a single small leaf in the centre. They look lovely tied to brown paper parcels with a cinnamon stick or a sprig of dried rosemary tucked under the string.

A Leaf and Twig Garland

A garland is the quickest way to make a room feel seasonal, and it costs you one length of jute twine. Cut the twine to roughly 1.5 m to 2 m — enough to drape generously across a mantelpiece or a window frame.

Thread a darning needle with the twine and push it through the stem of a pressed or glycerined leaf, then tie a small knot to stop it sliding. Alternate leaves with short twig pieces, threading through the twine and knotting on either side, and leave a few centimetres of bare twine between each element so the garland hangs in soft, uneven loops rather than a stiff line. Finish with a loop at each end for hanging. Hang the garland the same day you make it, while the leaves are still at their best.

A Twig Star for the Door or Wall

Find five twigs of roughly equal length, around 20 cm each. Lay them out in a star shape, overlapping the ends in a clockwise circle, and bind each join tightly with garden twine or fine floristry wire, wrapping six or seven times and finishing with a neat knot. Trim any straggling ends with secateurs.

Make a small hanging loop from the twine at the topmost point. Willow is the most forgiving wood for this because it bends slightly without snapping, so if you have a willow tree nearby, gather a few extra. Three stars hung together at slightly different heights make a lovely wall arrangement, and they look just as good left bare as decorated with a single dried hydrangea head or a few rosehips pushed into the joins.

Leaf-Print Clay Dishes and Decorations

This one produces the most impressive results from the least skill. Roll air-drying clay to about 5 mm thick on a clean surface, then press a leaf vein-side down firmly into the clay and roll over it once more with your rolling pin so the veins leave a deep impression.

Peel the leaf away carefully. Cut around the print with a small cutter or the tip of a knife, then drape the shape over the base of an inverted mug or a small bowl so it dries with a gentle curve. If you want a hanging decoration, make a hole near the top with a skewer now, while the clay is soft. Leave to dry for 24 to 48 hours, then smooth any rough edges with fine sandpaper and seal with a coat of PVA glue or matt varnish. A light rub of gold or copper wax over the raised veins lifts the whole thing.

Styling Your Makes at Home

Group your finished pieces in odd numbers rather than spreading them evenly around the house — three stars, five clay dishes, one garland. Stick to a warm, narrow palette of rust, ochre, oatmeal and deep green, and let natural textures do the work: linen, wool, unglazed pottery and raw wood all sit comfortably alongside autumn leaves.

Lay a jute runner along a sideboard and cluster a garland, a couple of clay dishes holding acorns or conkers, and one or two candles in glass jars. Avoid placing pressed leaves in direct sunlight, as they will fade within a week or two, and refresh your arrangements as the season moves on — swap early golden leaves for late copper ones in November.

When your makes have had their moment, most of them can go straight onto the compost heap, which is rather the point. Nothing was bought, nothing was wasted, and your local walk gave you everything you needed.