Decorating for the autumn months is lots of fun thanks to the enthralling colors and heart warming emotions that go along with the season. Unfortunately, many people can go way beyond their means when picking out autumn décor for the household. Luckily, there’s a lot of fun things you can make with supplies you find around the house. This will help bring the family together for a little bonding time while you make your home look fabulous. With a little imagination and a few basic crafting items you can have the home all of your neighbors are envious of at a budget you’ll want to brag about. So, get your creativity going and let everyone know just how cheerful you are about the season.
1. Corn
In the summer and autumn corn is in abundance, which is good news for anyone looking to create some adorable and rustic decorations. There’s a lot you can do with corn, so let your creativity soar here. One of the most common things to use for décor is corn husks. Simply hold onto your husks so you’ll have a good collection going when it’s time to decorate. These dry husks are pretty easy to work with so you won’t need a lot of special gizmos. One popular design is to make corn husk place mats. These look great during thanksgiving feasts and only require you to be able to braid the piece of husk together. You can also take these husks and shape them into pom poms for an exciting look that can be hung from the ceiling or used as a centerpiece. If you know a farmer who has some large stalks left over then barter for them! These can easily be rested beside doors to create a rustic look that everyone will go crazy over. If you’re looking for smaller décor then corn kernels go far inside glass containers!
2. Leaves
If there’s one thing you’ll have an abundance of this fall it’s definitely leaves. You can make a ton of crafts out of these for next to nothing, which makes it perfect for anyone on a budget! Have the family venture outdoors to pick out some of their favorites from your yard. Once you’ve got a pretty good collection going you can easily plan out hundreds of crafts. One great idea for the holiday season is make a leaf bowl. There’s lots of free tutorials for them online and they’ll come in handy for all of your autumn treats. Another exciting craft is to create beautiful roses out of the leaves. This is easy to do and will look perfect in a vase! If you have acrylic sealer lying around the house then spray the leaves so you can readily prepare them for a special autumn reef, or other designs that can be hung on the wall or placed on the table. Kids will love making leaf rubbings with their favorite fall colors. These look nice in a frame and will give you a craft everyone will remember working on. Finally, creating plaster leaves is also a fun project that will teach kids hows fossil are made while allowing them to use their painting skills!
3. Pumpkins
Pumpkins are probably the easiest thing to decorate with during autumn. Their look alone is a great symbol for the season, so you can make your home look great just by having them. Of course, you may want to have a little fun with the project, so try giving the pumpkin a makeover with a little paint. You can work with solid colors, paint your family’s initial or go wherever your creative mind takes you. If you really want to show off for the neighbors then make yourself a pumpkin statue by securing a few pumpkins together. This looks wonderful on a porch or by the mailbox. Inside the house you can create beautiful vases by hollowing out a pumpkin and adding some seasonal flowers. This makes a beautiful, and cheap, centerpiece whenever you’re planning on having guests. If you have smaller pumpkins, or other gourds, try hollowing them out for candle holders! The best thing is you won’t waste with either of these crafts as the pumpkin can be used for your favorite seasonal treats.
4. Canning Jars
Nothing says autumn joy quite like canning your favorite foods. However, canning jars often end up returning because of chips or other damage. These jars can easily be refurbished to create lovely autumn décor for your household. If you have some spare candles around the house then place one in a jar, the more autumn the color or scent the better it will look! You can also decoupage leaves to the outside of a jar, this will look even better when you have the candle lit. If candles don’t strike your fancy or you have a lot of jars then try adding a little foliage to the inside of them. Leaves will look great, as will twigs, pine cones and acorns. You can even put a fresh scent in to give it an even greater autumn effect. Another fun idea is to transform the jar into a thankful jar. You can write this on the outside using a glitter or other craft supplies. Then, everyone can add a message to the jar when they come up with something. When the season is over dump out the paper and enjoy reading them with the family.
5. Scrapbooking paper
If you’ve ever bought a package of seasonal scrapbooking paper then you probably have a lot of leftovers just collecting dust! These can easily be used for décor items though which will clear up some of your storage so you can buy paper you’d actually like to use. The pages can easily and cheaply be laminated to make custom placemats. You can also make custom place holders, napkin rings and other dining table accessory with the paper. Another great use for these items is to make cute little banners. They look great hanging from the chimney and will have guests in awe of your craftsmanship. Finally, you can have the kids create their own autumn inspired collage using your paper and other scrapbooking supplies which can be hung up for all to see.
6. Fabric
One of the easiest ways to decorate for the season is to grab some fabric with your favorite seasonal colors. Fabrics are easy to work with if you have some sewing skills and can really step the interior of your home up a notch. For instance, you can easily throw together a few pillows to make your living room look a little more festive. If you’re really looking to go all out then sew shapes of pumpkins, cornucopias and turkeys. If pillows aren’t what you’re looking for then you may consider a nice autumn inspired table cloth for your dining table or coffee table. You could also sew some runners for the end tables, coffee table, dining table and chimney. These items will make a room come together while ensuring you only spend a little bit of money. If you’re still not satisfied with your set up for Thanksgiving then you may want to add even more festivity to the look by sewing your own place mats and/or napkins! Your guest will be amazed by your crafty side as they enjoy your décor.
7. Use Candy
Autumn is filled with candy, so don’t just let it go to waste. Before Halloween you can use your trick or treater candy to decroate the home. Place the candy on cute trays or fill a glass vase with it. This will look cute to visitors and will keep your family’s hands off of the treats before the holiday. After Halloween you can use can candy corn to create a cute look by adding them to the same vases jars and decorative items. Candy corn is also fun to string together to create various décor items. One of the best ways to appease kids at the Thanksgiving table is to give them a napkin that has a candy corn napkin holder. If you’re feeling really craftsy you can easily create a candy corn tree that the kids will adore. Grab branches from outside and add some varnish or a darker color of paint. When you’re all dry then place them in a vase and fill the vase with the candy. Then, add some of the candy to the tips of the twigs. Everyone will be delighted by the look!
8. Garden Supplies
Go a little more rustic by using some of your old gardening supplies to create a fun look this season. One of the more common items to use is old pieces of gardening fence. This is shorter fence that usually ends up looking weathered as the years go by anyway. You can easily just prop the fencing up with a few pumpkins and call it a door, or you can add some special touches. A lot of decorators will paint seasonal greetings on the fencing which is always a hit as far as the guests are concerned. You can also take an old wheel barrow and fill it up with leaves, hay, corn and/or gourds for a seasonal decoration that really gets to the heart of it all. Old tin pails are also a great idea for showing off some of the season’s beauty. Try planting seasonal flowers in them, or re-pot some flowers from your own garden to save even more money.
9. Painted Doormats
If you don’t want to go all out this season, or you simply like to keep your doormat seasonal then painting doormats is right up your alley. Doormats are pretty cheap to buy, especially if you’re looking for a plain mat. Try looking at your local discount or dollar store to find a good price. You may even have a little luck at a thrift store! When you’ve found the right mat then grab some paint! Different people will recommend different types, so use what you feel will work best. When you’re ready to go then you can either use a stencil or free hand just what you want to say. The doormat will look great to guests and you can always put it away for next year if you like the design enough. The best thing is, the mats are cheap enough so you can whip one up for every holiday during the season if the mood arises~
10. Clearance
Crafts are a great way to create a decorative home, but sometimes we simply want to pick up an item at the store to complete the look. Although it may seem pricey to buy when the season is upon us, there is a few ways to shop that won’t harm your budget. One way is to look through clearance bins during the season. These will usually hold slightly damaged items, but with a little TLC you can transform them into the finishing look for your home. You could also wait until the season is over to shop for decorations. Usually by Black Friday stores want to move their autumn décor off the shelves so they can make room for winter items. With huge sales going on this day anyway you may walk out with a few steals you can brag about to your friends later on. You may also be able to find autumn décor throughout the year on your favorite websites, so keep an eye on the clearance bins here or price drops and coupons!
Autumn is an amazing time to get crafty with your décor. With some of the cheapest items to decorate with you’ll be well on your way to a winning look! So, take a minute to enjoy the crisp feeling in the air and then get to work on your gorgeous and budget friendly display!
