DIY Fall Decor: What You Need in Your Toolbox

by Dagmar Obert on September 22nd, 2018 | No Comments »

Fall is the perfect time for crafting. Beautiful seasonal items are easy to find in stores, or even to pick up off your lawn! There are a surprising number of charming crafts that can be made from household and yard items alone; and adding in just a few store-bought pieces will round out your fall decor crafting toolbox.

Fall Decor: Items to Purchase

A Simple Wreath

Decorating a plain wreath looks especially good if you match the colors to those in your home. Just a glue gun and a few other supplies yields a charmingly customized result. Try adding in:

Feathers
Faux fruit
Pinecones
Ribbon

Hurricane Vase

Clear glass hurricanes (or vases of any shape) are endlessly adaptable to any number of crafts. Better yet, they’ll usually yield results that are as pretty as they are fun to create.

Use a gold metallic Sharpie to draw on the glass; abstract patterns are a good goal for kids. Then place a candle inside.
Gather long grasses, pine cones, or wheat sheaves while on a nature walk, and fill the hurricane with your finds.

Canvas Drop Cloth

A drop cloth can be appropriated in a surprising number of ways; as a rug, drapes, or tablecloth it’s a chic and sturdy backdrop for any number of crafts. Some ways to decorate this versatile fabric include:

Taping down a scattered assortment of large leaves, and spraying or sponge painting onto the rest of the rug.
Using heavy-duty glue to trim around the edge with velvet ribbon.

Fall Decor: Items to Find

Acorns

They’re for more than just the squirrels! Kids will love gathering them up, and they can be repurposed for any number of adorable crafts, such as:

Gluing them to a cone-shaped foam form to make an acorn tree.
Decorating them with small pieces of felt to make characters of all sorts.
Removing the caps and filling them with wax and a wick to make miniature candles.

Pine Cones

Gathering plenty of pine cones is usually the work of a few minutes in your backyard or park. Just make sure to leave the sticky or broken ones behind.

String them along a ribbon to make an autumnal garland.
Dip them in melted wax or crayons.

Twigs

Using twigs from the same type of tree branch makes for a more uniform result in these easy crafts:
Wrap them around your hurricane vase and tie them with twine.Break them into regular lengths and glue them to felt to make coasters.

Many of these supplies can be combined to create all different sorts of results, which is perfect for those who have limited space to store a hoard of seasonal crafting items. And you’ll also find that quite a few can be repurposed for winter crafting too!

What DIY fall projects are you working on this year?

Dagmar Obert is a designer for Balsam Hill with over two decades of experience transforming homes into spaces that reflect comfort and elegance. Surrounded by family and friends, Dagmar takes delight in turning her own home into a venue where wonderful occasions are made more memorable. More of her how-to guides and inspiration articles on decorating and entertaining can be found here. You can follow her on Pinterest and Houzz.