Give your home a warm, inviting makeover without breaking the bank! We’ve gathered 10 easy and affordable DIY fall decor projects that will help you celebrate the season in style.
1. fall acorns
Materials:
- Plastic Easter eggs
- White spray paint
- Acrylic Paint
- Hot glue gun + glue sticks
- Twine
- Small twigs
Directions: Open the plastic eggs and lay them flat on something you can paint on. Spray paint white and let dry. Repeat until the color doesn’t show through. Next, use your desired acrylic paints and let dry. Close the Easter eggs and wrap twine around the top while hot gluing it in place. Hot glue a small twig on top.
2. wood block pumpkins
Materials:
- 4x4 wood (cut into 3 pieces measuring 15, 11, and 7 inches)
- Orange paint
- Jute rope
- Wired twine
- Ribbon
- Hot glue gun + glue sticks
Directions: Paint the blocks orange and let dry. Cut several pieces of jute rope at about 6 inches for the stems. Use a hot glue gun to attach the rope to the top of the boards. Wrap the wire twine around pencils to make it curly, then hot glue the twine to the top of the boards. Wrap the jute rope around the twine and hot glue to secure. Cut your ribbon into leaf patterns then hot glue gun to the top of boards.
3. squash centerpiece
Materials:
- Small butternut squash, use slightly different heights when doing more than 1
- 1 iced tea spoon
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
- Fall flowers of your choice
Directions: On a cutting board, slice off the top of the butternut squash with a chef’s knife. Using a long ice tea spoon, make a ring around the inside of squash, leaving about a ½-inch border around the outside of squash. Using the spoon, hollow out the squash until you reach the bottom. Turn the squash upside down, tapping on the cutting board until free of seeds. Repeat with remaining squash. Set each butternut squash upright to make sure it stands on its own. If it’s not flat, use the chef’s knife to level it. Fill the hollowed-out squash with fall flowers.
4. mason jar leaf lanterns
Materials:
- Mason jars
- Fabric leaves
- Mod Podge
Directions: Peel the plastic ribbing off of the leaves. Thoroughly wash jar and wipe down the outside of jar with rubbing alcohol. Using a small sponge brush, add a thin layer of matte finish Mod Podge to the outside of the jar, just larger than the size of your leaf. Wait for the glue to start drying then press a leaf into the jar. Add another thin layer of Mod Podge for your next leaf and repeat until all leaves are added as desired. Use the sponge brush to press down any edges of the leaves that aren’t quite sticking. After leaves have dried, squeeze on a generous amount of Mod Podge. Use a sponge brush to carefully brush a layer of Mod Podge around the entire jar, then let dry. Mod Podge will appear white until fully dry.
5. plaid mason jars
Materials:
- Mason jars (or other glass jars)
- White spray paint
- Paintbrush
- Washi tape
- Creamy white, blue, and black acrylic paint
- Twine
- Hot glue gun + glue sticks
- Faux flowers
Directions: Clean the glass jars then spray paint with a base coat of white. Once dry, paint white with acrylic paint. Use washi tape to mask off vertical lines. Mix white, blue and black paint to get a grayish-blue color. Paint between the tape and remove the tape to reveal vertical stripes. Let dry completely. Use washi tape to mask off horizontal lines. Paint between the stripes using the same color paint. Remove the tape and let dry completely. Reapply the washi tape in both horizontal and vertical stripes. Mix a darker blue color and paint inside the squares. Remove the tape to reveal your plaid design and let dry. Hot glue twine around the rim of the jar. Tie a small bow from a scrap of twine and glue to the front of the jar. Add faux flowers to finish.
6. mini pumpkin succulent planters
Materials:
- Small white pumpkins
- Small succulents
- Cactus or succulent soil
- Pumpkin saw
Directions: Use the pumpkin saw to cut a circle around the top of mini pumpkin. Pull out the top then scoop insides. Add succulent or cactus soil into the pumpkin. Remove succulents from pots. Set inside pumpkin and press firmly in place. Water.
7. pinecone wreath
Materials:
- Wire hanger
- Pinecones
- Floral wire
Directions: Bend the bottom of your hanger into a circle for your wreath form. Cut a piece of floral wire about 8″ long. Wrap the wire around a pinecone, tucking it inside the cavities. Twist both ends of the wire together, securing it tightly around the pinecone. Hold the pinecone against the hanger and wrap the remaining wire around the hanger, securing the pinecone onto the wreath. Continue adding pinecones until the entire wreath is full. Keep the pinecones close together so you won’t see the hanger in the back.
8. Hanging pumpkin planter
Materials:
- Fake craft pumpkin
- Marker
- Craft knife
- Powder drill with large drill bit
- Macrame cord or rope
- Scissors
Directions: Cut the fake pumpkin in half and clean up any jagged edges with the craft knife. Mark 4 evenly spaced points for the holes- each about 1/2-inch from the top edge. Use large drill bit to drill at each mark to make 4 holes for planter to hang from. Cut 4 pieces of 7-foot cord or rope, can be adjusted depending on where you want planter to hang. Fold a strand of cord in half. Thread folded edge through a hole in the pumpkin, then pull the other end through to create a knot. Repeat with all 4. Pull strands together so they are taught. At the top, make a loop with all strands. This will be the loop where the planter hangs from. Cut a separate piece of string about 12-inches long. Arrange it in a "U" shape on top, then wrap it around all strands. Thread the end through the exposed loop at the bottom, and pull the top cord so that the knot is hidden and secure. Trim the loose cords. Fill the planter with faux plants then hang from hook.
9. leaf fairy lights
Materials:
- Fall leaves
- Wax paper
- An iron
- Uhu Glue
- String fairy lights
Directions: Put leaves in between 2 sheets of wax paper and iron for a few seconds until leaves are coated. Cut excess wax paper around leaves. Use the Uhu glue to attach the leaves in front of each light bulb.
10. wine cork pumpkin
Materials:
- About 40 used wine corks
- Hot glue gun + glue sticks
- Orange + white acrylic paint
- Round foam paintbrush
- Twine
- Seasonal ribbon
- Scissors
Directions: Glue corks together side-by-side — glue two rows of four, five and six corks and one row of seven corks. Stack the cork rows to create a pumpkin shape: four, five, six, seven, six, five and four. Hot glue the rows together. To create a pumpkin stem, wrap a single cork with twine and secure with hot glue. Place the wrapped cork on top of the cork stack and secure it with hot glue at an angle. On one side, paint cork ends randomly with orange acrylic paint using a foam brush. Wipe away any excess. On the other side, paint all corks with white acrylic paint using a foam brush, and wipe away the excess. Tie seasonal ribbon to the stem.