Decorating for Fall! (DIY Edition)

 

Fall in a jar

Create a pretty fall scene with a terrarium, bell jar or glass cake cover. Here, a bell jar on top of a shallow terra-cotta bulb dish spotlights mini pumpkins and a sprig of oak leaves on a bed of moss. 

  

Crafty gourds

Trade the usual fresh gourds for jewel-tone painted dried ones. Start with dried gourds in varying sizes. (If not available locally, try amish gourds) For crisp lines, apply painter’s tape around the middle of a gourd. Paint half of the gourd with latex wall paint and remove tape when dry. For a drippy effect, pour 1⁄4 cup paint into a resealable plastic storage bag. Snip a corner to drizzle paint around the middle of a gourd (like piping frosting). Using a foam brush, carefully extend paint up from the drips, adding additional paint as necessary, to reach one end of the gourd. Pile painted gourds on a mantel or shelf or in decorative bowls. 

Cozy glow

Wrap glass votive holders in textural flair. Tie raffia around three or four overlapping moistened corn husks trimmed to fit. A spotted guinea fowl feather (available at crafts stores) adds a flourish. 

Harvest vases

Add fall flavor to a tabletop or mantel with cylinder vases filled with nuts and wheat. Roll coordinating scrapbooking paper into decorative cuffs that slip inside the vase. 

Monogrammed pumpkins

Create a welcoming fall scene with personalized pumpkins. Using a Decal or sticker place your monogram into small, medium and large pumpkins, using different fonts and styles. (You can get a similar look with paint if you'd prefer not to use decals or stickers.)  Show off your pumpkins on an old chair or stool.  

Creative candleholders

Use repurposed candleholders for easy fall displays of small pumpkins and gourds. Look for inexpensive candleholders in varying heights at a garage sale or antiques store, then spray-paint black for a unified look.