Looking to save money on your fall decor? Here’s how to shop your house and your cupboards and find 10 things you already have to decorate for fall.
If you are not a millionaire this is the post for you.
If you want to decorate for fall and start saving your millions this is the post for you.
Truth.
I share a lot of sources for things you can buy on this blog. I try and share because I get so many questions. I try and share because I love finding budget things that you can use to decorate your home without spending a gazillion dollars. I try and share because my heart beats extra fast when I see a sale sign.
But today?
Today is different.
Today is all about shopping your house and your yard and your cupboards and using what you have to decorate for fall.
Who’s ready?
Oh, good.
Me, too.
Here are 10 simple ideas that use what you have in your house to decorate for fall.
1. use book pages to decorate for fall
You probably have paperback books sitting around that were headed for the donate pile or the trash pile.
Don’t toss them yet.
Use them to decorate.
Here’s how I made this leaf display for my hutch for fall.
I’ve also used leaves before to make a wreath.
Same concept, different leaves.
You can see the entire book page project here.
2. Frame it
Shop your house and find all the frames to decorate for fall.
Then open up your fall decorating boxes and find something ordinary and frame it.
You can see how I made these leaf pictures here.
Looking for ideas of things to frame? No worries. I got you. Here are tons of ideas for you.
You can see them all here.
3. Sweaters
Shop your closet for sweaters.
You know.
The ones with pills all over them that you were about to toss and let those sweater arms free to live their best lives.
Make a DIY sweater vase like this one.
You can also felt those old sweaters to make a felted wool pumpkin like this one.
It’s such an easy project.
You can see all the how-to’s here.
4. White Dishes
Shop your cabinets for some white dishes to fill up a hutch.
Then add branches and pumpkins scattered here and there to layer in pops of orange. Someone messaged me on Instagram yesterday wanted to see a picture of the hutch up close because she wanted to recreate it exactly. I get it. I understand. I’ve stared at magazine photos trying to make it work on my hutch.
In case you need a little more inspiration?
You can see this entire hutch here.
5. Door runner
Have an old fall door runner sitting in your linen closet?
Why not repurpose it on your door?
Instead of a wreath, add a door runner for fall.
See the entire fall porch here.
6. Fabric
Make your own fabric pumpkins with fabric from your stash.
These are so much easier than they look. The project is totally no-sew. I used driftwood for the stems, but you can also save real pumpkin stems and reuse them.
I just shared 10 other pumpkin decorating ideas in addition to this one.
7. Cutting boards
Use cutting boards to make a mantel like this one.
It’s so easy.
I just stacked the cutting boards on the mantel, added a leaf stem and painted a sign on an old board.
See all my best wood sign painting tips here.
8. use vintage keys to decorate for fall
This is one of my easiest pumpkin DIYs.
Just shop your house for vintage keys and create a monogrammed pumpkin.
(total aside: just between us this really only works if your letter doesn’t have any curves in it. You could always paint a monogram on the front of the pumpkin instead.)
You could also use the keys to:
- add leather to them and make a drawer pull
- add them to a wood bowl with acorns
- tie them onto the front of a wreath
- tie them to the top of a pumpkin with ribbon
9. Coasters
Have a set of monogrammed coasters?
Why not create a set of monogrammed pumpkins with them?
Here’s an entire post with my monogrammed coaster pumpkins and 11 other simple DIYs for fall.
10. use leaves to decorate for fall
Shop your yard for leaves.
It’s one of my best fall decorating tips.
I find the branches where the leaves are just turning colors and clip them and add them to a vase like this. I have to work extra hard for leaves in Texas. I’ve seen people on social media with giant branches of leaves that look like they came out of an art gallery.
This small branch of leaves was a victory for me. Everything is bigger in Texas…
…except for leaves apparently.
It’s still Texas hot here, y’all.
We did have a cool front come in with a couple of days in the 80’s.
That’s why I’m having so much fun planning for fall.
And shopping my house and my yard and my attic and my cupboards.
And saving all that money just in time….
….for Christmas. 🙂
So many cute ideas. I hope you enjoy your Thursday. We keep praying for rain. Been a long time. Have a great day.
As always, you have such great ideas. I thought I'd share something that I put in a frame to hang on my wall. I had a collection of old umbrellas but many were either broken or the fabric had dry rotted. So I removed the lovely handles and put them in a frame. They look amazing!
Thank you, thank you dear KariAnne! Your enthusiasm & creative ideas are just what I needed to spur my own imagination & launch me into warming my home for fall! You’re always an inspiration. 🧡 Blessings & Love to you & yours! Myra
Fall is the easiest season to decorate for! Lots of cozy textures and colors as well as natural foraged items make it my favorite. I have read that you can do an acorn test to make sure there are no weevils in them if you are bringing them into your home. In a nutshell (hahaha, I crack myself up), discard any with little holes in them .... also, put them in a glass of water. If they float, they have critters in them. Here's a nice video to explain the process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InpeVI3zUnc
Thank you KariAnne I am inspired to check all my stashes so I can repurpose a few things in a new way. I so love fall which is just around the corner here in NC.
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful post and gorgeous inspirational pics, KA. Really brilliant ideas that come alive on your blog for sure. And your links are appreciated too b/c you do all the legwork for us. : - ) Have a wonderful day!!
Your pumpkin collection in your hutch and the teeny ones in your blue bowls in the first picture... do you have a link to get those? They are really pretty and "fall" up what you already have displayed! I love easy peasy, pumpkin squeesy...