Basically *FREE* Fall Decor
Easy ways to bring Autumn into your home by using the things Mother Nature is dropping onto the ground right now
In New England we SHINE this time of year.
We are all crossing our fingers the drought we had this summer that scorched our plentiful hydrangeas won't steal the magnificence of fall leaf peeping in these parts.
Time will tell.
While our trees are still mostly green the change is juuuuuuust starting and it's got me wanting to bring some of that Autumnal glory inside.
But I don't want to just go buy it. I want it to mean something, represent bonding time with my 11 year-old on scavenger hunts, and create decor that is a bit more au naturel.
So, I'm making it ;)
And I want you to come along too!
I played around with some fast, easy, unique ideas that will cost you way less than whatever you can buy off the shelves and allow you to get a little sunshine and fresh fall air, too.
LEAF PRINT WALL ART
I've seen this done using colored paint, but the simplicity of the black ink imprint just really spoke to me. Find a frame kicking around the house you aren't using, or pick one up from Goodwill if you want to keep the price really tight. The leaf, of course, is free.
I had some ink left over from another project, but it costs less than 5 dollars if you need to pick some up. Dot the back of the leaf of your choice in many places, then spread the ink with a disposable makeup blender or small sponge. Gently lay the leaf ink-side down onto any piece of paper, careful not to move it around. Be sure to press onto the leaf through a piece of paper laid on top of the leaf, pressing the stem too so there aren't any spots of ink missing.
Once you feel it's transferred, take the piece of paper off the leaf, remove the leaf and you'll be left with a detailed copy of the leaf that will be absolutely stunning in a frame!
LEAF GARLAND
This is a fun way for your to engage your friends or your kids: go outside and find your favorite leaves, or even not so pretty ones will work just fine too. When they are all together it doesn't really make a difference.
Once you have a bag of them gathered you are ready to create your garland!
You can sew them together, which is what I did, or you can glue them which will give them a bit less flexibility but do the trick if that's all you have to work with.
Pick leaves that are still somewhat fresh and not too dry, otherwise they will crinkle and break when you try to string them together.
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Even when they eventually DO dry up, they are still seasonal and beautiful, and best of all FREE.
Use them on the mantle, your porch, in your kids room, or wherever you are feeling fall festive.
DECORATIVE LEAF BOWL
This is one where it might be easier to use faux leaves from a craft store because they will be more pliable and less crumbly. Even with faux leaves the bowl will be delicate but the impact is the same as "real" and it's just so colorful and beautiful, it will work out just fine.
It's basically decoupage using something like Mod Podge to stick all the leaves together. Brush them onto a balloon or use a bowl that you've wrapped in plastic wrap, create the pattern and look that you want and let it dry completely.
After 24 hours-- voila!
A leaf bowl that is unlike anything you can buy, and will, without question be a conversation piece.
I'd love to show it to you but full disclosure: it accidentally got thrown out LOL.
So, check out this link to a tutorial and you can see the "after" shot here!
LEAF CANDLE
This one caught my eye right away-- it had so much character and sounded so easy. I've seen these in stores and they are upwards of $20 each so using a candle I already had and giving it a shot seemed worthwhile.
The options were to use real leaves or faux, but the recommendation was not to go natural on this one.
I got why once I started trying to assemble.
I had REFRESH intern Kate work with me, and together, we wax papered a candle and started blow drying leaves onto it.
Honestly, it wasn't as easy as I hoped, but we got better the more we experimented. We also realized melting the candle into the fake leaves worked better than the real ones for us, at least.
I can't wait to light it up!
FUN WAYS TO DISPLAY LEAVES
Do you have a shadow box frame kicking around the house that you want to change out? Or even just frames in general that fit tightly and show off whatever is inside!
I pinned some fall leaves inside one I had at home, and pressed leaves into a book and then framed them to display them in another way.
Not exactly reinventing the wheel here, but cluster all of these ideas together and you have an autumnal vignette that is environmentally friendly (just put the decor back outside when you are done!) and extremely cost-effective.
LET'S DISCUSS
Your turn!
Tell me what you have done to decorate your home, apartment, patio or porch for this beautiful season.
As always, meet you in the comments below ;)
XX Kerri-Lee