Easy Fall Decor Projects You Can Make Yourself

Fall decorating has a way of making a perfectly respectable house suddenly feel like it needs approximately 47 pumpkins, three blankets, a wreath and a giant wooden sign announcing that someone in the house likes autumn.

The good news? You don't need to spend a fortune to make your home feel festive. A few inexpensive supplies, some things you probably already have and a little creativity can turn ordinary objects into genuinely cute fall decor.

Before you toss those empty pasta sauce, pickle or mason jars into the recycling bin, give them a second life.

Clean the jars and wrap them with twine, raffia or a strip of scrap fabric. Add a few faux leaves, a cinnamon stick or a small pinecone, then pop in a battery-operated tea light.

Group three or four together on a table or shelf and you've got an easy little fall display that looks surprisingly intentional.

Grab a small faux pumpkin or a real mini pumpkin and turn it into a vase.

If you're using a real pumpkin, carefully cut a small opening in the top and scoop out the inside. Place a small cup or jar inside to hold water. Fill it with fall flowers, dried grasses or even grocery-store mums.

For an even easier version, use a faux pumpkin and tuck artificial stems into the top.

Bonus points for using an old pumpkin from last year's Halloween decorations.

A decorative tray is basically the cheat code of seasonal decorating. Put several unrelated things on one tray and suddenly they look like a carefully planned arrangement.

Start with a wooden, metal or thrifted tray. Add a candle, a small pumpkin, pinecones, a little vase and something with texture such as a folded napkin or piece of fabric.

Don't worry about making everything match perfectly. A mix of wood, glass, fabric and natural textures is what makes the arrangement interesting.

You don't need to buy an elaborate garland when nature is already providing most of the supplies.

Collect a few colorful leaves that have fallen outside, press them between books until they're flat, then attach them to twine with tiny clothespins.

You can hang the garland across a mantel, along a shelf or around a doorway.

If real leaves aren't practical, cut leaf shapes from brown paper grocery bags and decorate them with crayons, paint or markers.

Find an inexpensive frame at a thrift store or use one you already have sitting around the house.

Paint it a warm fall color, leave the original finish alone for a rustic look or simply add a little twine around the edges. Then fill it with a seasonal print, pressed leaves or a handwritten fall saying.

You can even make a tiny gallery wall using several mismatched frames.

Some of the best fall decor doesn't come from a store at all.

Fill bowls with pinecones, acorns or colorful leaves. Put branches with changing leaves into a large vase. Add a few small pumpkins to a wooden bowl. Use dried corn husks, wheat or ornamental grasses for texture.

The trick is to group natural objects together rather than scattering one little pumpkin on every available surface.

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Fall decorating doesn't have to mean buying an entirely new collection of stuff every September. Look around the house first. With a few jars, some twine, an old frame and whatever nature happens to provide, you can make your home feel cozy, seasonal and completely your own.