Thrifting and Natural Fall Decor

NATURE + THRIFT = AFFORDABLE GORGEOUS DECOR

The calendar has clicked over and it’s officially FALL! ( Cue the fanfare & parades!) It’s my absolute favorite time of year, full of rich colors, delicious tastes & smells, and holidays to spend with loved ones.

One of the most wonderful parts of fall (whether a child or an adult) is visiting harvest festivals & pumpkin patches, or even just going on a family walk, and bringing home pumpkins, gourds, acorns & leaves to decorate around the house.

In preparation for your excursions, we thought we’d give you some thrifty ideas on how to incorporate your fall findings into warm fall decor. So here’s a couple fun thrifty decorating ideas to add a little spice to your fall festivities.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GLASS + GOURDS:

Gather gourds in cylindrical vases to bring autumn to a tabletop or mantel. Use containers of different sizes to stack gourds in varying amounts. To give each display a vibrant touch, add a length of fresh pumpkin vine from the garden, pulling the vine out at the root and rinsing off the dirt. Place it in the vase with a bit of water.

** Here’s a tip for getting the most from your gourds & pumpkins: wash them with warm water and soap, or even well-diluted bleach before incorporating them into your decor. This cuts down on the natural bacteria and will keep them from molding as quickly. **

. . . . .

CENTERPIECE SENSATION:

• (L-R) Mix & match thrifted white dishware and add a pop of fall color with the pumpkins & gourds. Dishes with ridges complement the natural elements in the display.
• Big thrifted frames or serving trays make great display spaces for natural elements.
• Buying weathered & worn pieces secondhand make for a shabby chic display of nature’s bounty. Add in candles & voila!
• Light colored pumpkins on dark colored pedestals make for a striking display. Mix & match thrifted pedestals, and bring it all together with an inexpensive can of black spray paint.

CRAFTY CRITTERS:

Here’s a fun project to do with little ones. Fashion a family of friendly critters to nestle on a fence post or railing. Use small pumpkins and gourds for bodies and attach sunflower seeds, feathers, or nuts with hot glue to make facial features. Other easy critter decorating options: thrifted buttons, ribbons, raffia, etc. At Thrift Town, we often have bags of sewing supplies for under $5, so you can have colorful and fun add-ons to your pumpkin critters.

. . . . . . .

VASES OF ALL KINDS:

Pumpkins & gourds double as vases and make for an artful, natural fall display. Get different sized simple cylindrical vases from Thrift Town, measure, and carve out the pumpkin or gourd to fit the vase inside. Then fill with festive fall flowers, leaves, cattails, and anything else you come across in the great outdoors.

. . . . . .

PUMPKIN CANDLES:

Pumpkins as luminaries aren’t just for the big ones that you carve and put on your front porch. Trace a votive or tea light on the top of the little pumpkin & carve out enough room to drop the candle in. Thrifted rustic wire hangers like these are great for hanging your pumpkin luminaries.

Get creative ! A thrifted tray, hollowed & halved gourds and some votives make for a colorful centerpiece!

. . . . . .

MINI PUMPKIN WREATH:

For this autumn wreath, start with a straw wreath frame. You can often find these at Thrift Town, but if not, they’re fairly inexpensive at craft stores.

• Tap small nails into the surface of miniature gourds and pumpkins to break the surface.
• Carefully poke sturdy toothpicks into the holes.
• Coat the protruding end of the toothpick with hot glue and immediately stick into a straw wreath form.
• Once the wreath is as completely covered with pumpkins and gourds as possible, hot-glue silk leaves around the wreath to fill in the gaps.
• Thrift Town always has a wide array of holiday supplies, and they group it all together so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for. I’ve found a lot of fall and winter garlands there that I’ve been able to either use as-is, or disassemble for projects like the wreath.