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It's so easy to be super-creative

Fall is here and in much of the world that means the reappearance of orange, brown, yellow, and of course, pumpkin spice everything! We have some simply amazing ideas to help your house look and feel like fall.
This first centerpiece is simple yet classy and elegant. All you need are some of those beautiful fall leaves, a strand of pure white or warm white bulbs, a clear vase – any shape or size will work – and some modpodge! Drill a hole in the bottom of the vase to slide the lights through. Modpodge the leaves to the inside of the vase and let it dry. Once it’s dry, slide the lights inside, find the perfect place to display and plug in!

Mod Podge
Mod Podge

Nothing says autumn quite like pine cones and burlap! This DIY incorporates both. First, fill Mason jars with string lights and pine cones simultaneously so they’re perfectly balanced to

suit your taste – make sure you’ve got that hole in the bottom of the Mason jars so you can plug in when the time is right. Find an old, weathered frame and place a piece of burlap in. Simply lay the framed burlap on any table and strategically place your filled Mason jars on top.

You cannot call your décor autumn-like without pumpkins and gourds! For our next DIY project, peruse your local thrift store for a perfect ‘vessel’ to display these absolutely autumn vegetables. A tree looks wonderful, but really you could use anything from a giant pot to an old wagon wheel! Whatever vessel you choose, strategically fill with pumpkins and gourds of various colors and sizes. Wrap the entire creation in string lights, accent with leaves and/or pine cones if you’d like, and you’ve got an incredible piece of outdoor autumn décor!

Picks are the perfect addition to add some personality to your tree, wreath, or garland. They can also be perfect for a quick centerpiece or mantle décor when combined with some ornaments. But that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Picks are so versatile; they can be used in several different DIY projects. A favorite décor piece for many DIY decorators (if you ever watch any DIY television) are tall (3’-5’), slender, glass vases that you can fill with virtually anything and stand in a corner. They add a touch of class and elegance, and can be changed with the season or a specific theme. Let’s start with a fall themed idea. Fall brings with it several things from the sky that aren’t prevalent any other time of year – specifically acorns! Acorns can be somewhat of a nuisance, but when you transform them, they can become things of beauty.

Start by collecting enough acorns to fill your vase (which can more-than-likely be found at your local thrift shop or craft store) about 3/4ths of the way from the top. Paint the acorn bottoms in colors you wouldn’t expect for fall – blue, pink, yellow, purple – using craft paint. Once the paint dries, you can layer some of the acorns in the vase, and then add a layer of the pick of your choice. We have several to choose from. Add another layer of acorns, then another layer of picks. You can make each layer as thick or thin as you like until you’ve reached the top of your vase. Another option would be to stand a pick up on the inside (against the vase) as you fill with acorns instead of layering them in. This gives you two different looks, so experiment and find out what you like! A very inexpensive DIY idea that you could incorporate picks into is toilet paper roll flowers. Cut your empty toilet paper rolls into 1” strips. Glue them together to create an elegant flower array and allow to dry (as shown in the picture). Once dry, spray paint your flowers any color you choose. Once the paint dries, interweave your favorite pick. Secure the pick with glue and allow to dry. Now you can hang your elegant new creation in any room, and if you don’t tell anyone, they’ll never know how inexpensive this spectacular creation was to create.

Trees wrapped with lights
Trees wrapped with lights

Tree wrapping is a wonderful option year-round! You can change the bulbs to match the season – orange & brown in the fall, blue & purple in the spring and summer – or to match holiday themes, or to support your favorite sports teams! You can wrap just the trunks or you can wrap the limbs too, if you like. This will provide soft lighting at various places around your yard, perfect for all your get-togethers.

Another great way to light the outdoors is by creating a light wall. You can choose any exterior wall on your home and string lights from the top to the bottom along whatever length of the wall you would like. You can stick to one color, or mix things up with multiple colors. This is going to give you ‘area lighting’, meaning that particular area will be well lit, perfect if you want to contain the guests to just one area of the yard.

Another great option is to line your yard, walkways, perimeter of your property with rope lighting. Rope light comes in coils long enough (150’) to do a very large portion of the yard, or short enough (18’) to create some drama in small spurts around the yard.

 

This article was included in the November 2015 issue of PlanetChristmas Magazine.

By Melanie Street and Tarah Fred

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