Upcycle Household Items Into Fall Décor
When there’s a change of season outside, I love a change of scene inside. Celebrating autumn’s arrival isn’t much of a hassle, especially when I upcycle my household items into fall décor. There’s no need to waste time or money on an extra shopping trip for supplies, and half the fun is in finding the line between “creative repurposing” and “epic DIY fail.” Why not, y’all? I wasn’t using that Bundt pan, anyway.
A Plaid Romance
A plaid flannel shirt can be repurposed into a homey accent straight out of the Pottery Barn catalog. Cut up the fabric, wrap it around something round, add two green paper leaves, and it’s a pumpkin. Sew it into a square shape and stuff it, and it’s the most masculine throw pillow you will ever find. Stitch plaid scarves together for a festive table runner, or bring your tartan and buffalo check blankets out from storage and drape them over the furniture. Be sure to grab one on your way out of the house if it looks chilly.
Candle Apples
There’s nothing like the smell of hot spiced cider to make it feel like fall, but apples can be even more effective as decorations. If you have apples and candles in the house, you may wonder why you never combined them before. For an elegant touch on your dinner table, core out the middle of the apple and use it as the base for a tapered candle. A tea candle in the apple core makes a yummy-smelling votive. For extra bonus points, you can float several of the glowing votives in a tin basin of water.
The New Family Tree
The winter holidays have monopolized tree décor for too long. Autumn trees, with their changing leaves, have so many more possibilities. You can use gift-wrapping paper to construct a DIY pine tree around a tube, using your richest-looking remnants in colors such as orange, yellow, burgundy, and hunter green. Or collect the prettiest fall leaves you can find, then hot-glue them to a cardboard cone for a similar effect, attaching the biggest leaves at the bottom and working your way up.
Bundt Pan Wreath
Surely there is a Bundt pan somewhere in the house that no one will miss. Flip it over and spray paint it gold for an expensive-looking front door wreath. Or just decorate it with any household odds-and-ends that look vaguely as though they belong on a farm. Experiment with burlap, twine, pine cones, twigs, cinnamon sticks, cranberries (fresh, not canned!), corn husks, wheat, leaves, and then a few more pine cones.
Anyone can upcycle household items into fall décor, but be aware that not everyone is good at it. There’s no shame in that, y’all. Display your creations proudly, and if you catch anyone rolling their eyes, remind them that you are on the cutting edge of sustainable living. When in doubt, play that saving-the-earth card and smile.
