Autumn is fast-approaching, and we Halloween lovers are anxiously awaiting its arrival! It is my personal favorite season because it lets me wear my sweaters for the first (socially acceptable) time of year. Fall is the season of pumpkins, warm spices, apples for bakers and coffee shops. Whatever it is you find yourself doing this fall, make some time for these super fun, cheap and easy DIY fall decor!
Well, let’s start with a basic: autumn leaves. They’re beautiful, colorful and almost symbolic of the season. The fiery oranges, reds and yellows make them a trademark of the breezy season. But they always seem to go away too soon ...
Unless you know the trick!
Go outside, take a walk, bring your friends for an autumn picnic and bring back your favorite autumn leaves. Next, grab some Mod Podge and a paint brush or a sponge. I think you can guess what happens next! Coat one side of the leaf with the glue, let it dry, then do the same on the other side. The sealant helps to preserve the leaves and their vibrant color for a much longer time.
From there you can do a bunch with these vibrant decorations. You could slide a paper clip through them and clip them to your fairy lights as a temporary, reusable, and movable “falling leaves” illusion. You could also stick them in a jar with a cheap electric candle or tape one over your desk lamp for a leaf light. You could also use their natural outlines as a stencil to make handmade leaf art.
Pinecones are also a fun decoration. This project requires you to have to use a spray to seal, with either a sealant or paint. From there, you could take a piece of wire and wrap it around the center stem, then reach it up into a hook. You can hang this ornament-like decoration anywhere by bending the wire into and out of any specific shape. You could also use it as a fun game of “Where Did I Hide the Pinecone?” to play with your roommate (a game suggested by a good friend of mine).
Pumpkins are another fun decoration to put around the dorm. The dollar store normally has a bunch of cheap plastic ones in a bunch of different sizes that you can paint and cut to your liking. A cute tiny pumpkin is always fun to set on your room’s windowsill to add a bit of flare to the room, but there’s more that can be done there. If you end up grabbing a bigger pumpkin, you can cut off the top and use it as a bit of storage for jewelry. A bigger one can hold pencils or pens. And if you don’t like the typical fall colors, but want to bit hip with the season, you can take your cheap pumpkins and paint them your own colors.
Faux flowers are also a colorful addition to add to your room. If you cut them short, you could even put them into your painted pumpkins.
I’ve saved the best for last. There is no avoiding this obvious decoration theme, which most people choose to ignore up until the fall.
Halloween.
Now, of course, you can hop over to Spirit Halloween Store for spiders, gravestones, cauldrons, witch hats and the rest of the creepy works, but those decorations would be a tight fit in a dorm. So, head back to the dollar store.
Grab some mason jars, toilet paper, brown and yellow paint and a paint brush. Take the paints and mix them together, creating a rotting yellow color. Then take the paint brush and dry brush the paint onto the toilet paper. Still got that Mod Podge from the leaves? Paint the glue onto the jars, then wrap the toilet paper around it. You’ve got yourself a mummy! Use it for pencils/pens or as a cute creepy light.
Also, from the dollar store, you could buy a tall white candle, some crayons and a lighter. Take out two or three crayon colors fitting a theme you want — for a witchy vibe, black, green and purple. For a more autumn theme, red, orange and brown. Melt the crayons with the lighter over the edges of the candle and let the color drip down.
These are just a few ideas for seasonal room decorations. I hope you have a fun fall and a happy Halloween!
By DAELYN FUNK
Staff Writer
Featured Photo from Pinterest.