We are so in the mood to decorate in the house for Autumn. I had planned on shopping, like at Hobby Lobby for some nice center pieces and such. But we just went on a strict budget this month and how I really can't do that. I am hoping you can all throw out some ideas for some budget decorating ideas. If I could get 3 centerpieces put together for 15 dollars or less, I'd be happy. Not necessarily big, our tables aren't huge, but more than just a bowl of acorns, you know? :lol: Anyone?
I'm a "just a bowl of acorns" type decorator, Valerie. It's our children who do the decorating, & they enjoy doing things like getting light-weight material for $1.00/yd on sale at wm, draping it over the windows (long on the sides & a "U" in the middle) and then laying a long strand of greenery (or for fall--goldenry) across it. Sometimes they pull off some of the golden (or green) leaves and lay them beside short, fat candles for centerpieces to match.
Check the Dollar Tree if you have one there.. they have a whole isle here with greenery and craft supplies.. even candles and vases and things... You could easily get lots of decorations for $15.
You can also get fall leaves and press them between wax paper. Also, what about pinecones, or is that to Christmassy?
We made some paper bowls about 3 weeks ago. Mine was orange with cut leaves in different fall colors. Craft a paper bowl supplies: 2 sheets construction paper in same color Other different colors for decoration 1 sheet of newspaper blender warm water colander and pan paper towels vegetable oil kitchen sieve(we ended up with plastic colanders from the dollar store because they don't sell sieves and they worked well it just took a few days to dry) large bowl Tear the 2 sheets of construction paper and the newspaper into small pieces. Put all the pieces in the blender, then fill it 3/4 full of warm water. Blend the ingredients on medium speed for a few minutes until it forms a pulpy mixture, known as slurry. Set the colander over a pan, then pour the slurry. Let it drain for about 10 min. Meanwhile, use the paper towel to apply a light coating of vegetable oil to the kitchen sieve. This will help the finished bowl come out easier once it is dry. Tear, cut or stamp out different shapes to decorate your bowl. Dip them in water and apply to your kitchen sieve while your slurry is draining. With your fingers, scoop out and mold a even layer of slurry along the inside of the sieve covering the decorative pattern . Gently press out the excess water(we placed ours over a towel while we were doing this part). If you like, place a few more decorative pieces of the construction paper along the inside of the bowl. Set the sieve over a large bowl to dry completely(about 48 hours) , then carefully remove the bowl from the sieve. We found that the ones that were thinner came out easier. They seemed to be pressed together better. I did mine in fall colors. My daughter did hers with Christmas scenes - a snowman and tree. If the things come of just glue them on. Mine makes a really nice centerpiece with the fall leaves. We also do wreaths with leaves. We cut a wide circle from cardboard. Collect pretty fall leaves. Then glue in a pattern on the wreath - outside first, then overlap. I know it's not Hobby Lobby, but they were a great project and very decorative and you made it yourself! Sabrina
fall picks are on sale at the craft stores i made a center piece with them stuck inyo floral foam in a tericata pot. but i agree go check out the $1 stores I love thier decorations.
You could always make your own out of color paper. Paper chains are cool, I make smaller chains by cutting the paper smaller. They are cute. Use different fall colors. You could go on a nature walk and see what you can find and make some thing with it. Or just put it all in a pretty basket or bowl. Cut out pumpkins, leaves or anything fall and tape to windows. Make a scare a crow out of old cloths, stuff with news paper. (putting paper in plastic bags will keep it from getting wet.) We one year made a big spider out of garbage bags. I say use your imagination and have fun!!!
some ideas : http://www.save-on-crafts.com/fallcrafts.html kid crafts: http://ezinearticles.com/?Fall-Crafts-For-Kids&id=312606
Great ideas! Thank you! Well I tried our dollar tree and they didn't have hardly anything, they were mostly Christmas. I did find Dollar General had a couple of ceramic 'leaf' dishes, painted very nicely to look like Autumn. Those were a dollar each. I found a matching pumpkin at KMart for 4 dollars. I got a basket for a buck and put some ribbon on it. Inside went some potpouri and a bag of mini gourds. I think I'll collect some acorns and sprinkle them in too. LOL And I found a fabric Autumn leaf centerpiece at WalMart for 7 dollars. It was kind of skimpy, but what I did was just put in on top of the ivy centerpiece I already had on the table and it not only beefed it up, but it looks natural as well. Same candles, so not a lot of difference, but things look Autumny and that's good enough. I tried going to that first link, but couldn't get there. I'll try again, my pc has been weird lately. I found a site that discussed ironing leaved between waxed paper to preserved them. It's sounds great, but you have to do like 10 minutes per leaf. I suppose on low, you could just leave it though. My trouble was that we have just moved into our first real home a couple of years ago. We never had one before and I wanted it to look elegant rather than homemade, which we have always done. I went over my budget, but I took some of my own stash to pay for it. I think I spent 25 all together. You know, I should go out to the vineyard and gather grape vines so I can make my own wreaths. Maybe I can preserve some leaves and glue them and some acorns and such on there. I'd like to think I was clever that way, but I never seem to get that "Oooooh" and "Aaaaaaah" response I'm looking for. LOL
OK, my curiosity is overcoming my fear of exposing my ignorance, naivety, & age. For three days I have puzzled over the obviously humorous, endearing expression, "lug." It doesn't appear to be in the vocabulary of anyone I know, & Webster was no help. He suggested: 1. to pull by the hair 2. an act of lugging, a shipping container 3. something that projects, like an ear. It may be that I am hopelessly out of touch with mainstream society. But I sometimes wonder if it isn't that the acorns are replacing my marbles!
