Cue the Pumpkins! It’s time for an Autumn refresh!
Autumn is officially here and all the traditional decorations are popping up pretty much everywhere. I love Autumn and all the cheerful colors, and now that I am spending a lot more time at home, I’m really getting into the idea of decorating for the seasons. Of course, there are SO MANY wonderful ideas on Pinterest for Autumn decor it’s difficult to choose what to do, but in the interests of keeping the budget in check, I went looking for things I either had on hand or could source at minimal cost.
The Dollar Spot at Target turned out to be a gold mine this year and I picked up a mini straw bale and a little wooden crate at Michael’s too with the help of a coupon. I also had a plastic tote of floral picks and berries here at home, so in the end, my total spend was less than $30.00. Not bad considering that gave me enough to decorate both my front step and our foyer. I still plan to do something with my fireplace mantle and our dining room table, but I’ll save those for another post. *wink*
Front Step Redo
For our front step, I used the straw bale, crate, the live gourds and three of the faux pumpkins plus a few berry and greenery picks. The little wooden crate worked really well to add some additional height to the display. The crate was the standard bleached white pine that cried out for some color. I gave it a stained look by brushing it with a thin coat of walnut brown acrylic paint. I used a cheap foam brush to apply it so it went pretty fast. Also, acrylic dries really quickly so, for this project, it was a great solution.
The space to the immediate right of our front door, where I wanted the display, is roughly a foot wide so I had to scoot everything over to the wall and into the corner so it didn’t interfere with the door opening and closing. I angled the straw bale a little but then used the crate to hide the gap in the corner and add to the angled look I was shooting for. Next, I added in all the live gourds. They’re all different which is really fun and interesting. Once I had the gourds where I wanted them, I added the faux pumpkins.
Then, with all the gourds and pumpkins in place, I added in a berry garland and some sprigs of greenery. Because the faux pumpkins are so light weight, and this whole display is sitting outside I used the berry garland to anchor the orange pumpkin in place in case we get some windy days. I just tucked the sprigs of greenery into the straw bale to anchor them in place. The finishing touch was the tall pumpkin sign I already had.
Foyer Refresh
Moving inside, I tackled our foyer and the tiered tray that I have there. We have this little storage bench in our foyer that is the perfect spot to display seasonal stuff so I have been adding a Christmas display there for the last couple of years. This year I added a Summer display and now this new one for Autumn. After doing the front step, I still had several things left over. The Target Dollar Spot had some really cute wooden block houses and barns so I added those to the mix for inside.
To start, I wound another berry garland around the center post and let it curl down and around the inside edge of the lower tray. After that, It was just a matter of adding in the other elements. The tiered tray is a little wobbly so I have to be a little strategic about how I place things. I also realized after I started assembling this that the wooden houses and barn are fairly heavy. (oopsie!) To counteract that small problem, I positioned them as close to the center post as possible and then crowded all the other elements around it.
The finishing touches for this display are the little sign and the fancy water bottle with the flowers. The latter gives the whole thing some additional height. I left the barn outside of the tray so that it looks like one cohesive scene. I also added a short string of fairly lights to the water bottle so we can use it as a welcoming nightlight,
As I said, these displays came together quickly and at minimal cost. I only spent about $30 for the things I picked up at Michaels and Target and the rest I had on hand. After finishing both displays, I still have quite a bit of greenery and some berry sprays left over; enough (I think) for our dining room table and over our fireplace. I also have 4 little faux pumpkins that were actually meant to be Halloween decorations but I spray painted them a pretty rose gold color. I’ll be using those for my mantle display. Watch for a future post about that.
Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you again soon!
