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DIY Fall Decor That Won't Break the Bank

September 21, 2020 · by Andrea Long

Fall is my favorite time of year.

I adore the slow shift (extremely slow here in Houston) from the heat of summer into the crispness of winter. The sweaters, fall candles, baking, and coziness of this season make the mundane tasks of life so much more special. 

Oh, and the decorating! The decorating is by far my favorite part of my favorite season. 

How amazing is it that so many new colors have become “fall appropriate” in the last few years? For the longest, only browns, yellows, and oranges were considered “fall-y.” But now rich navy, soft green, delicate blush, lovely neutrals, and even black plaid are ok for fall decor. And hallelujah!! Because my gray and black furniture looked a little off with bits of brown and orange.

This year I decided to whole-heartedly embrace the adorable black and white buffalo-plaid fall theme. Sadly, my bank account did NOT embrace as whole-heartedly as I did. 

But all was not lost! With a little bit of ingenuity and a lot of Pinterest, I managed to pull together the black plaid theme for a little of nothing. 

Here are a few things I did:

I headed to Hobby Lobby and found a roll of black check wrapping paper, some paint (black acrylic), and a couple of vintage-looking white drawer pulls. The next stop was Target where I bought gray spray paint and the cutest metal “gather” sign ($3 in the dollar section). I also found a couple of pumpkins at the dollar store and a little metal “grateful” sign at Walmart. Then it was back to my house to repurpose all my old brown stuff. 

I took a couple of signs and carefully measured and cut the wrapping paper to glue directly on them, covering any old lettering and colors. I also added black paint when needed. With the addition of a quote sign they now had a whole new look!

A little burnt orange pumpkin got a fresh coat of black paint and more wrapping paper on the front.

I found a free fall printable on Pinterest (there are tons, ladies!) and put it in a picture frame for my dining table.

I was wanting a tray for my coffee table to bring all the little decor items together but didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I found a great idea on Pinterest; I took an old picture frame that I didn’t use, spray painted it gray, and glued my drawer pulls to each side. Voila! The perfect tray! 

I also spray painted my dollar store pumpkins gray and added them in the mix.

All in all, I probably spent about $25 to decorate for fall. Decorating doesn't have to be expensive, but it does have to be fun (for me, at least). I hope you enjoy and maybe get a few ideas for yourself. Happy decorating!

Andrea Long

About Andrea Long

Andrea Long is wife to Clinton and mommy to Clark and Chantry. She is editor and manager of The Dainty Jewells Blog and part of the marketing team of Dainty Jewells. She is also a Registered Nurse turned stay-at-home mom of her two precious boys. Her life is full of adventure as she travels full-time with her evangelist husband and little ones in a "tiny home on wheels". She enjoys decorating her small space, time with her family, holistic health, a good book, a strong cup of coffee, and as much time at her piano as possible. Andrea considers herself very blessed to live this life for her Faithful Friend. Follow Andrea on Instagram @andreagrindlelong.

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