Use Your Imagination, Not $$$$ To Decorate for Fall

I am just as dazzled as the next gal by all the beautiful bling and glittery decor in the stores this time of year. I want to buy it all! BUT, reality and our budget intrude and I have to pull back. Way back. What do I do when I want beautiful decor without spending any ducats? I use my imagination and what I have on hand.

I start out with some twiggy branches from our yard. Florist foam anchors them in a painted black planter and then I start adding....stuff.

 Fake leaves and pumpkins from my stash plus different containers and candlesticks got me going. Then I made the pumpkins from fabric scraps, string and stuffing with cinnamon sticks for stems. Easy and FREE.

Here's the same display area fixed up, on the cheap, for Halloween.

I used crepe paper for the fluttery bats and the rosettes on the wreath. The Halloween balls are recycled Christmas balls and mod podged tissue paper. Black spray paint made the plastic ferns appropriately Octoberish. I gathered together some other spooky elements plus my very own silver button blingy decor ball and it all came together nicely for no money.

I hot glued the leaves to the black branches and also used them on a twig wreath that had seen better days. I added some book page leaves for contrast and then painted a banner for the middle of the wreath saying, "Thankful." Painting the muslin with country white paint gave it enough body to curve and hold it's shape when I glued it in place. Simple, easy and again, free! A colorful spray of silk leaves is in the white vase now instead of the black ferns.

I've found that with a good pair of craft scissors you can cut 8 layers of paper at a time, so very quickly you can have LOTS of maple and oak leaves cut from book pages for your autumn decor. They are very versatile, I use them alot every year.

With just a bit of tweaking and more glossy black spray paint, the three candle holders got a face lift. The old candles were up cycled with jute twine, hot glue and little black bows. How beautiful! I love the way this display came together. It was fun to do and didn't cost me anything. I call that a win win!

 I'll be posting to the parties in my sidebar since they are so much fun. Come check them out, the creativity out in blogland is amazing.

Black and White Halloween Decor

I love seeing all the creative ways bloggers decorate their fireplace mantels for each season. One smart lady even built a fireplace facade and mantel so she would have a focal point for decorating. Since I don't have a mantel, I utilize what I do have and that's a neat baker's rack The Welding Man made for our anniversary one year.

This year for Halloween I've shopped the house and the Dollar Store and loaded it up with all black and white decor. Though usually I am all about bright color, I really like this crisp combination.

I added some of my wired foam bats which I anchored in a bottle I spray painted gloss black. I made a wreath of the vines off our fence and once it dried painted it also. It looks great but it sheds ragged pieces of dried leaves EVERYWHERE, so it's not moving until after October 31st. A Dollar Store candelabra cutout and my silver decor ball are also on the top shelf, plus a couple of cloth pumpkins.

Fake cobwebs drape the bottom half over a bit of black fabric and lace scraps. The black netting fabric is from the Dollar Store. The jute wrapped apothecary jar is full of balls stamped with all the family's names. Insanely Creative Christy made it for my birthday and it looks great with this display.

Here's a shot showing the ruffled garland I made out of a Dollar Store plastic table cloth. So easy, and I'll be posting a how to on that soon. The square wrought iron piece usually hangs on the wall in my bedroom.

The bottom shelf has two Dollar Store cutouts which are really well done for the price. Fabric pumpkins sit on more glassware that I've spray painted gloss black. They look great! The little glass bell cloche sits over a plastic spider, you just can't see it in this pic.

Here's another look at the top shelf and my silver button decor ball draped with cobwebs next to my patchwork fabric pumpkin. The Dollar Store candelabra cut out will soon be on a door wreath, and I'll post pics when it is finished. Here also is another look at that dried vine wreath. I LOVE the spooky twisted vine look of it but Lord this thing sheds!

I've seen a few other black and white vignettes for Halloween and loved them, tho I have a tendency to LOAD THINGS UP. I understand the concept of less is more, but then I start putting things together and soon you have an eclectic mix with lots of visual appeal and interest. But hey, I like it.

I'll be posting on the linky parties on my sidebar. Take a moment to check them out, there are always some wonderfully creative projects to be found.