Decorate the front door for fall

Are you ready for cool, crisp temps, and the explosive beauty of colorful fall weather? Show your excitement for the change of season by dressing up your front door area. After all, the front door is the focal point of the front of the house and the first thing guests see when they come to visit. You don't have to spend a lot of money to decorate the front door. There are several ideas for making your entrance stand out in a welcoming way.

The trick to decorating any area, whether its indoor or outdoor, is layering. Layers upon layers of color and texture is the secret to creating a warm and inviting environment. Your front door is no different. By decorating it and the area around it as one whole unit, you'll have the prettiest front door on the block.

Wreaths and garland

At any craft store you'll find pre-made wreaths in gorgeous fall colors. The problem with these are, although they are beautiful, they are typically pretty expensive. They can cost upwards of $ 100.00! If you can't afford to shell out this kind of money, you can use strings of leaf, berry, or pumpkin garland instead. Available at a fraction of the cost, these garlands can be strung over top of the front door, and beside it, for a burst of fall color.

If you have a creative flair, you can make your own wreath and save a bundle of money. Learn how to make a twig wreath for a quick DIY idea. Don't want to hassle with a wreath? Buy a bundle of wire ribbon and make an oversized bow to decorate the front door with. Use a coordinating pattern to wrap around front porch banisters and railings to bring the area together.

Dressed up mailbox

If your mailbox is located by the front door, remove it and give it a quick fix up for fall. First, wash it down with a mixture of warm water and white vinegar. Then, sand it with low-grit sandpaper, and give it a fresh new look with rust-proof spray paint. Decorate it with pretty patterned rub-off appliqués, or hand paint a pretty design of sunflowers, pumpkins, or other fall theme. Grab your glue gun and glue fall colored flowers, beads, buttons, or other craft embellishments to your newly decorated mailbox.

Take advantage of seating

Many people keep a bench or wooden chair right by the front door. For fall, use this handy area to create a small vignette. Add a pretty new cushion featuring fall colors, and add a comfy outdoor pillow for a splash of color. Adorn both sides of the seat with pretty potted flowers, plants, or baskets filled with pinecones, apples, or miniature pumpkins.

Pumpkins, and gourds

Of course, pumpkins and gourds are a must-have for fall decorating. They are colorful, festive, and so easy to use for decorative purposes. Place free-standing pumpkins by the front door, or line them along walkways or stairs. Fill baskets, metal plant pots, buckets, antique milk jugs, barrels, and other vessels, with various types of colorful gourds. Small, medium, big…the more the merrier! Don't forget to accent your arrangements with mums and greenery too.

Hand painted house numbers

Wooden numbers are available at any craft store, and provide a simple way to decorate the front door for fall. Take down the house numbers that have been up all long and give them a good cleaning. Store them until after the holidays. Then, paint a new set of house numbers with a solid paint color and let it dry. Decorate them by hand painting dots, stripes, squiggly lines, or whatever pattern appeals to you.

More from Jennifer Wagner:

10 Simple Fall Decorating Ideas

Simple DIY Centerpieces for Fall

Fall Home Maintenance Projects

SOURCE:

Personal knowledge and experience

Jennifer Wagner - Yahoo! Contributor Network