Quick, Easy and Inexpensive Homemade Fall Decorating Tips

When the impatiens start to look a bit thin and the mums are bursting forth, fall is announcing that its arrival is fast approaching. Make your yard look festive this fall with some simple decorating ideas.

Decorative Corn Stalks

By the time fall arrives, all the local growers have seen the last of their corn. All that remains are the long, yellowing stalks which need to be cut down. Ask a farmer or gardener in your area if you can cut a few corn stalks for your yard. They will most likely be hollow and dried and cutting them will not be difficult. If you will be transporting them, be sure to line your trunk with a large tarp, as they do tend to shed a bit.

Arrange the corn stalks into bundles. To do this, gather an arm full of the corn stalks and lay them on a piece of twine long enough to encircle the stalks several times. Wrap the twine tightly and tie it in a knot to secure.

Display the corn stalks near your entryway by propping them on either side of the door. You can also use them as part of a display in the yard. Just prop them next to a tree or pound a tall stake into the ground on which to rest them. Surround them with pumpkins and a basket of mums for a splash of color.

A Friendly Scarecrow

Nothing says fall like a friendly scarecrow. If you've never made one, there isn't much to it. Just stuff an old pair of jeans with newspaper. Do the same with an old flannel shirt. Prop the stuffed jeans and shirt on a chair in your yard or on your porch and use an old broom handle stuffed down the center to secure the pants and shirt together. (Note: Your scarecrow will last longer if there is a roof to protect it from the rain or snow.) For an easy face, just use a plastic, orange, jack-o-lantern style trick-or-treat bucket. These are quite inexpensive and lend themselves nicely to a porch dwelling scarecrow. Cut a hole in the bottom and then slide the pumpkin onto the broom stick used to secure the scarecrow's body. Adorn the scarecrow with a nice wide brimmed, straw hat and some old gloves and shoes.

Painted Jack-O-Lanterns

You'll get a much longer time period during which you can display your pumpkins if you paint faces onto them rather than actually carving them. Acrylic paint will work just fine and the faces can be as simple or involved as you'd like to make them. Keep in mind that not much detail will show from a distance so if your intent is to put out a nice display for those passing in cars, keep the features large and less detailed. If you are designing your decor for passersby who will be in closer proximity (perhaps neighbors or trick-or-treaters) then lots of detail will work well.

Since the pumpkins are not carved, they can be turned around to hide their faces once Halloween has passed. This will allow them to remain on display through Thanksgiving if they don't begin to decompose.

Enjoy the fall in all its splendor and adorn your yard with these easy decorative displays to add a little extra to the glorious colors nature has painted onto the leaves of all the trees.