10 Tips For Free Fall Decorating with Nature

Looking for a way to add some fall flavor to your home without spending much money? Here are 10 tips for free fall decorating with nature. You’ll be surprised at how easy and affordable creating a beautiful and festive fall display can be. These cheap decorations for the home are stylish and easy to put together.

Are you starting to plan your Fall Decorating. The time is fast approaching and I’ve already got my thinking cap on. The thing I love most about fall is the abundance of Free or almost Free Decor Ideas.

When fall rounds around, I love finding cheap home decor decorations. Better yet, I prefer not to spend any money and instead decorate with nature.

When you decorate with foraged decor, items are easily disposed of after the season, and you don’t have to worry about storage space. So here are my tried and true 10 Tips for Frugal and Free Fall Decorating Ideas.

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Hunt and Gather

First, I like to see what I can find on my own property so I get the John Deer Gator rolling and I search for Free Fall Decorating from Nature Items. A couple of warnings about this type of decor.

One, apply bug repellent before you go hunting or you may bring home some critter’s that settle into unmentionable places and you’ll be scratching them for days.

Secondly, you should prepare to debug your gatherings. You can mist larger items with bug spray or repellent and you smaller items can be placed in the freezer for a few hours until all is clear.

# 1 – Gum Balls Are Pretty and Free

Gum Balls are those sticky little balls that fall from American Sweet Gum Tree as fall approaches.

How Can You Decorate with Gum Balls?

They look great piled in a basket or decorative bowl. In addition, they can be made into these cute gum ball flowers.

• Wooden Skewers
• Hot Glue Gun or Wood Glue

Add a drop of glue to the end of a skewer and insert into a gum ball.

I like to vary the lengths of the sticks so they are different heights in the vase.

Another way to use these free goodies from nature is to string them for garland. You can spray paint gumballs if you prefer another color for your fall decor.

Add to gather branches for a fun fall arrangement.

#2 – Free Corn Stalks

If you live anywhere close to a rural area, you will most likely will see a cornfield. My neighbors are friendly and don’t mind if I grab a few for my porch. However, you do want to ask before taking it. There are always some stalks without corn, and they don’t mind if you take those for your fall decor.

# 3 – Free Wild Flowers Are Great For Cheap Fall Decorating for Home

Golden Rod and wild black-eyed Susans are all along the highways as fall approaches. Grab a basket and gather some of these beauties for a fall floral arrangement that’s a cheap decoration for your home. Also, it’s fun to mix the wildflowers with a bouquet from the grocery store or Trader Joe’s. Note: Mist your wildflowers with hairspray to prevent excess shedding.

#4 – Acorns Are Great for Fall Decorating with Nature

Acorns are free for the picking. These lovely freebies are great in their natural color but are also fun to paint. Here they are surrounding a candle for a fun fall look.

In addition, you can fill a basket or a bowl with for an instant cheap fall decorating idea. These can also be spray painted for a unique bowl filler.

A basket filled with gathered acorns works well with the pumpkins on this Fall Porch Tour.

#5 – Wild Fruit and Autumn Leaves

In addition to wildflowers, wild fruit is beautiful, and the leaves from the fruit trees are perfect for adding to your fall floral arrangement. We have an abundance of persimmon trees, and the fruit looks so pretty displayed on a tablescape or kitchen countertop. It’s a budget-minded way to decorate with nature.

Also, gather free leaves from the trees. These look beautiful in arrangements as well as alone in containers.

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#6 – Pine Cone’s make great fall and holiday decor

Pine Cones come in a variety of shapes and sizes. We have a little bit of everything here at The Ponds. I love them plain, painted, broken apart for crafts, etc. There are so many ways to use pine cones. Fill a basket, add to a fall wreath with a little hot glue, use in floral arrangement, and on and on. These are painted with Copper Spray Paint to compliment the theme I have planned for my fall decor.

#7 – Spray Paint Tin Cans

If you have followed me for any time, you know I save a lot of tin cans because you never know when you might need them. I cover them with napkins, paint them, leave them natural, and let them rust. So many uses for these free items. Here I have spray painted them copper and made them into candle holders for my fall table.

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# 8 – Recycle Materials

Although I just shared this tip with you, I thought it was worth repeating. These plate chargers were made from packing or shipping material. You can see how to make them here. However, the point I’d like to make is to never overlook anything and keep your mind open to new possibilities before you dismiss an item as trash.

This fall tablescape began with fun plates and a fall garland down the center. Add the DIY recycled paper plate charger and no one will guess what they are made of.

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# 9 – Fresh Fruit, Nuts, and Dried Beans

Autumn is all about harvest time, and what’s better in the fall than Apples? You can use them in your decor and stay healthy at the same time. Do they still say, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”? Oh well, apples are not free, but you can display them until they are eaten. In addition, nuts and dried beans are great for filling in around candles or displaying in a pretty bowl. We have a lot of hickory nuts that fall to the ground and therefore are perfect free decor.

# 10 – Free Grapevine – Decorating with Nature

One of my favorite free decor items is grapevine. We have it growing in trees all around the property, and it’s free for the taking. You can make wreaths of any size. I love the rustic, organic feel of just a plain grapevine wreath. I also use it as a garland around the top of my screened porch; with twinkle lights, this free decor looks enchanting. See how to make twig plate chargers using grapevine here.

I’m sure you have some ideas that I didn’t even think of. If you do, please share them below in the comments. I look forward to learning some new free decorating tips.

Fill a market basket with roadside florals and a vintage basket with gumballs to create a stunning porch display without spending a penny.

I hope you enjoyed these 10 Tips for Free Fall Decorating, and you can see more ways to use these tips on Fall Farmhouse Porch Tour.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I look forward to sharing my next adventure with you.

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