Fall Craft Ideas

Easy projects to celebrate the season.

Fall is a fabulous time for crafting. People are moving back indoors as the air gets crisper, and there is an abundance of natural beauty to capture and inspire. Try these easy crafts to will both celebrate and capture the season.

Make a stencil and cut fall shapes out of colorful paper or gather real leaves and seasonal items from the garden and the great outdoors. Make a base for your wreath out of cardboard, or purchase a pre-made Styrofoam or floral wreath base at a craft store. Arrange your items around the wreath in an interesting pattern. Use a hot glue gun to secure items to the base. Allow to dry. For a finishing touch, add a colorful fall ribbon which you have tied into a bow. Add embellishments like glitter or charms. Hang the wreath on your door or wall.

Between rain flurries, grab a basket and gather fall flowers, grasses, and leaves. Get a variety of colors, lengths, and textures. Chinese lanterns, dry grass and colorful leaves are great seasonal pieces. If you find a cache of long, dry, attractive grass, make a mono-chromatic bouquet. Arrange your bouquet for a favorite vase, or give it to a friend. Trim your it with a fall-colored ribbon for a finishing touch.

Find a maple leaf that has recently fallen to the ground. Make sure it is in decent shape and won't fall apart. Take the leaf home and place it under a piece of paper. Printer paper works fine, or purchase higher quality paper at the craft store. Get your favorite color crayon and peel off the wrapper. Using the broad side of the crayon, press down on the paper and rub. What you will get is a leaf rubbing that shows all the details. Repeat this step with other leaves and colors on the same paper if desired. Frame or hang on your refrigerator.

Fall is the perfect time for watercolors. Capture the essence of the season with dream-like effects easily created with these fun paints. Pick a vivid outdoor scene in a park or natural area. Take a picture and do your painting at home, or haul your canvas out to the site. For experts, sketch out the landscape with pastels first. Blend and smear them to create fall effects. Then use your watercolors to paint over the top, giving depth to the layers of fall colors.

A collage can be a fun project for a group or individual. Use newspapers, magazines, photographs, brochures, advertisements, and anything else you can get your hands on to find fall pictures. Go for a theme, like leaves, or celebrate all aspects of the season in your collage, from Halloween to Thanksgiving. Cut out the pictures you find in unique shapes or traditional squares. Use a sturdy piece of tag board or cardboard as the base for your collage. Arrange the pictures on the board in layers before gluing them down. When finished, take a sponge loaded with your favorite color of fall paint and gently dab the edges of the pictures so the collage looks seamless. Once dry, use a coat of modge podge or clear spray to give it a glossy finish.

Carving a pumpkin takes a lot of patience and time but can be amazingly fun. Wash your pumpkin before you begin. Cut a circle around the stem, pull off the top, and clean out the inside. To start your design, find an example online. Print out the stencil or make your own. Tape it to your pumpkin. Using a thumb tack or pin, trace the design by poking holes into the pumpkin every half inch or so. This will help guide you when cutting. Next, get a sharp knife and cut away. Place a votive inside your jack o'lantern and set it outside at night to watch it glow.