Courtesy of http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/
* Gather pinecones, seedpods, acorns and fall leaves to put in wicker baskets. Use these on the porch or in entry ways for simple, rustic decorations. You can also use small branches with the pinecones and/or leaves still attached and place them in vases.
* Potted mums this time of year are the same prices as cut flowers, or cheaper, so why not buy several, pot them up and place them around your walks, steps and porch. Tie autumn themed ribbons around the base of the pots. If you have room plant them in the ground after the blooms are gone and lay down some mulch (grass clippings or chopped leaves) for the winter.
* Pumpkins and Gourds Galore: Put them everywhere. Try to find a grower or farm market instead of buying them at the garden centre or store. You’ll find some great buys on the “less” than perfect ones, but they are still great for decorating. Put the gourds and the pumpkins in groups. Place some on top of upside down clay pots to raise them up to different levels in a grouping. Mix a mum or two in with them, and tie a few bows all around.
* Winter Squash: Look for Hubbard and Turban squash. They have an interesting texture and a neat look to them. Decorate the porch, but don’t allow them to freeze, and afterwards you can eat them for Sunday and holiday dinners. Group them in a large wicker basket.
* Make a garland of small gourds with the long necks and Indian corn still in the husk. Use jute or twine and alternate between corn and the gourds. Measure the section of your porch where you want to hang it. Cut the jute, and tie a knot on each end. In the middle of the rope tie a bow made from raffia (or more jute) and pieces of torn rust or orange coloured fabric. Tie on the corn and gourds on both sides of the bow and hang from two nails or if it’s quite long put two more nails where you want to hang it, spaced evenly, and attach there too.
* Rustic Scarecrow: Instead of stuffing clothing, take two pieces of scrap wood and nail together a cross formation with the one piece as long as tall as you want him to be. Take a piece of muslin, stuff it with cotton and place it over the top piece of wood-tie it at the “neck”. You can leave the face blank or and draw a face with waterproof marker before stuffing. Dress your friend in clothing, a hat and you can even put hooks on the end of each “arm” and hang buckets of flowers, a birdhouse or other items. Turn your scarecrow into a country lady by dressing her in woman’s clothing and giving her a garden hat, gloves, and small garden tools. The great thing with this is that you literally can use scrap wood and old clothing, and go wild with your imagination.
* Tin Cans: Paint different sizes of tin cans with primer then go to town painting them in fun fall colours. You can plant mums in the larger coffee type cans and in the others place wildflowers, dried grasses and branches to decorate outside.
* Milk Cans: If you have old worn rakes, shovels and other lawn tools laying around, put them to a decorative use. Place cornstalks in an old metal milk can, behind the tools, and tie a big fall themed bow around the milk can. You can do this with a large bucket or basket too.
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