Miss H was over on the weekend for a playdate with Miss M. She is significantly older than Miss M, so it is interesting to watch their interactions. I knew that they would be looking for some distraction so, a quick trip to IKEA later, and we had the makings of easy DIY Autumn art.
I have been struggling to get into the Autumn spirit. We have had a lot happening and I haven’t wanted Summer to end. Besides, Autumn only started today – from an astronomical perspective. So I thought it was time to make some Autumn art and decorate our house – or at least the main living area.
What we came up with was this easy DIY Autumn ‘art’ project, which is like an Autumn snow globe in a picture frame.
Easy DIY Autumn art: Fall picture frames
What you need
- Paper
- Fall coloured paints (we used a cheap kids paint set)
Paint brushes - Cup (for water)
- Deep picture frame with mount (we used the IKEA Ribba frames)
- Leaf punch. We used one with a maple leaf.
- Glue
- A photo to fit the frame.
Instructions
Step 1 – Paint
Paint both sides of the paper in Autumn colours. An A4 size page should be sufficient.
Step 2 – Punch
When the paint is dry, use the punch to cut out the leaves. Discard any that are not whole or have white on them.
Step 3 – Scrunch
Give the leaves an authentic look: put them in a pile and scrunch them with your fingers. Bend a few around your little finger to give them a rolled look.
Step 4 – Glue
Randomly glue a few leaves to the mould, so that they look like they are being blown around the yard.
Step 5 – Scatter
Place the mould back in the frame and add some more leaves between the glass and the mould.
Step 6 – Add photo
Stick the photo to the back of the mould.
Clever Miss H suggested that we should make another one before Christmas with blue, white and silver snowflakes. That would make it more like a real snow globe!
Miss M wants to make one using the pompoms that we didn’t need for the dinosaur birthday hats. I might just let her do that if I can find an appropriate picture. It would look cute in her room.
Porcelain pumpkin collection
Over the last couple of years, I have started collecting white porcelain pumpkins of different shapes and sizes. I found two more this year to bring my collection to four (no longer available). They are spaced about our lounge room
Two are by the TV, with the letterpress letter we found at the Zöppkesmarkt.
Two are on our (uneven) mantle. One on the left…
… and one on the right with our antique chemist’s bottle. I keep trying to place it somewhere else on the mantle, but the mantle is uneven.
I’ve put a couple of extra blankets for snuggling on the couch and found a new pumpkin spice candle. Our lounge room is starting to feel very cosy. Now if we could just corral all of Miss M’s toys and books.
Watercolour geometric pumpkin art
The next easy DIY Autumn art is a rework of our geometric watercolour Easter art. I mentioned before that this artwork could be easily tailored to fit the season: just change out the image. Well, that’s what I did!
Find the instructions here.
Napkin pumpkins
The final piece of Autumn decor, for the moment, is our pumpkin collection. These are really quick and easy to make.
What you need
- napkin rings (use some napkin rings you would use normally, don’t buy some especially)
- napkins, AKA serviettes
- cinnamon sticks
Instructions
I basically followed these instructions from Better Homes & Gardens, without the ironing. Ironing is one of my least favourite things.
Instead of cloth napkins, we used IKEA used paper napkins in a number of colours. Miss M picked the colours for this project (can’t you tell?). We used two layers of napkins to get more bulk.
Incidently, I now have a use for the drawer I found at the Zöppkesmarkt.
Autumn decor: easy DIY Autumn art and napkin pumpkins
These two easy DIY project – the Autumn art frame and the napkin pumpkins – have helped to kick start the fall mood in our household. And just in time for the official start of Autumn, too!
Both of these projects are so easy – Miss M and Miss H were able to do them on their own and even had their own ideas for the next ones. Add some simple white pumpkins, some extra blankets and a pumpkin spice candle and things are looking and feeling cosier.
What are you doing to bring the new season into your house?
Oh Rachael, these are such lovely ideas! The frame in particular is so pretty x
The best bit is, apart from cleaning up the mess (kids and paint…), buying the frames and putting the frame back together at the end, I literally did nothing. It really is that easy!
Such great ideas for easy crafts! Thanks!
I’m glad you liked them!