5 Tips for Simple Fall Decor

It’s no secret to anyone who knows me very well that holiday decor is a slight obsession of mine. Each year, I eagerly await September first where I can pull out my fall decor and start planning for the season ahead. While I wish I had millions of dollars to spend on fall decor, I have a budget that requires sticking to so all of these tips are done with a budget in mind. Decorating is always therapeutic and a fun way to celebrate the changing of seasons for me and I hope you’ll find it just as much fun! If your lacking inspiration or just need some fresh ideas, read on for my favorite fall decorating tips.

1. Mix and match your decor. Mix “high end” pieces with handmade and dollar tree finds for maximum effect. You can score awesome finds at places like Homegoods, Big Lots, Craft stores and even your local grocery store. These will typically be nicer, higher quality pieces that you can use year after year and then you can fill in the gaps with dollar tree finds and DIY crafts.
2. Create “vignettes” or small displays throughout your home using your decor. Grouping your items together will make your decor stand out and look more curated rather than a bunch of random items thrown around the house. Mantles, side tables and dining room tables, windowsills, and porches are all great places to start. Pick one spot that you would like to decorate and begin arranging and styling your finds. If your having a hard time deciding where to set up your decor, pick the focal point of the room and begin by decorating that. I always decorate in the common areas like the living room and dining room and skip the more private rooms.
3. Shop wisely, know when to splurge and when to save. A few items that I have splurged on and never regretted was my white plastic pumpkins (Which I have had since my wedding day 4 years ago!!) a quality table runner (or table cloth) and a few special fall dishes. You might also consider splurging on a nice wreath or sign for the front door with the family name on it or festive throw pillows. I would suggest shopping for these splurge items the day after Halloween to get a steep discount and then you can store them for the following year. If you do decide to go ahead and grab these items for this season, you can rest assured these will be pieces you can decorate with year after year. You can save money on things like small pumpkins, figurines, festive banners, decorative jars, window decor and fall flowers by visiting your local dollar tree and even trying to DIY some of these things (Target dollar section is also a great place to look). Cloth pumpkins and felt banners are some super easy and fun DIY projects to get started on.
4. Focus more on fall decor and less on Halloween specific. Okay so this is hard for me to write because I absolutely love Halloween, however I don’t buy nearly as much Halloween stuff as I do fall stuff because I can use my fall stuff September through November and can only use my Halloween Decor September through October. I typically mix a few Halloween specific pieces in with my regular fall decor so I can easily just take them down after Halloween without having to completely redecorate for thanksgiving. Feel free to take or leave this advice, but if your on a strict budget, you’ll get the most bang for your buck by playing by this rule!
5. Have fun with it. Buy what you love and have fun with your decorating! Don’t stress so much about getting everything “just right” and enjoy mixing various types of decorations such as store bought and homemade, new and older sentimental pieces, and various styles.

We have been decorating the Jackson house for several weeks now so I included a few of my favorite shots from around our home for extra inspiration!

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And a few BONUS tips…

• Use a tea towel as a makeshift table runner or table cloth on a small table
• If you have open shelving, decorate with fun leaves and festive dishes
• Get your kids involved and mix their handmade decor with store bought. Our daughter had a blast painting her own pumpkin that now proudly sits on the porch with the mums 🙂
• Get little pumpkins and group them together for maximum effect

I hope you guys all have a great October weekend and have a chance to get outside and enjoy the cooler temps. Happy Fall Ya’ll and Stay Fabulous.

XOXO

Lizzy Jackson