Double Duty, Easy Fall Decor

Like I said the other day, if it weren’t for those three cuties living here, I would probably stick with general fall décor.  I can be lazy.  I mean I like to keep things low maintenance if I can.  Plus, I just want less stuff. But I cannot deprive those kids of some spooky, creepy Halloween fun in exchange for my lazy pragmatic ways.

There are a few things I do to keep things simple.

DECORATE ONLY HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS

USE PUMPKINS INSTEAD OF FLOWERS (NO WATERING NECESSARY)

I love mums in the fall.  But I finally realized, I’m so over watering flowers by the end of summer, I don’t want to do it in the fall.  So instead of a beautiful pot of mums, I go for pots of pumpkins.  Oh, and I thought about a pumpkin totem pole, but realized it was much easier to throw one large pumpkin in a pot and call it good.  Although I think it looks great on its own, I do dress it up a bit.

SIMPLIFY – USE DOUBLE DUTY ITEMS TO SAVE TIME, MONEY & STORAGE

One Pumpkin – Two Looks

I use this pumpkin the entire fall season just by changing out the leaf garland.  And the garland doesn’t take up much space in storage – bonus.

The same concept works with my window boxes.  Use gourds and mini pumpkins as a base and change out black leaves for Halloween to the warm hues of fall for Thanksgiving.  And again with my mantel.  Dismantle the mantel of creepiness and infuse the warmth of fall.

MAKE IT WORK FOR REAL LIFE.

Throw some pumpkins, bones and spiders in a basket for the kitchen table centerpiece.  Easy to put together, easy to get out of the way and doesn’t really get in the way.

After Halloween, exchange the spiders and bones for pretty leaves and berries. Or make it functional and put fruit in it surrounded by leaves and baby pumpkins. You can use this one basket the entire year and just change the contents. Double duty at its best.

  

 

USE FUNCTIONAL DÉCOR - STRAWS, NAPKINS, CANDY

Functional decorations are not only useful, but super easy and cute.  Really can’t dispute the cute of a jar full of colorful straws or even jars of candy in the colors of the season.

Throw a pumpkin in the mix, even better.

MAKE IT WORK WITH WHAT YOU’VE GOT

Instead of buying a pillow for each holiday, use different pillow covers on the same pillow insert.  Last year I cut the neck and arms off an orange t-shirt and ironed on "Happy Halloween” to recover an outdoor pillow on my porch.  Yes, I know this pillow is pretty pathetic, but you get the idea.  Try to use what you have and adjust it to somehow work.

Or easier yet, just throw a spider on the pillow as is.  I think a spider anywhere adds the creep factor nicely.  Add a little gauzy stuff and oooh yeah!

So, don’t stress.  Make it easy.  It can be as simple as throwing a spider here and there.  Boom, immediate creep factor.  Have fun!

 

As usual, linking up here and at Thrifty Decor Chick.