When a new season comes, we get excited and want to buy new decorations for our home, but this can quickly get expensive. So for a more budget friendly and sustainable option, we have gathered four crafts that are perfect for the autumn season and are made from everyday items!
4 Ideas for Recycled Fall Crafts
Whether it’s an old jar from pasta sauce you bought or a leftover egg carton, you can use those items to create your own decorations. Not only will you save money, but these are great activities to do with friends, kids, and family this holiday season!
1. Reusing Old Jars
Remember those empty marinara sauce jars you kept, thinking they might be useful one day? Well, today is the day to use it for a sustainable fall craft!
Thank you, Agnes Hsu, for this fantastic craft idea.
For this activity, you’ll need a clean, empty jar, pressed leaves or flowers, Mod Podge, and some lights. First, we like to go on a nature walk with friends or family to hunt for some beautiful leaves and flowers. Try to find plants that are dry and are on the thinner side. Once you’ve gathered all your plants, you’ll need to grab some heavy books and parchment paper.
Take your parchment paper and place it in the middle of a book, lay your leaves and flowers onto it, and space them out a little so they don’t overlap, then place another piece of parchment on top and close the book. Grab your other heavy books and set them on top of your pressed one. Let them sit for at least two weeks so the plants are completely dried.
It’s important to make sure your plants are thoroughly dried because this helps them last longer and retain their color. Then, take your clean jar and put on your dried leaves with Mod Podge! The Mod Podge will go on white but will dry clear!
To add some razzle dazzle, find some sort of light (tea light, fairy lights, or candle) and place it inside your jar. This will make your plants glow and show off their colors!
2. Getting Creative with Egg Cartons
Jenny Melrose created this blog with over 30 egg carton craft ideas, including recycled fall decorations ideas! You will need a cardboard (not plastic) egg carton, some paint and markers, and some sort of sturdy glue. You will find instructions in the article alongside some reference images to guide you. If you’re looking for autumn-specific ideas, take a look at these:
- Bats: number 11
- Spiders: number 12
- Mushrooms: number 14
Once you have created your egg carton designs, we recommend adding some string to the top and making a garland out of them to go over a fireplace or doorway!
3. Dried Fruit Garlands
For this project, you will need oranges, apples, parchment paper, and string. In order to dry out the apples and oranges, we will need to bake them in the oven. So before you begin, preheat the oven to 225º Fahrenheit.
While the oven is warming up, grab your oranges and apples and cut them into thin slices. Try not to make them too thin, as this can discolor your fruit, and avoid making them too thick, as they won’t fully dry out and could spoil.
Once you have all your fruit slices, dab them with a paper towel to soak up excess moisture. Grab a cookie sheet and place parchment paper on top, and arrange your orange and apple slices on the parchment paper without overlapping any.
We recommend baking the apples and oranges separately, as the apples often cook faster than the oranges. Bake the oranges for about three hours and flip them halfway through. For the apples, you’ll only need to bake them for two hours, and it is recommended that you flip them every 30 minutes.
If you don’t want the apples to brown, you can make a solution to help, but they will begin to brown after a while due to oxidation. Once they have finished baking, let them sit out until they are cool to the touch. Then grab your string and feed it through the fruits to make a beautiful garden for your home!
4. Pumpkin Candle Holders
Planning to throw a little get-together or party this season? We’ve got the perfect table centerpiece decoration for you! All you need are some pumpkins, candles, and carving tools. You can use any pumpkin size you like, but we recommend using smaller ones as they look more balanced with the candlesticks.
Take a knife or your pumpkin carving tools and carve out a circle around the stem. You’ll want it about an inch deep or enough so that the candlestick will stand on its own. If you accidentally carve too wide or too deep, you can bunch up some paper towel and place it inside, so the candlestick sits securely.
Shop at Ward’s Supermarket
The repurposed fall projects don’t stop here! We love finding ways to repurpose leftover jars and food. Ward’s has tons of unique, local produce and goods for you to explore. Stop by the store today and discover some other fun crafts you can repurpose from our food or containers—we can’t wait to see what you come up with!
