It’s not quite Fall according to the calendar, but all the feels are creeping in. The neighboring fields are harvested, the evenings are cool and the pumpkins are ripe for the picking. Once again, I hit up the Dollar Store Fall decor section, and found a handful of items that had up-cycle potential. I also gathered some thrifted Fall decor items, and the few bits that I had left over from last year.
I’ve been finding more and more, that keeping it minimal with decor really gives me the most satisfaction. Minimal, in terms of amount and budget. In a 1000 square foot home shared with four kiddos, there is absolutely no space for multitudes of decor. I really don’t like filling up our tight quarters with decor items that the kids aren’t allowed to touch. That’s just torture for everyone. So a less clutter minimalist mindset is what I am working towards, even with Fall decor.
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Before | The Stuff
When I raided the Dollar Store Fall decor section, I grabbed an assortment of their mini pumpkins and gourds , as well as this big pumpkin sign and a leaf garland. The Dollar Store Fall decor section is also good for faux plants. I didn’t tempt myself, because I already had a handfull of faux stuff from last year.
I’m no type A, but I do like to plan out a color scheme before I tackle DIY seasonal decor. This year I went pretty neutral, with pops of burgundy and pink, with gold accents. Walmart has very inexpensive chalk paint in a variety of colors, and it’s great for craft projects. I also picked up a gold paint pen, and some gold Washi Tape.
Paint Makes All the Difference
We got right to work with the chalk paint giving everything a new look. It amazes me every time how much paint transforms ugly things. If you wanted to do nothing more than paint the Dollar Store Fall decor, I think you would have a pretty good collection of cute items.
I used chalk paint on almost everything, but I did end up raiding my spray paint collection for a bit of gold. A few items got blasted, like the stems from the Dollar Store gourds that are easy to remove and replace.
Thrifted Faux Pumpkins
These faux carve-able pumpkins are not Dollar Store Fall decor, but have been littering the thrift store decor isles since July. I picked up three different sizes. Grabbing some stencils, I made an easy to carve pattern. These pumpkins are pretty easy to carve, but I’d recommend keeping your design simple. Bonus points if you have one of those pumpkin carving kits.
My faux baby pumpkin got a glitzy makeover with my gold paint pen. I went over the pumpkin first with a pencil, and the pen had not trouble covering the pencil lead.
Speaking of blessings, don’t forget take a breather and look around you every once and a while. Count those blessings!
So here’s the pumpkin brothers in all their glory. I went to town on one with my drill, for a super easy and quick polka-dot look. A small piece of sandpaper makes quick work of any foam that needs to be smoothed after carving.
Cut a hole out of the bottom, and use and LED faux candle to turn your thrifted pumpkins into lanterns. These would be cute on a covered porch or indoors.
Dollar Store Sign Transformation
Now, back to the Dollar Store Fall decor. I wasn’t digging this pumpkin sign as is, but was pretty sure it would make a good Fall chalkboard.
I flipped the sign over, and gave it a coat of chalkboard paint. Then I used my gold paint marker to write out a cozy Fall message. Scavenging in my craft supplies, I came across some leftover wooden beads from my drop cloth curtain project, and decided these would be a fun added detail.
If you want to get your own paint pen and wooden beads to add to your stash, you can find them here and here.
A few minutes of doodling and bead stringing later, and the pumpkin sign had it’s completed look. No more Dollar Store Fall decor vibes going on here.
Dollar Store Garland
This sparse little leaf garland from the Dollar Store Fall decor section was crying for new life. This poor little guy only came with one measly acorn. Thank you Dollar Store for that, but I guess you get what you pay for.
After painting the front and back of each leaf burgundy, I picked up where the Dollar Store left off, and started adding bits of faux and dried plants. A couple items got blasted with the gold paint, including the lonely acorn.
I absolutely love how this garland turned out. That burgundy is so yummy, and I don’t think anyone would guess it was Dollar Store Fall decor after it’s makeover. And be sure to show off the beloved acorn.
Washi Tape Win
If you’re not a big fan of painting, fear not, you can still benefit from the Dollar Store Fall decor section. Use Washi Tape to make a super fun and whimsical Dollar Store pumpkin makeover. If you are a super fun person, you could grab multiple tapes (maybe you already have some in your super fun person stash), and cover multiple pumpkins in several patterns.
This little Washi Tape pumpkin is so cute, and channels that gold accent I was trying to pull off.
Stay Cozy
Now it’s time to scatter all the Fall decor around your home, and sit back and stay cozy.
Even if you did all of those DIY Fall decor projects, you should still have some energy to whip up a pumpkin pie. Or maybe just throw on a sweater, grab a blanky and start in on that Netflix season.
Best Fall wishes, and enjoy!
Check out more Fall inspiration from My Happy Simple Living here.
