Fall/Autumn Decorations

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Bountiful wheelbarrow

Put together a colorful outdoor fall display using a sturdy wheelbarrow as a base.

Our wheelbarrow overflows with ornamental cabbage and peppers, ornamental grasses, chrysanthemums and other seasonal plants. Fill the wheelbarrow with soil and insert the plants loosely, or tuck containers into the wheelbarrow, making sure to fill in the gaps with more plants.

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Highlight nature

Create simple but striking arrangements with autumn beauties. Try cattails, ornamental grasses, coneflower seed heads or dried hydrangea blooms.

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Celebrate fall colors

Create this beautiful fall wreath with a variety of materials that reflect autumn's hues: gold, red, orange and brown.

Both your yard and a crafts store should provide a bounty of choices. A mix of fresh and dried materials looks lovely, but a wreath of all dried materials lasts longer.

Lightly soak a 10- or 12-inch ring of Oasis floral foam in water. Group your materials by color to plan each section of the wreath, then insert materials by the stems. We used tree leaves and fresh mums for red and orange bands of color, tree leaves and dried yarrow for gold, and dried oak leaves and pinecones for brown. Hot glue or T-pins help hold materials in place.

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Staircase decor

Bring waves of grain to your staircase with bundles of ornamental grasses, available fresh at some flower shops and dried at many crafts stores. Bunch one or more types of grasses or wheat and secure with a rubber band. Tie to every other baluster with raffia.

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Gourd grouping

A grapevine wreath elevates a mound of striped gourds and pumpkins in a fall display it takes only minutes to assemble.

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Lantern glow

This simple arrangement of pumpkins around a lantern adds a stylish, seasonal touch to an entryway. Use a battery-powered candle if the lantern will be unattended.

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Sunburst wreath

Mimic a blazing sunburst with this fall wreath. Fold out the husks on ears of Indian corn so they point straight out from the tops. Hot-glue the ears to a straw wreath, and "fluff" the husks to complete the look.

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Pumpkin lights

Light up the fall evenings with pumpkin candleholders. In the top of a miniature pumkin, carve a small hole wide and deep enough to hold a votive candle. For a rustic look, display your creation in a wire jar holder.

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Two shades of gold

A wheat wreath reflects your Midwest heritage. Insert dried sheaves into a foam wreath form, then dress up your wreath by slipping the stems of golden maple leaves into the spaces between wheat heads. Use leaves sparingly for the best effect.

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Keyed pumpkins

Use antique keys (secured with long straight pins) to create seasonal messages, such as fall or eek, on your pumpkins for an easy DIY fall decoration.