7 Easy DIY Fall Decorations Under $20 to Create with Family and Friends

A cozy fall home does not need a full shopping cart or a weekend-long makeover. A few jars, leaves, twine, pumpkins, and warm colors can make an entryway, mantel, dining table, or porch feel ready for crisp mornings and cider nights.

These seven projects are simple, flexible, and budget-friendly. Each one can usually be made for under $20, especially if you reuse supplies you already own or gather natural materials outside. Even better, they are easy to turn into a relaxed craft night with kids, friends, roommates, or visiting family.

Gather a simple fall craft kit before you start

You do not need specialty tools for most fall decorations. A small craft kit will carry you through nearly every project below.

Useful supplies to keep nearby:

• Scissors

• Hot glue gun and glue sticks

• Craft paint and foam brushes

• Twine, jute, or ribbon

• Mason jars, vases, or clean food jars

• Faux leaves, dried leaves, or pressed leaves

• Mini pumpkins or gourds

• Battery-operated tea lights

• Cardboard, cardstock, or brown paper bags

  
  

Budget shopping tips:

• Check dollar stores for ribbon, faux stems, candles, and glass jars.

• Look at thrift stores for baskets, frames, vases, trays, and old sweaters.

• Save jars from pasta sauce, jam, and candles.

• Use fallen leaves, acorns, twigs, and pinecones from your yard or a walk.

• Split multipacks of materials with a friend.

• Shop your home before buying anything new.

  
  

For a group craft day, set up a shared supply table. Ask each person to bring one item, such as ribbon, jars, paint, pinecones, or snacks. Everyone spends less, and the finished decorations will feel more personal.

1. Make glowing leaf lantern jars

These lanterns add soft light to a mantel, dining table, bathroom shelf, or porch. They look especially pretty in groups of three.

Estimated cost

$5 to $15, depending on how many jars and lights you buy.

Materials and tools

• Clean glass jars

• Faux leaves or pressed real leaves

• Mod Podge or watered-down white glue

• Foam brush

• Twine or ribbon

• Battery-operated tea lights

• Scissors

  
  

Steps

1. Clean each jar with soap and warm water, then dry it well.

2. Brush a thin layer of Mod Podge onto the outside of the jar.

3. Press leaves onto the glue, overlapping them slightly for a fuller look.

4. Seal the leaves with another thin coat of Mod Podge.

5. Let the jar dry until it no longer feels tacky.

6. Tie twine, raffia, or ribbon around the rim.

7. Place a battery-operated tea light inside.

   
   

Personalize it by using only one color family, like deep red and orange, or keeping it neutral with cream, tan, and gold leaves. Kids can help choose leaves and brush glue, while adults handle any hot glue or trimming.

2. Create a no-sew sweater pumpkin

Old sweaters make charming pumpkins with a soft, cozy feel. This is a great way to reuse a sweater with a stain or hole.

Estimated cost

$0 to $12, especially if you already have fabric or find a thrifted sweater.

Materials and tools

• Old sweater sleeve or knit fabric

• Fiberfill, scrap fabric, or plastic grocery bags for stuffing

• Rubber bands or twine

• Stick, cinnamon stick, or wine cork for the stem

• Hot glue gun

• Scissors

• Optional ribbon or faux leaf

  
  

Steps

1. Cut a section from a sweater sleeve, about 8 to 10 inches long.

2. Turn the fabric inside out.

3. Secure one end tightly with a rubber band or twine.

4. Turn the fabric right side out again.

5. Stuff the pumpkin until it is round and firm.

6. Gather the open end and secure it with twine or a rubber band.

7. Glue a stick, cork, or cinnamon stick into the top.

8. Wrap twine around the pumpkin to create soft pumpkin ridges.

9. Add a small bow or faux leaf if you want extra detail.

   
   

This project is easy to make as a group because every pumpkin turns out a little different. Use cream sweaters for a farmhouse look, orange knits for classic fall, or patterned sweaters for playful decor.

3. Build a mini pumpkin centerpiece

A centerpiece does not need expensive flowers. Mini pumpkins, greenery, and a tray can create a lovely focal point for a dining table or coffee table.

Estimated cost

$10 to $20.

Materials and tools

• Small tray, shallow basket, or cutting board

• Mini pumpkins or gourds

• Faux leaves, eucalyptus, wheat stems, or dried grasses

• Pinecones or acorns

• Battery-operated fairy lights or tea lights

• Optional small vase or jar

  
  

Steps

1. Choose a tray or flat base that fits your table.

2. Place the largest pumpkin slightly off-center.

3. Add two or three smaller pumpkins around it.

4. Tuck leaves, stems, pinecones, or acorns into empty spaces.

5. Weave fairy lights through the arrangement if you want a warm glow.

6. Adjust the heights so the display feels balanced from every side.

7. Leave enough room for plates, mugs, or serving dishes if it sits on a dining table.

   
   

For family involvement, let each person add one object to the centerpiece. Someone might choose a pinecone from a walk, someone else might paint a tiny pumpkin, and another person might add a handwritten place card.

4. Paint personalized mini pumpkins

Mini pumpkins are affordable, easy to find, and fun to decorate. Paint them for shelves, place settings, porch steps, or party favors.

Estimated cost

$6 to $18.

Materials and tools

• Mini pumpkins, real or faux

• Acrylic craft paint

• Foam brushes or small paintbrushes

• Paint pens

• Newspaper or scrap cardboard

• Optional clear sealer

  
  

Steps

1. Wipe each pumpkin clean and let it dry.

2. Cover your work surface with newspaper or cardboard.

3. Paint the pumpkin with a base color, such as white, sage, mustard, copper, or black.

4. Wait for the paint to dry before adding details.

5. Draw dots, stripes, leaves, names, initials, or short fall words with a paint pen.

6. Let the design dry fully.

7. Seal the pumpkin if you plan to use it outdoors.

   
   

Try a family pumpkin theme. Each person paints one pumpkin in their own style, then you display them together in a bowl or along the mantel. For a dinner table, write guests’ names on pumpkins and use them as place cards.

5. Craft a paper leaf garland

A paper leaf garland brings color to a mantel, doorway, shelf, or window. It is also one of the most affordable projects on the list.

Estimated cost

$3 to $12.

Materials and tools

• Cardstock, construction paper, brown paper bags, or old book pages

• Leaf template or real leaves to trace

• Pencil

• Scissors

• Hole punch

• Twine, yarn, or ribbon

• Optional markers, paint, or glitter glue

  
  

Steps

1. Trace leaf shapes onto paper using a real leaf or printed template.

2. Cut out enough leaves to span your space.

3. Decorate the leaves with names, patterns, gratitude notes, or painted edges.

4. Punch one hole near the stem of each leaf.

5. Thread twine or ribbon through the holes.

6. Space the leaves evenly across the garland.

7. Hang it on a mantel, mirror, banister, or wall with removable hooks.

   
   

This is a wonderful project for all ages. Younger kids can color leaves. Older kids and adults can cut, write, and arrange the pattern. For a meaningful touch, ask everyone to write one thing they are thankful for on a leaf.

6. Assemble a rustic fall wreath

A wreath makes the front door feel welcoming before anyone steps inside. You can make a simple version with a grapevine wreath form and a few seasonal accents.

Estimated cost

$12 to $20.

Materials and tools

• Grapevine wreath form

• Faux leaves, berries, wheat, or small flowers

• Mini pinecones

• Ribbon

• Floral wire or hot glue

• Wire cutters or scissors

  
  

Steps

1. Lay the wreath flat and decide where the decorations will sit.

2. Trim faux stems into smaller pieces.

3. Tuck leaves and stems into the grapevine base.

4. Secure loose pieces with floral wire or hot glue.

5. Layer pinecones, berries, or wheat over the leaves.

6. Tie a ribbon into a bow and attach it near the bottom or side.

7. Hang the wreath and fluff any flattened pieces.

   
   

To keep costs low, decorate only one section of the wreath instead of covering the whole circle. An off-center cluster often looks polished and uses fewer supplies.

Make it personal with ribbon that matches your home, initials on a small wooden tag, or colors that fit your own fall style. Fall does not have to mean only orange. Burgundy, navy, copper, cream, and olive green all work beautifully.

7. Design a cozy candle tray

A candle tray creates instant autumn atmosphere for an entry table, kitchen island, nightstand, or living room shelf. Use battery-operated candles if children or pets will be nearby.

Estimated cost

$8 to $20.

Materials and tools

• Small tray, plate, wooden board, or thrifted platter

• Pillar candle, jar candle, or battery-operated candles

• Dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, pinecones, or acorns

• Faux leaves or greenery

• Ribbon or twine

• Optional small pumpkins

  
  

Steps

1. Choose a tray that fits the spot where you plan to display it.

2. Place the candle slightly off-center.

3. Add small pumpkins, pinecones, or acorns around the base.

4. Layer in leaves, greenery, or dried orange slices.

5. Tie cinnamon sticks with twine for a simple scented accent.

6. Check that nothing flammable touches a real candle flame.

7. Move pieces around until the tray looks full but not crowded.

   
   

For a craft night, set up a “tray bar” with shared bowls of mini accents. Everyone can choose their own mix and make a tray that matches their room.

Save money while making your fall decor feel personal

The best budget decorations usually start with what you already have. Before you shop, walk through your home with a basket and gather anything that feels fall-friendly.

Look for:

• Neutral bowls and trays

• Glass jars

• Baskets

• Old scarves or sweaters

• Candle holders

• Ribbon scraps

• Brown paper bags

• Picture frames

• Extra fabric

  
  

Then add a few seasonal pieces from nature or low-cost stores. A single bag of faux leaves can stretch across lanterns, garlands, centerpieces, and wreaths. One roll of ribbon can tie together pumpkins, jars, baskets, and candles.

If you are crafting with friends, trade supplies before buying more. Someone may have extra paint. Someone else may have jars, twine, or faux stems from last year. This keeps the projects affordable and makes the day feel more shared.

You can also turn the decorating process into a fall tradition. Put on a favorite playlist, warm up cider or cocoa, and give everyone a project station. One person paints pumpkins, another cuts leaves, and someone else builds the centerpiece. By the end, the house feels decorated and the memories become part of the display.

Bring the autumn spirit home for less

Fall decorating feels best when it reflects the people who live there. A leaf lantern made by a child, a sweater pumpkin from an old favorite sweater, or a wreath built with friends brings more warmth than anything bought ready-made.

Pick one project to start. Gather a few low-cost supplies, invite someone to join you, and let the colors, textures, and little imperfections tell the story. With these 7 easy DIY fall decorations under $20, your home can feel cozy, cheerful, and ready for the season without stretching your budget.