3 cheap ways to accent your home with fall colors

With the temperature cooling in much of the country, it's time to put away the bright, bold colors of summer and embrace the muted hues of autumn.

Although some homeowners may be reviewing large scale remodeling ideas, adding a few accents to your living space can work effectively as a mini home makeover. Here are three easy and inexpensive ways to bring the fall colors indoor.

Make stamped decorative pillows

Adding or upgrading pillows can instantly change the entire feel of a room. They add a splash of color, an addition of texture and a focal point in an otherwise neutral space. Rather than simply buying some pillows off the shelf, try this DIY method to create custom pillows that are both classic yet cozy.

1. Gather your supplies: a solid colored pillow in a fall color, ruler, pencil, fabric paint, foam brush, eraser, or other object of a uniform size to be used as a stamp.
2. Remove the pillow case and insert kraft paper or cardboard to prevent the paint from bleeding through.
3. Decide on a pattern. If you use a round or rectangular object as a stamp, you may want to make even rows of the shape. For other geometric shapes, you may want a more random design.
4. Depending on your design, use a ruler and pencil to mark even rows and spacing.
5. Use a foam brush to apply fabric paint to the eraser or other stamping object.
6. Stamp your pattern and allow the paint to dry before flipping the pillow and repeating the process on the opposite side.

For the best results on a colored pillow, select a fabric paint that is several shades lighter. As an alternative to stamping, you could also use a paintbrush to create a design.

Bring nature inside as fall décor

It doesn't get much cheaper than bringing in objects from your backyard to decorate your table, mantle or bookshelf. Pinecones mixed with some beads or marbles in a glass jar or vase can be an attractive fall decoration. You could also place branches in a vase with glass stones or marbles for a minimalist, natural look that offers a hint of autumn coloring.

For a slightly more hands-on project, gather together some pumpkins of various sizes, some shimmery paint, adhesive jeweled decals, a glue gun and some fall bouquets of flowers. Then use one of these techniques to create all-natural arrangements that will showcase the oranges, reds, and browns of the autumn season.

• Paint small pumpkins with a thin layer of shimmery colors that are appropriate for the season. In addition to using regular crafting paints, consider trying some sparkle dust, luster dust or Wilton Pearl Dust. These are used by bakers to add shimmering effects to baked goods and can add the right amount of sparkle to your pumpkins as well.
• Glue or adhere decorative jewels in a pattern to small pumpkins and arrange the pumpkins in a bowl or cornucopia.
  
• Remove the flower heads from your bouquets and glue them onto mid-size pumpkins. You could cover the pumpkin completely with flower heads or make patterns such as vertical stripes.

Use leaves to make autumn wall art

Finally, nothing says fall like falling leaves. So head outside and select some big, beautiful leaves to create stunning, low-cost wall art. Just as there are plenty of remodeling ideas online, there are plenty of tutorials for making leaf art. Here are three of our favorites.

• For a sophisticated look, head over to Centsational Girl for a tutorial on how to glaze leaves and adhere them to canvas. The end result is truly a work of art.
• If you are concerned about using real leaves in your art, the Styrofoam company has a tutorial for a similar project, but one that makes use of silk leaves and fern.
• Another option is to create small leaf reliefs. Check out how teacher Cassie Stephens creates these pieces with her students. Make several, frame them, and hang together to create a new fall focal point in your home.

A home makeover doesn't need to be expensive or time-consuming. Using accent items and décor is a great way to update your house, bring in fall colors and say welcome to autumn.