My Top 3 Favorite Fall Crafts on a Broke College Student Budget

Ever since I was a little girl, my family has had a tradition of making mod podge pumpkins together every fall. Not only is this craft something you can do very easily and cheaply, but it’s also something that is fun for all ages!

All you need is any plastic pumpkin from a nearby local store, a container of mod podge from your favorite craft store, and tissue paper! You can also get really creative with this craft and make your pumpkins color-coordinated, such as fall colors or rainbow, or you could even cut out magazine pictures, books quotes, or Google images to create themed pumpkins!

The best thing about creating mod podge pumpkins is that they will last for years to come and can be used throughout your entire fall season, not just Halloween. I still have the first mod podge pumpkin I made with my mom when I was 6 years old and I’ll keep it until the day I have kids of my own to share it with!

One very fun and versatile craft for fall is to create leaf art! I know that it always makes me so happy when the leaves begin to change color, and if you’re anything like me, you may have picked up a few to admire their colors. Something I love doing to spice up my fall vibes is to laminate the leaves that I find!

If you ever find a leaf (or leaves) on the ground that you find so beautiful that you have to preserve it, you should! Once you’ve found the leaves you want for your craft project, you have a couple of different options for how to go about preserving them. Before attempting to laminate them, I would suggest pressing your leaves flat by leaving them under a dense novel overnight. Once your leaves are pressed and flat, you’re free to laminate!

If you don’t have a laminator, a few cheaper options would be to simply use box tape on the front and back of your leaf or to grab yourself some self-adhesive laminating paper from an office supplies store. Then you can easily cut the leaves out and use them however you want!

These leaves could be used for so many different things! You could use them as a bookmark, or to decorate your school supplies or dorm. One thing I’ve done and loved was to cut out an additional section of my tape to hole punch, then tie together multiple leaves to create a beautiful fall decoration for my home. This is absolutely the kind of craft you can make your own and use however you feel!

So there are many ways to decorate your life during the fall season, but my favorite thing to do is decorate my front porch! (For those of you living in student apartments, this could also be your balcony!)

Anything you could possibly want, you can find at Lowes or Home Depot for your fall porch aesthetic. My favorite flowers to decorate my porch or balcony with during this time are chrysanthemums. They come in so many beautiful colors and truly liven up any space. You could also mix things up by adding some sunflowers or other flowers that you feel fit your style, but you can never go wrong with some potted mums!

The next things that scream fall decor in my household are stand-up cornstalks and hay bales. Both of these you can find at nearly any local hardware or craft store. Lastly, and something I learned from my mother, is a fall wreath. Many people associate wreaths with winter holidays, but never dismiss a good wreath for any occasion.

Be sure to check out Pinterest for more amazing fall decorations and craft ideas!