Comments on: Plastic-Free Fall Decorating Ideas

By: Betsy (Eco-novice)

Betsy (Eco-novice) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 06:24:27 +0000

Great post, Lisa! I love the idea of decorating for ANY holiday with seasonal objects from nature. And, of course, Etsy always is a fab resource for handmade plastic-free decor.

By: A Greener Halloween | Retro Housewife Goes Green

A Greener Halloween | Retro Housewife Goes Green — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 21:16:57 +0000

[...] You can also check out my guest post on My Plastic-Free Life, Plastic-Free Fall Decorating Ideas. [...]

By: Rosa

Rosa — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 01:21:33 +0000

I actually just spent the afternoon making bat garland with my son and another mom & preschooler – I had bat & skull diecut paper pieces from the store, so we traced those onto cardboard and then traced & cut out with the kids and let them glue glitter onto them. Hole-punched them and hung them up.

The store pack had a piece of thinnish string w/metallic outsides; I used black thread for the homemade pieces but it tangled too easily, I think yarn would have been better.

By: Lisa @Retro Housewife Goes Green

Lisa @Retro Housewife Goes Green — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:51:08 +0000

Steven: I’m sure we all would hate to see all the plastic that happens before we buy something. Great idea about the yarn!

Tree Hugging Momma: Wow those are a lot of great ideas!!!

By: Tree Huggin Momma

Tree Huggin Momma — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:36:31 +0000

So many options when Fall Decorating. Instead of the small “hay bales” you find this time of year at the craft store, contact an actual farmer in your area for a real bale of hay or straw – I got straw bales for $5/bale and split them into 3 smaller bales (for decorating) and tied with jute twine.

Pumpkins, gourds and squash from local farmers (check out your local farm market) or your own garden make nice additions.

Indian Corn and Corn Stalks (also form local farmers)

TP Bats are a great reuse of Toilet Paper and Paper Towel Tubes (if you have access to them), and if you use environmental friendly paint and paper you can compost them when all is said and done.

Waxed Leaves. Real leaves and acorns as the peak of color are a great addition to any table. You can wax them so they last longer. Use clear parafin or use a mix of 1 part white glue (I like homemade glue) to 2 parts water. Dip them hang them to dry (using your line and clothespins) and then string them together with yarn or jute twine. Add some pinecones, and acorns for a little special touch.

So many more options out there, that can be a great project with the kids as well as a decoration.

Make a scarecrow out of out grown and wore out clothing. Use old broom handles or scrap wood or piping for the posts.

By: Amber

Amber — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 23:30:29 +0000

We have a Waldorf-inspired nature table, which is a lovely way to have a plastic-free seasonal display. We have some wooden figurines and books, as well as kids’ crafts and stuff we gather from outside.

And as it’s Halloween week right now, you can’t go wrong with a jack-o-lantern. Although it’s best to steer clear of paraffin candles.

By: Steven

Steven — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 20:16:38 +0000

I happen to work at the large art chain pictured in the top. Be glad you don’t see the double bagging, sealed boxes inside of pallet wraps with extra tape on top that the seasonal assortment comes in for those stores (not for the normal things, only seasonal, different warehouses).

Felt is also something that you can make from leftover yarn, you can google different sets of instructions for how to do it. :)

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 19:35:55 +0000

Claire, I think it tastes better. I bake the chunks it in the oven under foil and then the skin falls off easily because of the steam. Just make sure it’s cooked all the way through. You can put it in the food processor if you want it to be smoother, but I kind of like mine to have more texture.

By: claire

claire — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:55:37 +0000

Beth, do they taste the same/better/worse as store bought/canned pumpkin pie? my sister read the ingredients on the can and realized it was butternut squash and not actually pumpkin and is now telling everyone she knows. even my grandmother’s pumpkin pie recipe says “pumpkin (squash is better/butternut is best).” I’m looking forward to trying real pumpkin pie.

forgot about Indian corn! I’ve always loved the colorful kernels. you can use that for food as well (as long as it’s not sprayed with any kind of coating), you can grind the kernels and make cornmeal or corn flour (since after all, it started as a food preservation method).

By: Lisa @Retro Housewife Goes Green

Lisa @Retro Housewife Goes Green — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 15:54:19 +0000

Sarah “Angry Butterfly” Schumm: That is awesome! I want to try that sometime.