Painted Acorns for Autumn Decorations

Do you have hundreds of acorns falling out of your tree every autumn? Do you wonder what you could do with all of that free crafting supply?! I’ve got a couple of natural autumn decoration ideas to help you use up your acorns. A full list of supplies you’ll need can be found at the end of this post.

Yes, this photo was taken on our driveway after we swept up all the nuts that had fallen. There were so many I decided I needed a project to use them. It’s a free and lovely resource!

Rinse the nuts, dry them and then bake. Spread the nuts in a tray lined with foil. Bake at 200°F for two hours. Turn them every 30 minutes.

It’s likely you’ll have to clean each nut by hand. Throw out any that are broken or have holes in them.

Maybe sanding is all you’ll need to do to get a natural color you like from your bowl. Maybe you found a new bowl at the store that needs no alteration. But the wood on my vintage nutcracker bowl was too dark for me, and still dark after sanding. So I bleached it, by applying it with a sponge. It took bleaching three times to get it as light as I wanted. And the natural looking result was pleasing!

This brand does not list color on the can! The copper looking one was the color I ended up liking most and using in my projects. (The sticker price with the barcode on the shelf should list the color.)

Primer: This is optional. I did not use primer on my acorns but will do so in the future. The spray paint surprisingly scrapes off very easily. So if you want to skip primer, handle the nuts with care after they’ve been painted.

Spray the nuts in rows starting with the row closest to you. Then turn the whole thing and start again—keep going until you’ve rotated to and sprayed all four sides.

(Those orange seeds pods are called Putka Pods. Super cute and PERFECT for fall right?)

BONUS PROJECT:

This autumn wreath was made using a wreath form found at the dollar store. Cut it in half like a bagel, then wrap one half with either a dark cloth or ribbon (I recommend black or dark brown) so the green styrofoam doesn’t show. Use hot glue to attach all your ingredients. It’s quite easy, just take your time!

I hope this helped you think of some autumn projects to spice up your home this fall season.

SUPPLIES FOR BOWL CANDLE HOLDER:

Pillar candle

Wooden Bowl

Acorns

Putka pods (about 1-2 oz)

Small pinecones (1 bag)

Bleach (if needed)

Hot glue and gun

SUPPLIES FOR WREATH

Small styrofoam wreath form

Acorns

Putka pods (about 1-2 oz)

Small pinecones (1 bag)

Medium small pinecones (at least 5 but more is better)

Hot glue and gun (this takes a lot of glue)

Dark ribbon or cloth, enough length to wrap around the wreath form

Ribbon for bow and hanging