Today I’m sharing a super budget-friendly and easy fall decor idea: painted mason jars and wild flowers! These painted mason jars and wild flowers are a cute and festive table centerpiece, or you can use this idea for easy fall mantle decor too.
The weather has gotten so cool, so fast, but I had a lot of fun walking along my road picking the wild flowers. I will admit that the crispness in the air was kind of nice. But if you know me, you know I LIVE for summer and loathe winter, so I struggle to get excited about fall – the bringer of winter. Lately, I’ve been trying to embrace all of the seasons. No sense in fighting it, so last year we went for a beautiful fall drive to photograph the leaves along the lake shore, and then on another afternoon we went to a pumpkin patch in search of blue pumpkins (no such luck). This year I tried growing my own but I started the seeds in my DIY cold frames too late in the season so they still haven’t yielded any sign of pumpkins! I’m going to try again, but start the pumpkin seeds a lot earlier next year, now that my cold frames are built, so I have something to look forward to next fall!
Even though I’m learning to embrace fall, I’d rather not spend a lot of money on fall decor. I’d rather save my pennies and dream about moving somewhere warmer, haha. So I put together this easy fall decor idea with $0! I had been saving a lot of glass jars, plus the spray paint was left over from other projects, and the flowers were free! Not bad, for some really cheery and easy fall decor.
Supplies:
- Empty glass jars
- Goo Gone (to remove labels, if necessary)
- Spray paint (I used Rust-Oleum Sea Mist, Copper, and Carbon Mist)
- Scrap cardboard
Simple How to For This Easy Fall Decor Idea:
Wash and dry the jars if you’re using old food jars. My municipality doesn’t recycle glass at our landfill, for some bizarre reason, so people always discard their glass jars in our good neighbor shed and I wish I’d scooped some up. Luckily I’d been saving mine for awhile and finally washed and dried them, using Goo Gone to remove any really sticky spots. Since I recently got into canning, I was actually planning to reuse these but it turns out commercial jars for things like pasta sauce and pesto (at least, the brands I bought) are too narrow for any canning lids! So frustrating!
No worries! I flipped them upside down on a sheet of cardboard and gave them all a few thing coats of spray paint. I used three colors left over from previous projects and it was an excellent way to use up the dregs of these spray paint cans. I had actually originally used them all last year, but sprayed them upside down and wiped the nozzle well before storing them, so they were all still good to use this year.
My tip: flip the jars over again after the bottoms have dried and spray the tops – I only sprayed from the bottom and left some sheer spots on top. I liked how it looked a little like ombre, but for an opaque look don’t forget to flip and spray the jars again from the other end. You can also hand paint the jars with the brush. I used chalk paint and brushed it on to create a spring centerpiece with painted mason jars, but I think the spray paint looks more uniform and smooth. Even chalk paint comes in spray paint variety, if you prefer that finish.
While I waited for my spray painted mason jars to dry, I went for a little walk with hubby and the puppers. There aren’t many flowers still in bloom here, but the golden rods looked super gorgeous. I also picked some bulrushes, which always remind me of corn dogs, lol. And then I found what I think are lupin pods? They are dried and look really sculptural to me! So if you’re rooting around for your own wild flower arrangement, don’t be afraid to pick anything that catches your eye – even if it’s a dried pod or plant. For the finishing touch, I thrifted this little pink linen table cloth, which is the perfect shade of vintage pink and definitely not traditional fall decor, but it played with the yellow, copper, and mint so well.
I’m so pleased with this free and easy fall decor idea: painted mason jars are super cute with wild flowers! I’m getting into the fall spirit, even just a tiny bit, and I love seeing these pretty fall colors paired with a bit of mint and soft pink. Click this link to see all of my past fall home decor and craft ideas.
If you’re a fall fan – or maybe need a little inspiration or an easy fall decor idea – you’re in luck! I’m joining some fabulous bloggers who are also sharing their fall decor ideas with you! You’ll find a lot of inspiration below, so please check out their beautiful fall projects too.
DIY Fall Acrylic Abstract Landscape Painting at The Happy Housie
Five Fun Fall Arrangements at Finding Silver Pennies
How to Make a Dried Floral Wreath at the Tattered Pew
DIY Painted Pumpkins that Look Like Cement at Modern Glam
How to Make a Doormat with a Cricut at The DIY Mommy
DIY Fall Sign at Clean & Scentsible
Scrap Wood Fall Pumpkins at Tatertots and Jello
Macrame Garland at Life is a Party
DIY Abstract Art Our Best Tips at The Handmade Home
Modern Fall Lunaria Wreath at This is Simplicite
Painted Mason Jars at Dans le Lakehouse
Fall Macrame Wreath at Place of My Taste
Easy DIY Fall Shelf Decor at Cherished Bliss
DIY Glitter Pumpkins at Lolly Jane
DIY Rustic Fall Flower Arrangement at Pretty Life in the Suburbs
How to Make a Handmade Clay Bead Garland at My Sweet Savannah
DIY Rustic Wood Centerpiece Box at She Gave it a Go
How to Make a Fall Wall Hanging at Cassie Bustamante
Elegant Fall Flower Arrangement at Rambling Renovators
Blush Fall Hoop Wreath Tutorial at Chrissy Marie Blog
DIY Blue and White Chinoiserie Pumpkins at Jennifer Maune
Five Fun Fall Arrangements at Finding Silver
love all of the colors you used and the flowers- what a gorgeous table!
Author
Thanks so much Cassie!
These are SO pretty Tanya! The colours and flowers are perfect. Also, I’ve always thought cattails looked like corndogs too hahaha!
Author
Thank you! And I’m glad you think so too, haha.
I love your jar colors and those wild flowers are gorgeous! I feel the same way as you about fall, but at least the decor is really pretty! lol!
Author
It’s true! AND their are blue pumpkins so I’m a little more enticed haha.
Love this, its free so I love it even more. Red and green ones for Christmas, blue and silver for Hannukah, baby blue, white and pale pink for spring/Easter, all kinds of options using this idea.
Author
I love all of your ideas! And you could totally re-paint the same “set” each time and fill with free seasonal finds: branches, ever greens, red dogwood, etc. I collected more of those pods because they’re just too cute. You’d pay a lot for something similar at a craft store. (I like free too, lol).
I love this grouping and colors together! Beautiful.
Author
Thank you so much!
These look so gorgeous on your table!
Author
Thank you!