Do you love acorn decorations and crafts? Check out this collection of great autumn ideas! Usher in fall with some simple handmade projects.
Skills Required: None. Working with acorns is relatively easy. You’re not going to have any problems with these ideas, even if you’ve never crafted before.
If there’s one thing I love about fall (besides the pumpkins and candy), it’s all the natural materials for crafting.
There’s something special about using what the good lord gave ya, but also – acorns are free. I’m a sucker for free craft ideas, and I know a lot of you are.
It’s not just the colors of fall that I love, but the textures. Between leaves, pinecones, and acorns . . . you’ve got a lot of materials that can add interest to your craft projects.
I found some HUGE acorns recently so I’m excited to share some acorn crafts with you.
I haven’t tried all of these, but I got such a quantity that I can make all of them if I want to. And I do! The first step when you get your acorns though . . . learning from experience . . . dry them.
Tips for Crafting with Acorns
I picked a bunch of acorn crafts to use with acorns that you find and gather. These projects either use the bases, the caps, or both. Most of them are home decor projects, which are perfect for fall decorating or Thanksgiving tablescapes.
You might now be wondering what kind of acorns to use. Do they have to be real?
Real or Fake Acorns?
Should you use real or fake acorns? That’s up to you. Don’t forget that some people don’t have acorns available in their area, OR the squirrels steal them all before the collectin’ can begin.
If that’s the case, you can get faux acorns or wooden acorns online.
REMEMBER: If you do use real acorns, you have to dry them so that the besties don’t come out. It happened to me and it’s gross. Don’t make the same mistakes.
Best Paint to Use
Any acrylic multi-surface or outdoor paint that you can purchase at the craft store will work. I like to use FolkArt acrylic or Martha Stewart multi-surface paint because they are very pigmented. That means the less coats I have to give my acorns.
I usually paint one side of the acorn, let dry, and then do the other side. If I want to Mod Podge glitter on my nuts (haha!), I’ll paint them with a coordinating color of paint first.
Spray paint is something you might also want to use, but I only recommend that if you want to paint your acorns one color – since spray paint is costly per can.
That’s why I typically default to acrylic paint. It takes longer, but then I can use a wide variety of colors.
Are you ready to get the acorn crafts? Keep scrolling down!
Acorn Crafts
When fall rolls around I'm ready to nestle inside and get crafty! Get some great ideas for crafts to do with acorns - you're going to love this list of smart ideas that are easy to achieve.
Glitter Acorn Decor
Make your fall sparkle with this DIY acorn decor! These glitter acorns are easy enough for a kid to make, and are so pretty in an autumn display.
Forage a Wreath for Fall
inspired by a walk in the woods, foraged acorns and pine cones come together to make this beautiful wreath. It only took five items to make this simple fall wreath. Take a peek and see how you can make your own.
Mini Acorn Houses
All you need is a little bit of clay to make the bases of the houses! These are so fun and cute (and easy to paint!).
Easy Acorn Vase
Next time you're an an autumn stroll, fill your pockets - then when you get home, grab your glue gun and make the coolest fall decor piece ever! So budget friendly and simple to make.
Autumn Acorn Napkin Rings
These autumn acorn napkin rings are the perfect accent for a colorful fall or Thanksgiving dinner table! You're going to love how easy these are to make.
Fairy Garden Mushrooms
You can make your own miniature fairy garden mushrooms using acorn caps and twigs from your yard! These are so cute you won't be able to stop making them.
Curly Birds
Make a little family of owls using acorns! I love that the body parts are made of felt - and there are added branch and leaf accessories.
Fresh Acorn Garland
If you felt the acorns, it's easy to string them together - but if you use fresh nuts from the ground? It's still easy using this tutorial.
Pretty Painted Acorns for a Fall Display
Learn how to paint acorns – they make the perfect budget fall craft! Pick your favorite colors for your painted acorns, then display.
Glittered Acorn Specimen Art
These glittery acorns are SO much fun to make, and it’s easy to turn them into unique specimen artwork to compliment your fall decor!
Acorn Photo Frame
Use a combination of acorn caps and bases to make one of the coolest acorn crafts around - a picture frame! You can put a photo inside, or a fall collage. Perfect for mantel decor.
Fall Wreath with Acorns
Grab several bags of acorn decor from the dollar store, then add them to a form to make this unique autumn wreath! Add any kind of embellishments you like to compliment your decor.
Whimsical Acorn Bells
Acorn bells are a sweet addition to gardens, fairy houses, or fall decor. How delightful to have a full bowl on display as the leaves change from green to gold!
Acorn Bird's Nest Necklace
Use acorn caps to make the cutest bird's nest necklace you've ever seen. Whether you love spring or fall, you can wear this all year 'round.
Felt Acorn Table Display
You can easily make a batch of felt acorns to decorate your table, make napkin rings, top off a gift or add them to a fall wreath. There are a million things you can do with these little cuties!
Strawberry Acorn Magnets
Grab some acorns, paint, and round magnets to create these adorable strawberry acorn magnets to display on your fridge or in a jar.
Acorn and Pinecone Apothecaries
Take the caps off some acorns, paint them, and then hot glue them back onto the nuts. Once you place them into a glass display with some pinecones, you'll see how cool these apothecaries truly look.
How to Make an Acorn and Oak Leaf Basket
Mother Nature gives us lots of beautiful decorating elements and acorns are one of them! Let me show you how to make an acorn and oak leaf basket that will become a special treasure.
Adorable Squirrel Acorn Craft
Use natural materials including some scrap fur to make the cutest acorn crafts ever - mini squirrels! These are fun for kids, but they also look great in fall terrariums and on autumn mantels.
Cap Floating Candles
If you're looking for the easiest candles to make - EVER - try these acorn cap candles! All you have to do is melt wax and add a wick. You can make a bunch of these in minutes.
Felted Acorn Garland
To make these garlands, you just need the cap part of the acorn! You're going to felt the bases in any colors you like. These make great decor for both Thanksgiving and Christmas (perfect for a tree!).
Acorn Mason Jar Votives
Pottery Barn sold faux acorns for displays just like these - but you can gather materials for free in nature! Use recycled jars or dollar store finds and tealights. You can make several of these for cheap.
Acorn Snowmen
This is a cute way to make your acorn decor last from fall to winter! Fun for kids and adults and so easy to make!
I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know which these acorn crafts are your favorite in the comments!
Bonnie
Wednesday 29th of September 2021
These are so cute! I can't wait to go acorn hunting!
Amy
Wednesday 29th of September 2021
Thank you so much Bonnie!
Rebecca Payne
Sunday 19th of September 2021
I love these ideas.