Craft Ideas for Fall Luncheon Table Decorations

Autumn inspires colorful table decorations in muted shades of gold, red and orange. Look to nature for a variety of materials to liven up your fall luncheon, as apples, gourds and pumpkins ripen and leaves tumble to the ground. Even if you're on a limited budget, you'll find a wealth of fall crafting materials right outside your door.

Table Runner or Placemats

Embellish a purchased table runner or a set of place mats with a scattering of autumn leaves. Gather four different types of leaves that are free of holes and tears. Trace around them on a sheet of poster board or lightweight cardboard, then cut out the leaf shapes.

Purchase 1/4 yard of four cotton fabrics in shades of red, gold, orange and brown. To add visual interest, choose fabrics with small patterns or variations in tone. Fuse the fabrics to a double-sided bonding product. Using your cardboard leaf patterns, cut out leaf shapes from the fused fabrics. Scatter the leaf shapes on your runner or place mats and fuse them in place.

Autumn Bouquet

Gather enough autumn leaves to make a full bouquet of any size you like. Gently wipe the leaves to remove any dirt. Spray one side of each leaf with a clear acrylic paint. While the paint is still wet, sprinkle gold glitter around the edges of each leaf. Let the leaves dry, then turn them over and repeat the process on the other side. When the leaves are completely dry, tie the stems together with heavy thread. Place the bouquet in a vase, basket or hollowed-out pumpkin. Add a gold bow to the basket handle or the side of the vase or pumpkin.

Apple Options

Fill a basket with shredded paper in red, brown, orange or yellow. Arrange red, yellow and green apples in the basket, then add small gourds of various shapes and sizes. Tie a raffia-ribbon bow to the basket handle.

Remove the cores from red and yellow apples. Set the apples on a large plate and insert a thin taper candle in the middle of each one. If the candles aren't standing upright, place a small amount of sand in the apples' centers to hold them. Arrange cut chrysanthemums, real or artificial, around the apples. Tuck a small gourd or two among the flowers.