Create awesome front porch decorations for fall – using the “junk” you own! Upcycled flower pots for the win – a little paint and googly-eyes do the trick!

DIY Amazing Front Porch Decorations For Fall

The start of fall is one of my favorite times of the year. We anxiously await the coolness in the air and the brisk morning chill. As we put away pool noodles, goggles, and surfboards, the fall-themed decorations from years past slowly find their way onto our front porch.

The kids are climbing over each other. They each hope to be the first one to light our front porch decorations, stack the pumpkins and strategically place the fake cobweb along the walkway leading up to our front porch. The competition is fierce. Decorating for fall and winter holidays in our house are big annual family events.

Jordan knocked over the empty flower pots I have in a corner of the porch. The oversized pots are rather unsightly, but after a while, they blended in with their surroundings until Jordan thankfully bumped into them.

We looked at each other, and without many words exchanged, agreed that we should do SOMETHING with the flower pots… transform them into fun front porch decorations. The kids share in my obsession with googly-eyes. Everything is cuter and funnier with silly googly-eyes, right?!

I leave the kids to finish decorating the front porch with our fake-pumpkin collection from last year, while I run inside to start planning my next creative project. (I love creating decor for the house using things we already own like these adorable sweater pumpkins are simply genius – and these glitter ombre pumpkins are adorable!!!

(This post was originally published in October 2017. It was updated and republished July 2020 for accuracy.)

Shopping list for front porch fall decor:

How to Make Upcycled Flower Pot Front Porch Decorations:

Upcycled Flower Pot Candy Corn: (1 flower pot required)

Wash the flower pot thoroughly and remove any old dirt, allow it to dry completely.
Cover the ground with a large trash bag.
Turn the pot upside down and spray paint the bottom orange. Spray about 1/3 of the pot the first color.
Once the orange is dry, cover it with painter’s tape and craft paper.
Spray paint the next 1/3 of the pot (the middle) yellow.
Allow the yellow to dry completely, then cover the painted sections with more painter’s tape and craft paper.
Spray paint the last part of the pot white.
You may have to do two layers of spray paint for complete coverage.
Once ALL the paint has dried, apply the awesome large googly-eyes with your trusty hot glue gun.

Voila! Your adorable oversized upcycled flower pot candy corn is ready to be displayed and admired.

Upcycled Flower Pot Pumpkin/ Jack O’Lantern: (2 flower pots required)

Wash the flower pot thoroughly and remove the old dirt, allow it to dry completely.
Cover the ground with a large trash bag.
Turn both pots upside down on the trash bag.
Cover the entire surface with orange spray paint, two layers may be necessary.
Once the paint is completely dry, place the two pots on top of each other.
Spray paint the seam where the two pots connect.
Allow the paint to dry.
Cut leaf shapes out of green craft foam.
Paint the white floral foam cone brown.
Cut three 12” pieces of black craft wire, wrap the wire loosely around your fingers so it turns into spirals.
Stick the wire into the foam cone (aka the stem of the pumpkin.)
Fire up your hot glue gun and attach the pumpkin stem to the top of the flower pot.
Glue the wire in place on the stem.
Attach the leaves around the stem.
Glue on the large googly eyes.
Cut a jack o’ lantern mouth out of the black craft foam and attach to the flower pot with your trusty hot glue gun.

Voila! There’s your awesome oversized jack o’ lantern.

Spray painting pro-tips:

When Halloween is over, simply turn the pumpkin around so you can’t see the eyes and mouth… a plain pumpkin is totally Thanksgiving/ fall appropriate.
When spray painting do NOT:
- spray in windy weather
- wear nice clothes
- wear sunglasses
- wear rings
- do it without plastic gloves…
- those are just tips I have learned… the hard way. (My gift to you – sparing your clothes, jewelry, hair, and sunglasses!)

What other front porch fall decorations do you plan on making?