Fall is our family’s most anticipated season. One of our favorite things to do is to make autumn DIY projects together to decorate our home. My older kids still enjoy craft projects, especially when they’re centered around a holiday.

To celebrate the season, we made these simple, frugal fall luminaries to decorate our home and let me tell you, they are so beautiful at night.

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Create your own Simple Fall Luminaries

Supplies you’ll need:

How to Create the Luminaries

Purchase a glass container, any shape or size.

Personally I LOVE using these rounded globes because they are a good size and look beautiful when they’re finished. I found these at the Dollar Store. Make sure you take the time to clean them and remove any stickers.

Cut some fall shapes out of the construction paper.

Trace leaf outlines on red, yellow, and orange construction paper and cut them out. Personally, I rarely use more than 3 shapes when I do this project, but use as many as you’d like, or don’t use any. You can make this project more challenging for your older kids by having them draw intricate shapes or images to use.

That’s the beauty of DIY – it’s all up to you!

Choose the tissue paper colors you want to use, tear it up into various sizes, and put it in a pile.

Because it can be challenging to rip tissue paper after your hands are full of glue, it’s best to have this done before you start.

Start layering.

Smooth a layer of Mod Podge onto the glass with your foam brush. Then take a piece of your tissue paper and place it on the glue, tapping it to stay in place. Start with an area and after that is full, move to the next section. It is easier and less messy to work in sections.

You’ll want to keep the bottom clear so you can set it aside to dry. For the top, you can either fold the tissue paper a bit over the edge or stop just before the edge.

Make sure you’re layering to create new colors and add depth to the project. This is where you get to be creative.

Carefully add a top layer of Mod Podge over the whole luminary.

Make sure all tissue paper ends are secure.

Add your construction paper cut-outs.

Decide where the shapes you cut out should go, then coat one side of the shape with Mod Podge, dabbing with your foam brush. Place it on the glass, over the tissue paper. Coat it with a thick layer of glue, using your fingers to get it as flat as you can. This can be challenging, but be patient and use a lot of adhesive.

Set the luminary down on your newspaper or scrap paper to dry (usually less than 24 hours).

Once it’s dry, add a tealight and stand back to admire the beautiful fall luminary you’ve created.

This is such an easy and frugal craft that can be adapted for any holiday or season. We’ve made a candy corn luminary as well as Christmas luminaries. They’re just as simple and frugal as this autumn one.

As I mentioned, my older kids love making these, even though they’re easy to complete.

More Fall Art Projects for Middle School

What are your favorite fall crafts for teens?