‘Tis the season for flannel, pumpkin carving and fall crafts. If you live in South Village or North Lake, it may be hard to keep those festive jack-o-lanterns aglow and stay within housing code. That’s where our five budget-friendly dorm decorations come to the rescue. We’ve put together a list of festive fun to suit every student’s desire to ring in the spook-tacular holiday.

1. Fall Mason Jars –

You’ll need the following items; a small mason jar, orange and black paints, green spray paint, glitter, painter’s tape, a glue gun, a small twig and some fall-colored ribbon.
Place plenty of newspaper or paper towels down on the surface you plan to paint on. Place the mason jar upside down on the covered surface, wrapping painter’s tape around the bottom fourth of the jar. Spray the jar so the bottom part opposite of the lip is covered. Let it dry. Then, pull the painter’s tape off and flip the jar right-side up. With the orange and black paint, paint a pumpkin on the side of your choice and let dry. Use the glue gun to secure the small twig to the top of the painted pumpkin and let the glue cool. Tie your ribbon around the lip of the mason jar in a bow and fill it up with all of your trick-or-treating goodies.

(Filmed by Olivia Keegan, Nora Reca and Katie Hopkins. Edited by Olivia Keegan.)

2. Twig Candle Holders –

You’ll need the following items; small glass candle holders, LED flameless candles, a bag of small twigs (vase fillers) and a glue gun.
Glue twigs all around the outside of the candle holder so that the glass is barely visible. Stick the LED candles inside and enjoy a fire-side glow without worrying about burning your dorm down.

(Filmed by Olivia Keegan, Nora Reca and Katie Hopkins. Edited by Olivia Keegan.)

3. Flannel Coasters –

You’ll need the following items; an old flannel top (Goodwill), scissors, a ruler, chalk and a needle and similar-colored thick thread.
Begin by measuring out six to eight four-inch-by-four-inch squares of fabric from the flannel shirt. Place each set of two squares – colored flannel side out – together and sew a basic stitch around the perimeter of the squares. Place your new flannel coasters under a hot pumpkin spice latte for the perfect fall lounging session.

4. DIY Fall Chalkboard –

You’ll need the following items; a wood slice (Michael’s or Target), chalkboard paint and a paintbrush.
Paint the wood slice with chalkboard paint as directed and wait until fully dry. Add a Command strip to the back to hang on your wall or prop up on your desk for a functional and decorative piece.

5. DIY Candy Corn Pinecones –

You’ll need the following items; orange, yellow and white paint, dry pinecones, paint brushes and fine glitter.
Apply two coats of white paint to the entire pinecone and let dry. Apply two coats of yellow paint to the lower two thirds of the pinecones and let dry. Apply two coats of orange to the last remaining third of the pinecones. While the orange paint is still wet, sprinkle glitter on the bottom and enjoy your sweet new decorations.
Music featured in ENTV videos:
“Elevator Music” by Julian Avila via SoundCloud through Creative Commons.
Music: “Valentines Smooth Jazz Mix” by Sapphire_MJW via SoundCloud through Creative Commons.