My favorite stress-free DIYs for fall

Outside, my husband creates a “spooktacular” Halloween, complete with a graveyard, strobe lights and scary sounds. We’ve gotten really good at balancing both worlds… he can frighten the neighborhood kids while I celebrate the harvest season.

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t It’s a daunting trek to my door on Halloween night. By the time friends and trick or treaters arrive, I feel like I owe them a welcoming space. I love warm colors and the look of lanterns in the fall, so I set colorful lanterns all around, fill lots of urns with colorful mums and use pre-lit pumpkins. And, I always have a batch of my Harvest Trail Mix ready-to-go as part of the decor. Here’s the recipe:

Harvest trail mix recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups candy corn

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• 2 cups dry roasted peanuts

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• 1 cup M&M’s (add a little more if you’re a chocoholic)

Directions:

1. Combine the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

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2. Place the desired amount in a serving bowl and place any leftover mix in an airtight container or plastic bag. Store up to 3 weeks.

Aren’t the colors of the candies and ribbon just beautiful? Whether you place this centerpiece on a side table, your dining room table or on your countertop, it really brings the warmth of autumn into your home.

t I use pumpkins more than any other decoration throughout autumn. Here are a few of my favorite ways to make them even more festive.

t Outside, my husband has become the expert decorator in the neighborhood. Here are his tips.

• Use the entire yard. We have skeleton pirates hanging from the trees, jack-o-lanterns lining the sidewalk and a graveyard on the front porch. Because things are spread out, it’s almost like you’re walking through a haunted house before you ever get to our door. The neighborhood kids love it.

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• Use battery-operated light strands. Wrap them around decorations, string them along the house… you can’t have too many of these and you don’t have to worry about a cord that can trip trick or treaters. They allow your hard work to be seen after dark and you can find strands in those great Halloween colors, which only adds to the ambiance.

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• Have the kids help. It takes my husband an entire day to get his decor situated and it would take a week if the kids didn’t help. They set up the graveyard on the front porch and spend hours picking out the perfect spot to hide the sound machine. Halloween gives you the freedom to play “dress up” with your house and that’s every kid’s dream. It’s also a great bonding time for my husband and kids.

About the author

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tJill Bauer hosts the popular QVC show, You’re Home with Jill, and provides fans with simple solutions for their busy lives through innovative products, a library of stress-free DIY projects and crowd-pleasing recipes. Connect with Jill on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.