Make your own DIY painted acorns using ones you collect from nature for an inexpensive fall home decor craft!

Acorns are a fun and simple decoration that you can add to your fall home for a seasonal accent. I’m Keri from One Mama’s Daily Drama. This month I’m showing you how to paint real acorns to use in all kinds of fall decor.

I live in Texas, so often the weather here doesn’t really feel like fall until close to Thanksgiving. One thing that I can always count on though, is that the ground under the big oak trees in the park fills with acorns.

My family and I have made a tradition of taking a walk this time of year to collect acorns for crafts. (Note: Make sure you’re allowed to take acorns from wherever you’re collecting.)

There are really a lot of fun things you can make with acorns! While they’re pretty on their own, this year I decided to try painted acorns.

This is an easy craft to do with whatever paint you have leftover from another project. And apart from some paint and glue, all you need is to collect some acorns to get started!

A Ball canning jar filled with blue, red, and yellow acorns and mini pumpkins and silk sunflowers.

How to Make Painted Acorns

If you live somewhere that isn’t bursting with acorns in the fall, you can purchase natural or artificial acorns online.

What you need:

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Craft/DIY Tools:

Supplies:

These are the ingredients you’ll need. All the exact amounts are in the printable card at the bottom of this post.

Several dozen acorns – natural acorns or artificial acorns
Parchment paper
Spray paint in any colors – I used Rustoelum Satin in Colonial Red and Lagoon because I use them in many of my home decor projects.

In general, painted acorns can’t be returned to nature because the paint will break down and can harm plants and animals. You can either store them to use again next year or discard them in the trash at the end of the season. Eco-friendly and biodegradable paint may be an option.

How to Decorate with Painted Acorns:

Put them in a display with preserved pinecones.

A bowl of natural items makes a great seasonal display. Learn how to preserve pinecones and display them in a bowl with the acorns. You can also use potpourri.

A long basket filled with blue, red, and yellow painted pumpkins and acorns.

Make an acorn and leaf mobile.

I made this acorn and leaf mobile a few years ago using acorn tops attached to felt balls. You could easily make it with whole painted acorns instead.

Use them as a vase filler.

Fill a large clear vase with your painted acorns, then add a bouquet of silk flowers. The acorns will hide the stems. You can also use them around a pillar candle in a wide container.

Embellish napkin rings.

These raffia napkin rings are an easy DIY to make before a dinner party. Attach a pair of painted acorns for an easy way to dress them up further.

Decorate a Fairy Garden.

Painted acorns can also be used in kids’ crafts. Use them to decorate a cute fall-themed fairy garden made with other natural items.

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