The 5 Craft Supplies That Will Get You Through Fall

There is something about fall that makes Penny and I want to make things.

Maybe it’s the cooler afternoons, the leaves changing outside our windows, or the fact that we’re spending a little more time at home. Summer has a way of keeping us moving from one thing to the next, but fall seems to invite us to slow down a little. To stay home. To make a mess at the kitchen table. To pull out the craft supplies and see what we can come up with.

Some of my favorite afternoons with Penny have started with a very simple statement/question: “I’m bored…what are we going to do?”

And usually, the answer doesn’t require a trip to the craft store.

In fact, I’ve learned that some of the best craft supplies are already sitting around our house. An empty cardboard box, a toilet paper tube, a handful of popsicle sticks, some paint that has been sitting in the drawer—all of it can become something entirely different with a little imagination.

I love that kind of crafting. There’s no pressure to make something Pinterest-perfect or to have every supply on the list. It’s just about sitting down together, putting something in our hands, and seeing where our creativity takes us.

So if you want to keep a few simple supplies on hand this fall, these are the five I would choose. And chances are, you already have at least a few of them tucked away somewhere.

1. Paint

Of course paint makes the list. There is almost nothing you can’t make a little more delightful with a bit of paint.

Watercolor, acrylic, tempera—use whatever you already have. Fall is the perfect time to pull out warm, cozy colors like rust, mustard, olive, cream, brown, and dusty pink, but don’t feel like you have to stick to a traditional fall palette.

With paint, you can make:

Painted leaves and paper garlands
Tiny pumpkins on paper or cardboard
Painted rocks
Homemade bookmarks
Watercolor fall landscapes
Painted paper plates turned into pumpkins
Hand-painted gift tags
Mini paintings to frame or give to a friend
Painted pinecones
A fall-inspired painting banner

I especially love crafts where the finished product doesn’t need to be perfect. A wobbly line or uneven brushstroke somehow makes it feel even more special.

2. Boxes

Before you toss that Amazon box into the recycling bin, save it!

Cardboard boxes are one of the most versatile craft supplies you can have, especially when you’re crafting with kids. They can become almost anything with a pair of scissors, some paint, and a little imagination.

Turn a box into a:

Fall birdhouse
Haunted house
Pumpkin patch
Barn
Dollhouse
Cardboard castle
Little shop or market
Puppet theater
Fall village
Giant pumpkin
Mailbox for notes and drawings

One of my favorite things about using cardboard boxes is that there is no pressure to “get it right.” You can cut into it, paint over it, glue something on top, and completely change your mind. It’s basically the craft equivalent of a blank canvas.

3. Cardboard Tubes

Yes, I mean those little cardboard tubes left behind by toilet paper and paper towels.

Start saving them in a basket, and before long you’ll have a surprisingly impressive craft supply collection.

A cardboard tube can become:

An owl
A turkey
A little pumpkin
A scarecrow
A spider
A bat
A fox
A tree
A napkin ring
A set of binoculars for little explorers
A miniature person or animal
A Thanksgiving place card holder

Cut the tube into rings and you can also use the little circles to stamp patterns with paint. Or flatten one end into a leaf shape and make your own leaf stamps.

There is something wonderfully satisfying about taking something that was destined for the trash and turning it into something completely different.

4. Pipe Cleaners

Pipe cleaners are one of those supplies that seem almost too simple to be useful—and then you start crafting with them and realize just how much you can do.

They bend, twist, wrap, curl, and hold their shape, which makes them perfect for little hands.

Try making:

Fall leaves
Tiny pumpkins
Spiders
Acorns
Corn stalks
Little trees
Leaf crowns
Animal figures
Friendship bracelets
Garland
Bookmarks
Tiny flowers

You can even combine pipe cleaners with cardboard tubes to create little characters or animals. Add some paint, googly eyes, or pom-poms, and suddenly your recycling bin is starting to look like a craft store.

5. Popsicle Sticks

If you have kids, chances are you already have a pile of these somewhere. If you don’t, they’re inexpensive and easy to keep in your craft stash.

Popsicle sticks are perfect for building, gluing, and creating little structures.

Use them to make:

Fall signs
Picture frames
Birdhouses
Little scarecrows
Acorn people
Leaf garlands
Pumpkin patches
Mini fences
Bookmarks
Coasters
Tiny houses

And don’t be afraid to mix them with the other supplies on this list. A popsicle-stick fence around a cardboard pumpkin patch? Adorable. A painted cardboard tube with pipe-cleaner arms? Even better.

And a Few Extras…

If you have room in your craft basket, there are a few other things worth saving throughout the fall: pinecones, ribbon, pom-poms, buttons, leaves, twine, and scraps of paper.

Pinecones can become little owls, turkeys, trees, or woodland creatures. Ribbon can turn into garland, bows, wreath decorations, or hair accessories. Pom-poms make wonderful little pumpkins, ghosts, animals, and snowmen once winter arrives.

The goal isn’t to have every craft supply imaginable. It’s to look around your house a little differently.

That empty box? A house.

That cardboard tube? A turkey.

That pinecone from the backyard? A tiny woodland creature waiting to happen.

That leftover ribbon? A garland.

And a rainy afternoon with your favorite little person? An invitation.

Because sometimes the best kind of creativity starts with what you already have. Gather a few simple supplies, clear off the kitchen table, put on a pot of something warm, and see what happens.

You might be surprised by how much fun you and your kids can make with a handful of things you were about to throw away.