Use Fallen Acorns For DIY Hanging Owl Decor That Adds A Rustic Touch To Your Patio

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It isn't your imagination. As fall fires begin to fill the air with their sweet, smoky scent, the hoots of owls in the evening chill grow louder and more persistent. There is a good reason for all that owl song. Mating pairs are calling to each other and staking out their winter territories before the cold sets in. It's no wonder, then, that these majestic birds and other rustic symbols of the season, like round acorns and fallen branches, inspire rustic decor for your porch. These elements of fall are literally everywhere! You can, for example, paint acorns to resemble owls and attach them to a stick along with some moss. Add a hanger made of twine and display this fall-themed creation on the wall near your front door.

Many of the materials for this craft can be found on your next nature walk. Acorns become owls in this DIY, so you want to look for a variety of them — small, tall, plump, and narrow. Gather around a dozen of them. Next, look for some moss and a stick that's about 6 to 8 inches long. If you're having trouble finding moss, you can always buy it. Legigo Green Craft Moss is an example of what to look for. The rustic DIY also calls for twine, and something like PerkHomy Natural Jute Twine should work well. In addition to the natural treasures you found, you'll need a few manufactured items to complete this DIY owl hanger: acrylic paint in various shades, some paintbrushes and felt-tipped markers, craft glue, such as Aleene's Clear Gel Tacky Glue, and some scissors.

Start by cleaning the stick. Since you're creating rustic decor, it's okay if the piece of wood isn't pristine. You just want to clear off any loose bits of organic matter since you'll be gluing the acorn owls to the stick. A loose piece on the stick could fall off later, taking a glued-on owl with it. While you're still in this preparation phase, sort through the dozen or so acorns you foraged to find the best ones. You can create some variety by using a few green acorns instead of all brown ones if you prefer.

To remove the caps, you can either soak the acorns in water for an hour or so or push on the bottom of the acorn and twist the cap at the same time. It should pop off. Set the caps aside; you'll eventually glue them back on. Acorn caps tend to fall off naturally, so remove them now and set them aside for later reattachment.

Next, paint owl faces and feathers onto the acorns. Owls are well-known for their big eyes, so be sure to make them prominent. Using a mix of paint and markers for this part of the craft will make the detailed work easier. Reattach the acorn caps. Once that's done, glue the moss onto the stick and the owls on top of the moss. Finally, cut a piece of twine and tie each end around one end of the stick to create a hanger. Now you can use your new owl-themed decor piece when creating a Pinterest-perfect fall porch!

Thanks to the rugged textures of the stick and moss and your use of found materials, this owl DIY decor looks naturally rustic. However, you can still add embellishments to this piece to amp up the rustic vibes. Let's start with some simple pinecones. Spray-painting some small pinecones turns them into miniature trees for your display. Green, white, or gold paint would be pretty. If you find a particularly attractive pinecone that's slightly larger than your biggest acorn, place it in the middle of the display for a focal point and to give the arrangement more height.

You could also thread some metal bells, like Dilunave Rusty Rustic Bells, onto twine and hang them from the stick. The bells are, of course, highly decorative. However, you can also transform this simple decor piece into an owl-themed wind chime if you hang it from the rafters of your porch instead mounting it to the wall. Finally, you can add some autumn cheer to the piece by gluing a bow made of some burlap ribbon, such as Waydress Fall Craft Ribbon, to the front of the stick. Choosing ribbons using an underrated color scheme that belongs in your rustic home, like ruby red and chocolate brown or sage green and tan, ensures that your DIY hanger fits in with your other fall porch decor.