Willow in Winter

We had an early spring snow this year, which is a first for me. March has been a mix of freezing cold, snow, rain, and sunny but windy days. What could be more spring than that? I’ve seen flowers bloom, just to be covered by snow a few days later, birds are beginning to sing louder, and my sturdy umbrella and waterproof boots have become my best friends.

But you know what they say, you can’t help who you fall for
And you and I fell like an early spring snow

I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift

But back to the reason for this blog post: My Spring Moodboard. When I think of all the seasons, in a natural sense, I mostly think of magic. The change in nature from season to season, seeing things grow in spring, die in autumn, and be reborn again the following year. Or those flowers that only bloom in winter. Or those early spring days when there’s sunshine and rain and snow on the same day. I think there’s something magical about that.

Last year, I made a moodboard for autumn, my favourite season, based on Taylor Swift’s Evermore and Rory from Gilmore Girls, two of the most autumn things out there.

So when I was planning my spring moodboard, two books came to mind, both by Rachel Griffin. Her books always explore magic with nature, creating worlds where witches are tied to the natural elements.

The Nature of Witches moodboard

This book revolves around climate change in a world where witches are real, and they can control the climate. Each witch has the power of the season of their birth, and they have maintained the atmosphere for centuries until humans started messing with it. The only person that can help is Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.

They can plant their emotions in the earth, where they’ll grow as flowers. It’s my favorite part of spring magic because it has nothing to do with control; its sole purpose is bringing beauty into the world.

If spring is a whispered promise that everything can be made new, autumn is a brilliant sacrifice born of love. Because if the autumn did not love the spring, it would not fall to winter just so the spring could rise.

Aesthetic

Because this book goes through all four seasons and has a chaotic climate, I thought it was the perfect between-seasons outfit inspiration. For those spring days when it’s still cold and foggy in the morning, warmer in the afternoon, but you’ll freeze if you step into the shade.

For The Nature of Witches, I’m looking for cosy warm socks, tights with brown boots and floral dresses, oversized cardigans, wool jumpers with midi skirts, and a soft colour palette of greens, blues and light browns.  

Spring activities

• Watercolour in the park
• Try new recipes with seasonal veggies
• Join a spring wreath workshop
• Go for runs at dawn
• Embroider flowers in a pair of old jeans

Wild is the Witch moodboard

Iris lives in a world that hates witches, and when she accidentally creates a curse that could turn everyone in her town into a witch, she teams up with a boy who hates witches to find the owl that contains her curse even if that means spending days alone in the woods.

Spring is when the weather in the Pacific Northwest gets confused, bouncing between hail and sun and rain all in the same day. Sometimes all in the same hour. There’s something playful about it, as if the weather is enjoying every facet of its personality, appreciating all the ways in which it covers the earth.

I lie down on my back and look up at the stars, thousands of white lights in a sea of darkness. Sometimes I’m overwhelmed by it all, the vastness of this life, the absolute miracle it is that I exist in this moment in time. How much magic is out in the universe, stretching beyond what the eye can see, reaching distances the mind can’t even comprehend?

Aesthetic

This book is set around the woods and in an animal refuge, so the clothes inspiration is more practical. For this season, I’m thinking denim overalls with light white blouses, dark blue mom jeans, mountain boots and floral cardigans, and a more chaotic colour palette in light and dark purples, all shades of blues, whites and browns.

Spring activities

• Hiking in the woods
• Wild flower picking
• Bird watching
• Picnics in the park
• Stargazing

Books to read in the spring

• Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
• Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong
• The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner
• The Climate Book: The Facts and the Solutions by Greta Thunberg
• Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
• The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
• Weyward by Emilia Hart
• The Luminaries by Susan Dennard

It’s starting to feel more like spring when I sit down to finish writing this post. I got my denim jacket out of the closet, and I’ve been wearing it for the past two days; I still wear my woolly scarf, though. I looked at the floral dresses I’ve accumulated over the years that I only get to wear during a month in the summer, but this year I’ll try to implement them in the spring with layers of cardigans and jumpers. I’m excited for this new season, even if my light sensitivity already wakes me up the second the Sun shines by my window at 6 am.