Depending on where you live, autumn might have already started to show its colours. For me, it’s been this past week that the leaves have turned, and the air has gotten colder. The days are shorter, and the streets are decorated with leaves in the warmest colours. Red, orange, yellow and brown stand out against the grey skies. And when it rains and it’s dark outside, I light up a candle by the window and let the pumpkin smell engulf my bedroom.
This is the weather that I love, and I’ve been eagerly waiting for most of the year to go back to autumn.
Every year, I like to create a mood board for the season. I love planning activities for the colder months and organising my wardrobe in different aesthetics. I can spend ages looking for books that match the cosy, gloomy mood of autumn.
In 2023, I’m feeling witchy vibes with cosy academia days. Check out my Taylor Swift and Gilmore Girls mood board from last year.
Green Witch aesthetic
When I think of a Green Witch, I picture lots of dark greens, cosy knits, old books, herbal tea and tree leaves. This is the type of aesthetic I’m going for this year. I already own a lot of different green pieces since it’s my favourite colour, but I want to find a second-hand, cosy cardigan to add to my collection. As well as finally getting some decent boots for rainy nature walks.
Clothing for the Green Witch: colours include dark and light green, dark brown and off-white. Look for vintage jumpers and cardigans, long flowy skirts and boots.
Bucket list activities:
- Go for a nature walk in the rain
- Bake a new autumnal cake – I want to try this Pumpkin cake with nuts and maple syrup.
- Go foraging and try to identify as many toadstools and leaves as possible
- Start a Herbarium journal with dry leaves and drawings of trees and toadstools I find on my walks
- Make my own herbal tea blends
Books to read:
- Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
- Now She is Witch by Kirsty Logan
- Witcha Gonna Do? by Avery Flynn
- The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall
- Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Cosy Autumn Academia
I’m always looking for the perfect combination of cosy autumn and dark academia. I want plaid skirts and brown jumpers with long black coats and chunky loafers. A second-hand book in one hand and a cinnamon roll in the other. I want museum dates and cosy, spooky movie marathons. Rainy walks and foggy mornings. I want it all!
The Cosy Autumn Academia is a collection of chunky knits with plaid skirts, corduroy trousers, long dark coats, and berets in warm tones.
Bucket list activities:
- Decorate my house for autumn with handmade decorations and charity shop finds
- Bake Halloween cookies and decorate them with colourful icing
- Go on a city bicycle ride – I’m terrified of bikes, but I want to push myself to do it at least once
- Write in a coffee shop
- Do a spooky movie marathon
- Draw some cute autumn illustrations to hang around my bedroom
Books to read:
- You, Again by Kate Goldbec
- A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
- All That Consumes Us by Erica Waters
- Awakening Anne by Kalynn Applewhite
- Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson
I look forward to a season of spooky movies, cosy mystery books and lots of hot chocolate. I love early autumn when all the leaves are starting to fall, and the colours change every day. I’m also so excited for Halloween. I’m going to Vancouver in October and will be spending Halloween there. I can’t wait!
Willow in Winter 