Happy Autumn to those who celebrate! It’s mid-September, and it’s been raining non-stop for the last two days. The trees are covered in different shades of orange and red, and there’s a new chill in the air. Foggy mornings accompany me on my walk to work. These dark and moody days give my town the gloomy atmosphere I love so much.
Autumn has started, and I have so many plans to celebrate my favourite time of the year. I’ve created a bucket list to complete before December and a collection of crafts I would like to make. Plus, a list of books to read during the spooky season. Let’s get started!
Autumn bucket list
I’ve kept it simple and classic with some of my favourite activities.
- Read a cosy autumnal book in a coffee shop – like Rewitched
- Carve pumpkins with my partner
- Make leaf-shaped cookies
- Have a cosy night in with candles, tea and watch a nostalgic Halloween movie – like Hocus Pocus, Casper or The Craft
- Visit a pumpkin patch
- Take a candle-light bath and read a cosy book – I bought some Halloween bath bombs from Lush
- Go on a walk in the woods
- Collect leaves, acorns and pinecones and draw them in my sketchbook – I’ve recently started painting with Gouache
- Bring a cosy blanket and read in the park
Autumn crafts and DIY decorations
I’m a big DIY person, in the sense that I will save hundreds of do-it-yourself ideas on Pinterest but never actually make them. But this year, I’m ahead of the curve. I’ve already bought the materials and started working on my first project – a felt leaves garland!
I wanted to be realistic in my crafting abilities and time, so I chose only four projects and opted for easier and quicker crafts.
Felt leaves garland
You only need some colourful felt sheets, scissors, needles, thread, a string and leaf patterns. In my case, I have five different autumnal shades: green, yellow, orange, red and brown. I’ve made four different types of leaves and one acorn pattern.
Clay pumpkin candle holders
This is the most complicated project, but it’s the one I’m most excited about. I bought a set of air-drying clay from Pott’d, but there are many other brands, some acrylic paint and tools, and I’ve collected a bunch of tutorials on how to shape pumpkins using clay.
Autumn handpainted candles
It is a cute, time-sensitive craft requiring only candles and a paintbrush. Use candle wax as paint. You can use a set of tealight candles in different colours, and while they’re burning, you can use the melted wax to paint your long candles.
Book pages ghost garlands
This is the quickest craft on my list, and it looks so cute! Thrift an old book to cut ghostly shapes and hang them from a string. I like using small pegs instead of running the string through the ghosts. You can also paint the pages and add pumpkins and bats.
Autumn and Halloween books
This is my list of cosy, witchy autumnal books and thriller/horror stories to keep me company this season.
- Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood: cosy, witches, romance
- A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney: witches, romance, Halloween
- The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner: fantasy, cosy mystery
- My Vampire Plus-One by Jenna Levine: romance, fantasy, vampires
- The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore by Laurie Gilmore: romance, cosy mystery, Halloween
- Phantasma by Kaylie Smith: romantasy, horror, gothic
- The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin: fantasy, romance, vampires
- Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch by Codie Crowley: horror, thriller, YA
- So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison: horror, vampires, thriller
- The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig: horror, gothic, YA
I’m so excited now that Autumn has started. I love the weather and seeing pumpkins everywhere. I can’t wait to clay some pumpkin-shaped candle holders, watch spooky movies while drinking hot chocolate and read cosy autumnal books!
Here’s to a long and happy Autumn!
Willow in Winter 