Five Ways To Really Live Like It’s Autumn

Iowa in October is so weird. One minute it’s cold and blustery, so you wrap up in a sweater and scarf. The next minute the bright sunshine comes out and you’re glad you have some layers to take off. Rain one day. Sun the next. Clouds to follow. And I won’t even talk about the white stuff, even though we’ve had that this time over the years. Won’t even go there.

So how can you make it seem like fall, even when you’re not really sure that it is?

1. Start your fall baking. Think spice cake, pumpkin, maple syrup and lots of grains and oats. (Maybe not all together, but you understand.) Use leaf cookie cutters, acorn baking dishes and serving trays covered in pumpkins.

2. Do a fall cleaning. Fix up the house the way you would for spring cleaning, but replace warm-weather accessories with autumn ones. Put away the light-weight blankets and pull out the pretty, chunky ones. You can create warm looks with candles, rich colors and just the right sprinkling of leaves and acorns.

3. Appreciate the trees before they’ve lost all their leaves. Go for a walk in the park, bring home some fallen leaves for craft projects and take tons of pictures. It won’t be long before they’re covered in snow and you’re longing for the days of red, yellow and orange!

4. Have a harvest party! Make your own spiced apple cider. Share those baked goodies. Take a group picture surrounded by fall trees and bushes. If you can, start up the fireplace or use your fire pit for s’mores and cocoa.

5. Get cozy. If you change out the clothes in your closet each season, now’s the time to bring out the scarves, sweaters and boots. Add a jacket to your favorite summer outfits to make them last a little longer in your wardrobe. Find your favorite chunky jewelry and The leather and suede bags you love so much. Take advantage of these few days of autumn weather!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holland Creme - That Amazing White Stuff In Donuts

Image
I remember going to the grocery store every Saturday morning when I was growing up, and my favorite place in the entire store was the donut case. All the glazed, powdered and filled baked goods drew me like a magnet. My favorites, far and away, were the ones filled with that beautiful white, fluffy creme. At the time I didn't know it was called Holland Creme - I just knew it was the most amazing concoction ever. Ever. Here is my version of this sweet treat. You can make your own fried donuts and fill them, or like I did here, you can cut a crevice into store-bought donuts with a knife and fill them with creme in a piping bag. Either way, you're going to love it. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup shortening 1 cup butter 1 Tbsp vanilla 7 cups powdered sugar 1. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat until boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool complet
Read more

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee
Read more

Crafts For Teen Girls To Make

Image
In our teen girls Bible study, we're studying our way through the Proverbs 31 woman and it's been such a blessing to me, as I hope it's been to them. Every month we spend an afternoon or an evening together studying Scripture, making something amazing in the kitchen and creating something that corresponds to the verse we're in. Choosing the crafts each time can be a challenge for several reasons. It needs to be something they can completely finish (or do most of) because once they leave they're probably not going to work on it themselves - that's just the nature of teenagers. Remember? It also needs to be a project that keeps they're attention, is age-appropriate and is cool enough that they'll want to keep it or give it to someone special. But hey, no pressure on the Bible study leader, right? Here are just a few of the projects we've done together in the year we've been meeting. * This month's craft will be the adorable cross stit
Read more