«Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.» ~William Arthur Ward
Start collecting some conkers, a.k.a. horse chestnuts or buckeyes, because these are the perfect natural Autumnal crafts and decoration ideas (kids-friendly). Here are some ideas:
Update 2018: For the ultimate DIY natural laundry detergent (no packaging, no cost, no waste), you can use the chestnuts since they have saponin. Soon I’ll make an entire detailed post dedicated to it with tips on how to peel, grind and use them. In the meantime, here a summary:
Autumn is nearly here! What I love about Fall is the cozy indoor weather, having cups of tea and watching the colourful leaves covering the ground. But apart from leaves, there are some other stuff falling from trees like pinecones, Kastanien (chestnuts) and acorns, which are great to collect them for home/office decoration, don’t you think? And well, even if they don’t fall from trees, but is the major icon for Fall: Pumpkins! Below there are ideas which I hope they inspire you using dry leaves, pinecones, chestnuts, acorns, pumpkins and even seasonal fruits (crafts you can do with/for your Kids, as well!)
Click on the following images that will take you to ecogreenlove’s previous (updated) roundups, there are plenty of ideas in each! (open in new window)
Falling leaves signal the beginning of the fall garden clean up season. Fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs, cut back perennials, remove annuals and get your lawn healthy for next spring. Remember to keep watering. Trees and shrubs that are deprived of water now will be easily stressed in the winter. Below is a handy guide to fall clean up tasks, vegetables to plant, flowers to plant, when and how to start and finally when and how to harvest.
Some of the favourites that are available in the fall include: cotton, cinnamon spice garden roses, brown amaranthus, burgundy scabiosa, chocolate cosmos, burgundy dahlias, thistle (also known as eryngium), pomegranate branches, brunia berry, burgundy moonlight carnations, nigella, burgundy artichokes, willow eucalyptus, and burgundy ranunculus.
A few other not included here are white lysimachia, blue privet berry (so perfect for adding texture), tuberose, persimmon branches (fun for autumn and thanksgiving tablescapes) and viburnum. When talking to your florist, always remember that mother nature can be tricky at times, so there is always the possibility that certain items will not be available. Luckily, there is usually always something similar you or your florist can substitute to achieve a similar look!
Pomegranates + artichokes (as well as persimmons) are classically fall, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use them in a fun, unique way! These guys are pretty sizable, so they’re a great way to add lots of body to a bigger bouquet and they work perfectly in large centerpieces, adorned arches + chuppahs, or aisle flanking arrangements.