Autumn, a gloomy time for many people. Still, for those who look closely, autumn is very colorful. Beautiful plants, mushrooms and trees adorn nature. The living room, kitchen or windowsill can also be comfortably furnished in the house. But what about the cozy evenings with homemade apple pie and hot chocolate? Or do you want to tinker with the children? A few tips to make autumn a bit more pleasant.
Autumn
Autumn, many people feel gloomy or fall into a kind of depression. The days are getting shorter and a lot of rain and wind are factors that make people soon feel less happy. Yet there are also very beautiful autumn days, with lots of sun and colorful scenes. Those days are ideal for going out and looking for typical autumn things. Think of: beechnuts, chestnuts, acorns, colorful leaves, jagged branches and so on. With all these objects you can decorate your home and again furnish. You can also use the items to tinker with.
Autumn (flower) piece
If you are a bit creative, it is soon possible to make a nice autumn (flower) piece yourself, or together with your children, for example on the table or sideboard. You can use a vase, flower pot, bowl, basket or anything else you have available. If you are a little less creative, it is also very nice to fill an etagere with autumn products.
Ideas for decoration material
- lantern plant
- chestnuts
- irregularly shaped branches
- mini ornamental fruit
- gourds
- tea light holders
- hydrangea in dried form
- acorns
- beechnuts
- leaves with red and yellow tones
- hedera
- fairy figures
- art mushrooms
- corn cobs in a basket
Autumn decoration in the living room and kitchen
It is always very attractive to bring autumn into the living room or kitchen. Autumn is characterized by yellow, orange and red tones, these colors always look wonderfully warm and cozy. If this absolutely does not fit into your interior, it is also possible to choose more calm and neutral colors such as nuts and dried hydrangea. Step into a department store or garden center to get some fall ideas.
A small shopping list to get you started
- candles on a tray in autumn colors
- candles in the shape of mushroom
- decorative mushrooms of wood or glass
- tea light holders in autumn colors
- garland with autumn flowers / leaves and lights for in a wind light
- artificial branches with blackberries
- bowl of gourds
- dried hydrangea
- painting with asters or autumn scene / colors
- fragrance sachets with apple or cinnamon scent
- glass jar to fill with beechnuts
- bowl to fill with chestnuts
Crafts with children
On a rainy autumn day tinkering very nice with the children. It can help if you are already prepared and have already collected material, otherwise you will have to go out together to collect beautiful acorns and chestnuts.
Acorn dolls
You can easily make very nice dolls from acorns and cocktail sticks and / or match sticks. Before the stick can be poked in an acorn, a hole must be “pre-drilled” with a sharp object. It is important that you do not let a child do this, he or she can sting himself or herself with this. Faces can then be drawn on it with markers. For the real crafters among us: make an animal out of acorns and / or chestnuts, for example a caterpillar or giraffe.
Cobweb
Everyone probably still knows them from the past: the spider web of a chestnut and wool. They sit comfortably in front of the window or above the kitchen table. And while you’re at it, make a copy for grandpa and grandma right away, they’ll love it
For this you need:
- chestnut
- knitting wool
- minimum 8 skewers
- sharp object to make holes
Pre-drill the holes in the chestnut, make them all around, align and then put the skewers in it. Tie the wool to a skewer and then twist the thread around the next skewer each time. You can choose one or more colors of wool.
Leaf garlands
Fun and easy to make leaf garlands yourself:
- Look for lots of clean and especially dry autumn leaves along with beautiful chestnuts.
- Before starting the pendulum, drill all the way through the chestnuts with a sharp needle or drill. Do this yourself or have it done by another adult. Let never children pierce a chestnut, the surface is smooth and hard, so the needle or the like can easily slip out with all its consequences. The children can then thread a leaf garland with a blunt needle and a piece of knitting wool without too great a risk.
- Make a thick knot at the end of the wool or attach a small piece of cocktail stick to the end of the wool and then thread a chestnut. (The end of the wool should not slip through the chestnut, through the knot or spike). Then a number of leaves can be strung on the garland, alternating with chestnuts.
- It gives a beautiful and graceful effect if you choose smaller leaves at the ends and larger ones in the middle.
- Leaf garlands can be hung but they can also be placed on a side table or etagere.
- Of course, other decorative materials can also be chosen to thread between the leaves, such as dried apple slices and cinnamon sticks.
Finnish apple pie with vanilla cream
Delicious an apple pie baking on a drizzly day. But then make something special: One Finnish apple pie filled with delicious vanilla cream!
You will need:
- 450 gr flour
- flour for pollination
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 200 gr sugar
- 1 packet of vanilla-flavored sugar
- 225 gr cold butter
- butter for greasing
- grate the zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 eggs
- 3-4 apples
- 100 gr currants
- 1 packet of vanilla cooking pudding
- 2½ dl whole milk
Preparation method:
- In a bowl, put the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, butter and salt. Cut the butter with two knives through the flour mixture into small granules. Finally add the lemon zest and eggs.
- Knead all ingredients quickly into a firm dough ball and let the dough rest, covered, in a cool place for 30 minutes.
- Peel and core the apples and cut the flesh into slices. Drizzle the slices with the lemon juice.
- Preheat the oven to 175 ° C.
- Grease an oblong loose-bottomed tin ** with butter. Dust the work surface with flour and then roll out the dough into
- pencil thickness. Line the shape with it and make a raised edge.
- Cover the bottom with the apple slices, overlapping tiles, and sprinkle with the currants.
- Beat the vanilla pudding powder with the milk and spread this over the apple slices. Make an elongated roll from any leftover dough and place it on the inside along the cake edge.
- Bake the cake in the middle of the oven for ± 45 minutes.
** Don’t have a baking pan? You can also make an elongated baking pan from a large greased sheet of baking paper.
For the length of the base, take the length of the baking tray and make the mold 12 cm wide and 3 cm high. Secure the ends with non-plasticized paperclips or similar. Place the mold against the side of the baking tray and support the other side by placing a long wad of aluminum foil against it.
Delicious with hot chocolate. Lets eat!
Hollowed out pumpkin or gourd
Very attractive in the garden or on the sidewalk: a hollowed out pumpkin or large gourd.
Cut a lid off the top at the top pumpkin and carefully scoop all the pulp from the fruit and the lid. To prevent the rotting process it is advisable to rinse the inside with a solution of water and vinegar.
Draw the face or any other figures on the outside with a marker and then carefully cut the pieces out with a sharp knife.
Be careful with children and the sharp knife!
Light in, lid on and enjoy …
Autumn in the garden
The garden can also be adapted in autumn style, with a few simple decorations, your garden will be a lot cozier and more colorful.
For example, you can choose:
- large chrysanthemums
- flower bed with colorful autumn asters
- basket of mountain tea (gaultheria procumbens)
- potato box with gourds
- pumpkins on the patio
- straw doll
- lantern with a burning block candle on patio table
- serving stand with different types of autumn decoration
Get out there
On a beautiful sunny autumn day it is beautiful in the forest. One can enjoy beautiful autumn colours and delicious smells. With a bit of luck you will see a Flemish parrot collect acorns or a squirrel run off with a nut.
Is there a lot of wind? Get a breath of fresh air on the beach, enjoy rough waves and sea air. Then take a seat on a terrace for a nice cup of coffee.
Make sweets yourself
On stormy days with a lot of rain and wind, it is always nice to work together in the kitchen. How about preparing tasty popcorn, wine gums, caramel with your children. make peanut rocks or chocolate cops? You will find extensive recipes in the special Making sweets and treats at home