The crisp morning air, the leaves 🍁 transforming into vibrant shades of orange & red, the geese honking goodbye as they fly overhead, and the smell of wood burning stoves 🔥 wafting through the night - Autumn has arrived and with it even more magic to discover every single day.
But only if you slow down enough to notice all these little glimmers and savor the present moment. In this blog you’ll find a few of my own favorite ways to make fall feel even more magical such as must do festivities, DIY decor, cozy hobbies, recipes, & MORE ways to enjoy this season!
So if that is what you want to read, go ahead and make yourself a cozy beverage, light an apple or pumpkin candle, cuddle up with a warm blanket, and let’s start finding & creating the magic of the season together!
Ps. Here is that Fall Bucket List Bingo I mentioned in the video too! Just tap and hold the picture to download or screenshot to save it
Also here’s how to make that turmeric aka Golden Milk Latte I was sipping on in the video!
It is the perfect cozy drink and tastes like fall with the cinnamon, ginger, and maple syrup! Plus it has anti-inflammatory properties from the turmeric and that gorgeous color too. It's my go to when I want something cozy but don't want to caffeine of coffee. If you enjoy pumpkin spice lattes, but not all the sugar, try making this at home and thank me later!
Keep reading for more of the recipes & resources mentioned in that YouTube video like easy DIY Halloween decor and spooky movies to watch too!
This first magical moment for me every year is when my wife finally says we can...
Decorate for fall!
I beg her all September long to finally pull out the pumpkins, Mickey ghosts, and mums to transform our home into a cozy, slightly spooky display. Opening the bins of decor always brings up feelings of nostalgia remembering where we got each piece and getting excited about it all over again. It also brings up a feeling of accomplishment…my first apartment was in college when I barely had enough money for gas and groceries so spending money on frivolous things like fake pumpkins & candles was out of the question. But I still did my best to make my room feel cozy with some construction paper cutouts of leaves strung together to make garland and a few dollar tree signs & pumpkins. It wasn’t much, but it brought a bit of joy to those days I was struggling financially and emotionally.
Now don’t get me wrong, I still hunt through dollar tree for a good deal and make my own DIY decorations to go along with all the pieces we’ve collected over the years. But watching my wife pull all those bins out of the garage and watching them pile up in the kitchen is always one of those “I made it” moments for me. Plus having cute crochet pumpkins, little bats, & colorful leaves all over our home always brings a smile to my face whenever I walk in the room.
If you’d like to see how we decorate for fall with a touch of Disney & lots of DIYs check out the video below for some inspiration and the blog above as well for step by step how to’s!
Speaking of DIYs and crafts, this next magical moment is my favorite way to spend any rainy fall day -
Cozy hobbies!
We already chatted about getting crafty with some homemade decor, but this time of year always ignites my love of crochet. It is the perfect hobby to cuddle up on the couch with while watching spooky movies and sipping a chai tea or warm apple cider. Once you get the hang of it, it is surprisingly easy and SO FUN to be able to make anything you want - blankets, coasters, pumpkins, scarves, even little toys and decor. I do have a tip though if you are completely new to crochet - use a chunkier yarn and a bigger hook (like an 8mm or 9mm) so it is easier to see your stitches + start with a simple project like the first one I ever did, crochet pumpkins! 🎃 (full tutorial can be found here)
Or make some cute ghosts 👻 with this beginner pattern or a leaf garland 🍁 with acorns!
If you aren’t into crocheting or knitting, no worries there are sooo many other cozy hobbies like reading 📚, coloring 🖍, chill video games 🎮 like Wylde Flowers or Animal Crossing, puzzles 🧩, crosswords, board games 🎲, baking, journaling, even bird 🐥 watching! This blog is your sign to try something new this week instead of just binging your usual shows or scrolling through social media and see how much more joy it brings you! You might just get obsessed with a new hobby too :)
Don’t forget to spend some time outside though enjoying the next and usually thought of magical moment...
The foliage!
Vermont’s mountains, valleys, and even just the drive to the grocery store burst with vibrant colors 🍁 around every turn. It is truly breathtaking to see our own sugar maples transform slowly, but surely all season long! If you don’t have your own deciduous trees in your backyard, go for a hike 🏔 or even just a long drive to take in the beauty of change all around you. While you are at it, collect a few leaves to press or dip in wax to make this adorable and easy DIY leaf garland with me at 6:35 in the video above!
This time of year isn’t just magical outside because of the foliage though. There’s new flowers blooming like mums 🌼 & asters, different birds migrating through your area like geese & juncos, the smell of wood burning stoves & bonfires 🔥 filling the air (and maybe maple syrup processing if you live in Vermont like us), bats flying at dusk during the most picturesque sunsets, mushrooms 🍄 popping up among the dead leaves, and so many other beautiful moments to savor in nature this time of year.
Want to hangout in the magic of nature with us more? Watch last October's Garden Tour!
Another thing to savor this fall -
Delicious seasonal treats!
One of the reasons I love fall hiking, other than the amazing views, is stopping for warm apple cider 🍎 and donuts on the way home. It has become a tradition in our little family and is a cute fall date I look forward to every year.
But there are so many other seasonal foods to indulge in this time of year and your local farmers market is the best place to shop around for ingredients like butternut squash, apples 🍏, pumpkins, kale, corn 🌽, Brussel sprouts, carrots 🥕, and so many more.
So put on your chef hat 👩🏼🍳 and get cooking or baking even if it’s just those cute slice and bake pumpkin cookies from pillsbury. Or make a whole girls night out of it with a spook-cuterie board, pumpkin carving, and scary movies!
ps. Here's that pumpkin bread recipe you saw us bake in the YouTube video above!
Which takes us to our last magical moment of our blog...
Watching halloween specials, spooky movies, cozy shows, & cute cartoons!
I am sure you have go-to shows like Gilmore Girls or Winnie the Pooh 🍯 or favorite movies like Casper 👻, Beetlejuice, or Haunted Mansion 🪦. Even though you may have seen them dozens of times, it is always so comforting to watch them again and get you into the autumn mood. Plus an easy way to reconnect with your inner child who grew up watching these shows and movies!
Need some ideas for your movie marathon? Here’s some popular ones to watch this time of year, but my personal favorites are Disney movies such as Halloween Town, Muppets Haunted Mansion, & old spooky Mickey cartoons!
Ps. Don’t forget to try out that maple popcorn recipe we made together in the video at 12:02!
Lastly, a few honorable mentions that didn't make the video but always make me smile every autumn. They might seem small and insignificant, but that's the whole point of this challenge - the find the magic in the mundane!
Click the reel to see what I mean & follow me on Instagram @magically_tarasimone to see the daily Magical Moments I share!
Now it’s your turn! Tell me your favorite magical moments of fall down in the comments below and don’t forget to save that bingo bucket list with 25 ideas to make your autumn a little more intentional & magical!
Or join our FREE Magical Moments Challenge for even more ways to slow down & savor this beautiful life no matter what time of year it is! This guide is filled with tips, affirmations, a tracker, & even MORE ideas. Download your FREE copy below!
As for me, the tea kettle is whistling that my chai latte is done so I am going to cuddle up with my crochet hook and work on a new project! See you in next’s weeks video or next month’s blog.
magically,
Comments