10 Fun Ways To Celebrate Autumn

Since quarantine life has made it more challenging for us to do our normal everyday activities, I view it as an opportunity to think outside the box (or for that matter, outside our homes). While you might not be able to attend a live concert or a food & wine festival, there are still so many fun ways to celebrate Autumn.

Whether you love crafting and doing projects at home or you enjoy getting outdoors, there are lots of things to do during Fall, even while quarantine is still going on.

Read a New Book

While the kids are jumping back into schoolwork, it’s a great time to stimulate your mind too. Pick up an interesting new book that challenges you to think differently, expand your awareness, and catalyze your personal growth. From business books that help you learn new strategies for accelerating your career (even while working from home) to self-help and mindfulness-oriented books that encourage you to shift your mindset and outlook, Fall is a great time to dive into a new book.

Get Creative in the Kitchen

From a hearty ginger soup to butternut squash ravioli, Fall is a perfect time to get creative in the kitchen. Whether you dive into a delicious cookbook or pick-up some pro tips from the Cooking Channel, stimulate your mind and tastebuds by cooking new recipes. Not only will this help to expand your repertoire in the kitchen and introduce new ingredients into your diet, but it will also help you get out of a meal rut (if you’ve been feeling a little stuck lately).

Up Your Floral Arranging Game

From vibrant flowers to lush foliage and berries, Fall is a fantastic time to up your floral arranging game. There are so many beautiful flowers in season right now that it makes floral arranging even more enjoyable. Visit your local farmers market or even a supermarket (Safeway carries awesome options) to pick-up a variety of blooms. Elevate your floral arrangement with a gorgeous copper or rose gold vase for that added touch of elegance.

Go Apple Picking

There’s no better time than now to hop in the car and head out to an apple orchard for a day of apple picking. Not only is it a fun family-friendly outdoor activity that you can enjoy (even while practicing social distancing), but it’s a super budget-friendly way to stock up on fresh apples.

Elevate Your Dinners at Home

To celebrate Autumn, turn your family meals into a special occasion by elevating your dinners at home. Set the table, add some fresh flowers and lit candles, and even bring out your fancy dishes and flatware. Nothing turns an ordinary day into an extraordinary occasion like a beautiful tablescape.

Shop for Fall Home Decor

Whether you’re a HomeGoods devotee or love checking out vintage shops and unique boutiques, Autumn is a fun time to go shopping for festive Fall home decor. From rustic pieces to sumptuous scented candles, adding a touch of Fall to your home instantly makes space feel warm and cozy.

Play with Fall Makeup Colors

Change up your look by playing with gorgeous Fall makeup colors. From vibrant lip colors in bright reds and deep plum shades to rose gold and copper eyeshadows, now’s a great time to refresh your beauty routine.

Head to a Pumpkin Patch

Grab the kids (or your besties) and head to a nearby pumpkin patch for a day of pumpkin picking. Whether you prefer traditional looks (like orange pumpkins) or you want something different (like white pumpkins), there are so many interesting options to choose from. The best part is – the pumpkins can be used for home decor or even cooking!

Make a DIY Succulent Pumpkin Centerpiece

Succulents have become one of the most popular types of plants to have at home these days. So, why not do a modern spin on traditional pumpkin decorating by creating a DIY Succulent Pumpkin Centerpiece? To learn how to do this project at home, check out this easy-to-follow tutorial on Inspirations & Celebrations.

Create a DIY Floral Pumpkin Centerpiece

Last, but certainly not least, is another creative way to decorate with fresh pumpkins. A lush-looking DIY Floral Pumpkin Centerpiece is such a great way to incorporate two eye-catching fall trends – beautiful flowers and pumpkins. To learn how to do this fun Fall project, check out this tutorial on Inspirations & Celebrations.

No matter how you plan to celebrate the new season, keep in mind that doing a variety of fun and different activities will keep you and your family feeling joyful, excited, and enthusiastic over the next few months. If there’s anything that we need now, more than ever, it’s reasons to be happy everyday.

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As shared in an article on Well+Good, Carla Manly, Ph.D., clinical psychologist, and author, says “Gardening can bring us joy and can even be a form of meditation. When we’re involved in something like gardening, we are very much able to, in the meditative sense, let go of our thoughts and be focused in the moment on what we are doing.”

Here are tips on how to turn gardening into a meditation practice that boosts mindfulness and a sense of joy.

Choose Plants That Spark Joy

Since plants and flowers add beauty to your home, always choose plants that “spark joy”. Be mindful of selecting plants that are visually appealing to you, whether it’s a specific colored flower (such as a cheery yellow or calming white) or a type of leaf (like a fresh and clean-looking glossy leaf).

Consider Planting Aromatic Flowers

When planning your garden (or patio), also consider opting for a few plants that offer an aromatic benefit, such as lavender (which has a calming scent) or gardenia (which exudes a romantic scent). Our sense of smell has a powerful effect on our moods and even on our memory. That’s why having aromatic plants around us can help to uplift our spirits or calm our emotions.

As stated in an MSN article, “As it turns out, stopping and smelling the roses has some pretty impressive cognitive health benefits. A study, which was published in Scientific Reports, found that rose scents can help with information retention and learning success.”

Connect with Nature by Focusing on Breathing

To start with, set your phone or computer aside so that you won’t get distracted by messages or alerts. When gardening, use this opportunity as a chance to unplug from technology and reconnect with nature.

An important aspect of any meditation practice is to focus on the present moment. Become aware of your surroundings, use your senses to immerse yourself in the experience, and focus on your breathing. This will help to ground you (pun intended) by enabling your mind and body to relax.

As shared in an article by The Chopra Center, “Be mindful of the fact that on a biological scale, you are exchanging with the plants. As you exhale, they breathe in. Their respiration purifies and nourishes the air you breathe. This is so important, yet often taken for granted. While in the garden, make time for some of your breathing exercises. Breathe deeply and slowly, and allow yourself to become aware of your role as nourisher to the environment.”

Set Positive Intentions While Planting

Whether you’re planting a seed or a fully-grown plant, set a positive intention in your mind while doing this activity. Similar to bringing objects in your home that “spark joy” (as organizing expert Marie Kondo says), bringing fresh plants into your home can have an uplifting emotional effect on you.

Imagine yourself connecting with each plant, by mentally welcoming it into your home (as a living being). An example of a positive intention that you can think about in your mind is “may this plant bring health and happiness into my space”. By doing this process, every time you look at the plant going forward, you will be reminded of this joyful intention, which will help to uplift your spirits and keep you feeling positive.

Whether you’re an avid gardener or just getting started, becoming a mindful gardener will help you relieve anxiety, let go of stress, and boost your sense of joy. For more mindfulness tips, check out this meditation guide on I&C.

The post The Mindful Gardener – How To Turn Gardening into a Joyful Meditation Practice appeared first on Inspirations and Celebrations.

To inspire you to get creative this season, today’s DIY tutorial shows you how to easily create a festive DIY pumpkin flower centerpiece for entertaining at home or to use as Fall decór.

One of the most interesting things about this particular farm is that it’s organic. From fresh organic produce to organically-farmed wildflowers, pumpkins, and herbs, everything that they grow here is done without chemical pesticides. What made this workshop especially fun was the fact that we got to go out into their fields to cut the wildflowers, choose our pumpkin, and even pull corn to shill (which was a first for me!).

Throughout the Fall and Winter months, they often host fun and informative workshops and classes. From their annual holiday wreath making class (which uses dried grapevines and natural foliage) and pumpkin carving classes to an organic pumpkin risotto cooking class (led by the executive chef from the nearby Quail Lodge & Golf Club), their workshops are always a great experience – whether you go solo, with friends, or even for a special occasion (like a birthday or girls’ day).

Aside from the workshops, one of my favorite reasons to visit the Farm Stand during Fall is to go to their charming pumpkin patch. Not only do they offer a wide variety of pumpkins that range in color, shape, size, and even appearance (like striped varietals), it’s also one of the most photogenic pumpkin patches I’ve ever seen. From rustic decor to family-friendly accents (like giant over-sized chairs to take pictures in), it’s really quite a treat for everyone.

To lead the Wildflower Walk and DIY Pumpkin Flower Centerpiece workshop, farmer Janna shared her helpful tips and tricks to choosing the best wildflowers and pumpkins, and even gave us valuable insight on how to carve our pumpkins more easily.

From sunflowers to zinnias, we were able to pick any flowers we wanted, which is why I opted for a vibrant and colorful array of gorgeous wildflowers (shown above). My arrangement included sunflowers, calendula (which are also edible, and great for salads I learned), feverfew, zinnia, scented geranium leaves, fig leaves, and nasturtium leaves.

In addition to cutting the wildflowers, we also got to choose the pumpkin we wanted to use for the DIY pumpkin flower centerpiece. Since Janna recommended opting for the white Polar Bear Pumpkins (as they’re not only easier to carve, they also last longer than other pumpkin varietals), I decided to follow her suggestion. 

Step 1: To get started, she told us that using a drywall saw is best for carving the hole, as it cuts through the pumpkin more easily than traditional pumpkin carving tools. Cut a round hole in the top of the pumpkin and remove the top section.

STEP 2: Using a circle hoe weeding tool, clean out the pumpkin.

TIP: Farmer Janna said that if you’re planning to keep the DIY Pumpkin Flower Centerpiece for a week or two, then it’s best to fully clean out the inside. If you’re only using the centerpiece for a party (that’s being hosted within a day), you can leave some of the pumpkin strings inside (as it will actually help hold together the flower arrangement).

STEP 3: Starting with the greenery (scented geranium leaves and fig leaves are great options, as they help to cover the edge of the hole where you carved into the pumpkin), add foliage into the pumpkin to create a foundation.

STEP 4: Add water to the pumpkin vase.

STEP 5: Cut the flowers at different heights and start arranging them in the pumpkin vase. 

TIP: As a rule of thumb, use odd-numbered quantities (like 3 or 5 flowers), as it makes the arrangement more interesting. 

For more inspiring ideas and expert tips, check out the other DIY tutorials on Inspirations & Celebrations.

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