Autumn Craft Ideas | 5 Seasonal Activities

Are you looking for some inspiration for keeping busy throughout the autumn?

As summer draws to a close, we’re dreaming of roaring fires, golden hues, pumpkin spiced lattes and cosy jumpers. 

To help make your autumn a memorable one, we’ve put together a list of some of our favourite autumn craft ideas for you to try at home:

Autumn Craft Ideas: Wooden Log Candle Holders

There’s little better than curling up under a blanket on a chilly autumn evening to read your favourite book, under the orange glow of scented candles. 

The first of our autumn craft ideas is to create your own log candle holder. The rustic charm will give an effortlessly chic air to your room; you could even make a few extra to give as gifts for the upcoming festive season!

You may be able to forage a wooden log on your walk, or you may need to chop your own from a tree stump (being careful not to damage any living trees). 

Take your log home and give it a thorough clean to remove any dirt. Once you’ve done this, you can set about chisel a hole into your wood, just big enough to pop a tealight into. If your log is quite large, you could even cut several holes and use it as a centrepiece. 

Sand the hole to ensure you don’t get any splinters, pop in your candle, and enjoy!

Autumn Craft Ideas: Mosaic Glass Lanterns

Mason jars make wonderful lanterns and are a great alternative to our wooden tea light holders.

Simply take a mason jar and decorate it as you choose. You could use glass paint pens to create a beautiful scene, or use PVA glue to stick on coloured strips of tissue paper or dried leaves. 

Why not head out on an autumnal walk to collect a variety of gold, orange, red and yellow leaves to glue to your jar for an authentic autumn lantern?

Autumnal Wreath

Seasonal decorations are becoming increasingly more popular; in autumn, pumpkins are used as centrepieces and golden-hued wreaths adorn many doors. 

To help you get in the autumnal mood, why not have a go at making your own seasonal wreath? Using a wire hoop, decorate your wreath with leaves, berries, conkers, and even miniature ornamental pumpkins. 

This is a beautiful way to welcome the colder weather, and will certainly help to put a smile on your face everytime you go to your door.

Environmentally Friendly Pictures 

There’s little better than donning a scarf and boots and heading out for a walk on a mild autumn afternoon. 

Whilst walking, you could forage for a selection of seasonal items, such as berries and conkers, and use them to create an autumn picture. 

To help keep this activity environmentally -friendly, use only items that have already fallen from the trees or bushes. Also, instead of glueing your picture to paper, why not try creating an image or collage on the ground. 

You can take a photograph of the finished piece to help you remember it, whilst leaving the nuts, leaves and berries on the ground where you found them. This bears no impact on the environment, whilst providing a fun and creative seasonal activity for you to enjoy over and over again.

Autumn Craft Ideas: Potpourri

Another of our favourite autumn craft ideas is to try and capture the scent of autumn with a bowl of homemade potpourri. You can collect the bulk of what you need whilst out on a walk, such as pine cones, bark and dry leaves. 

Next, bake a selection of sliced fruit, such as berries, lemons and limes to dehydrate them, before adding them to a bowl with your previously foraged items. 

You can then add some scents, such as cinnamon sticks, star anise, bay leaves and rosemary. For an added burst of fragrance, pour in a few drops of essential oil; this will help to keep your home smelling fresh, creating a seasonal and cosy atmosphere.

Here at CHD Living, we understand the importance of arts and crafts. From offering opportunities to unleash creativity to providing a quiet, mindful experience, crafting has a plethora of benefits for our residents. 

We encourage them to take part in a range of activities, and regularly come up with creative new ideas for craft sessions to help keep it interesting. 

If you’d like to know more about our wellbeing activities, please contact a member of our team or, if you’re interested in working in care, take a look at our careers page.