Welcoming Autumn

It’s official, September has arrived and I am here for it! Autumn is my favourite time of year. I love the changing leaves, the sunlight, acorns and pine cones, mushrooms and toadstools, crunching through dried leaves, wearing jumpers and lighting candles in the home again.

In April I started morning walks and have continued almost every day this year. I have discovered that this ritual of arising at 6am and getting out into nature, whatever the weather, has really got me attuned to the changing seasons. It has been great to witness the burst of life from the arrival of Spring;

merging into the vibrancy of Summer in full bloom,

and now the crispy, crunch and burnt orange tones of Autumn.

The start of the Autumn season has meant lots of long walks foraging for treasures with Joseph. We collected a large selection of blackberries on our walks and turned them into a fruity smoothie.

I am inspired to create with natural items and in the Autumn there is no shortage of inspiration. I have been collecting interesting plants, leaves and various natural items on my walks and have turned my hand to creating some cyanotypes for the first time!

Cyanotypes are a type of photography, where ultraviolet light reacts with the chemicals to create blue and white “blue prints”.

The white areas are where the chemical has been blocked from the sun in this case using plants and natural items, and the dark blue is the negative space which has reacted to the ultraviolet light. I have found this a great way to create art works but also to connect with and become more present with the nature in my local area.

I shall most likely make cards and gifts with my cyanotypes- perhaps it’s even the start of a blue and white digital kit in the making!?

I’m going to start the Autumn season off with a bit of cleaning and sorting. We are heading back into a new school year and this means a return to more structured routines and practices. I always feel that September signifies a fresh new start and this to me means freshening up our home and getting it ready and cosy for the colder months ahead.

In terms of the arty side of my life I have lots of upcoming trips with Blackburn artists society, I have a competition coming up at Paint Garstang and a few potential exhibitions and workshops in the pipe line. During the colder months I am more likely to be slowing down and hopefully, this will mean more time available to do arts and crafts activities and to work on some new digital kits!

Let me know how you plan to get involved with the new season!

I have some Autumnal digital kits available on my Etsy shop for those of you who love to make paper-crafts, junk journals and the like, please click on the links to take a look! Autumn is obviously the season of the witch so keep an eye out for some more spooky and mystical digital kits perfect for creating your own book of Shadows!

Sepia fall Kit

Earthy Mushroom kit

Birthstones digital paper kit

Magic school Ephemera pack