DIY fall decorations: quick and easy ideas for your home

simple, effortless, minimalist living ideas for fall as an exercise in creativity and mindfulness... and a bit of culture

Just as we change our clothes when the seasons change, I like to change the decorations in my home and bring a little of the spirit of the season into my own four walls. In this post and the pictures, I want to give you a few simple home decorating ideas with a few autumnal elements that you can also do well with children, and at the same time tell you a bit about why decorating and adorning is much less superficial than you think and downright useful, goal-oriented activities that can be an exercise in creativity and mindfulness.

I googled the origins of the words "decoration" and "ornament". The noun "ornament" comes from the Latin ("ornamentum"), which has the following meanings: Equipment, accoutrement; honor, distinction; badge of honor; but also ornament or ornament that adorns buildings or persons, beauty or adornment. The Latin noun ("ornamentum") is derived from the Latin verb "ornare" (to equip, adorn, glorify, praise, honor, distinguish), which in turn is a reference to "ordiri" and "ordo": "ordiri, ordior, orsum sum" is a verb meaning "to begin, start" as well as "to spin, devise" and "ordo" is a Latin noun that can be translated as "order".

The ornaments that serve as decoration do not in fact only have a prop function, are not just an exclusive aesthetic addition. The etymological meaning of the two words refers us to the concept of order and includes some aspects of reality related to the basic ideas of structure, belongings and ethics.

The concept of order ranges from the way one combs a hairstyle to the way crystals are formed, from the morality of coexistence to the furnishing of our environment. It is almost inconceivable that a certain ornamental beauty does not reveal an orderly underlying network. Behind the meaning of the word lies an ancient and tangible thought connection: presumably someone has already thought that the term "ornament" follows a similar conceptual path as the etymological derivation of "cosmos" (the Greek word "kósmos" just means "order") to "cosmetics".

The ornament, the adornment is an element that embellishes - in jewelry, fashion, architecture, sculpture, painting, music or rhetoric. It is difficult to find something that cannot be adorned or decorated. Probably because it is difficult to imagine something that cannot be ordered and consequently embellished, enhanced, improved.

The word "decoration" also comes from Latin. The term "decoration" comes from late Latin, derived from the participle of "decorare" (to adorn, embellish, adorn). The Latin noun "decorum" means "the decent, the decorous" and "beauty, adornment" and is derived from the Latin verb "decere" (it is fitting, proper, appropriate, adorn, decorate, dress). It is interesting to note that both "decorare" and "decorum" have a connection to the verb "decere", which refers to an ethical dimension.

So it is exciting to think that an ornament, an adornment, is also an element that creates order and that decoration has something to do with decency and dignity. In other words, in a broader sense, decoration is an almost indispensable element in creating something dignified. (Excerpts from the original texts can be found here and here)

So you could design this or a similar decoration entirely according to your personal creativity or give free rein to your creativity together with your children, thinking together about which autumnal objects you want to arrange in a jar, on the windowsill or on the table. As a mindfulness or mindfulness exercise, you can consciously connect with the here and now, focus your attention entirely on the situation, the smells, the texture of the materials, the colors and the sounds - autumnal decorating awakens autumn feelings and perhaps a childlike joy of autumn and its fruits in us.

There is not much to say about the decorations in the photos, they are simply small objects from nature such as leaves, branches, chestnuts, flowers or moss, in short, typical seasonal items that I have combined with equally simple elements: small bottles and vases, threads, clothespins and candles. I'm sure you can do better than that. In fact, why don't you send me a photo and show us your creations? A hug and see you soon!

PS. If you like the mobile, you can read in the article "Mobile made from clothespins" (soon online) how you too can make one. It is not only suitable for fall leaves, but can be wonderfully redecorated for every season.