It’s that time again. You walk outside mid-afternoon and notice how dark it is. Your dog doesn’t need to wear a coat, but you’re definitely relieved you bought that harness with the reflective lining. You grab a windbreaker just in case it gets a little chilly.

You’ve decorated your mantle already, but you don’t have to turn on the fireplace just yet. And it’s still nice enough for a backyard BBQ, but you’re already dreading the time you’ll spend raking leaves in that same grass.

These are all signs that autumn is here!

For the crafty crowd, this is also an exciting time to brainstorm easy fall craft ideas to get you in the cozy spirit. Here are five suggestions to welcome this cool season with the warm colors.

Moss Up Your Plants

No matter how many compliments your plant and flower petals get, no one is gushing over the soil. Of course, plants need soil as a stable anchor for their roots, and to store water and essential nutrients. For outdoor plants, colorful mulch is a fun way to bring more color to your garden. (Mulch also keeps weeds away, along with being a pesticide against ants, carpet beetles, mosquitoes and moths.)

With indoor plants, try moss mix. Preserved forest moss is not alive and doesn’t require any maintenance. Often found in basket lining and wire baskets, it can also be used as a decorative topping for your plant pots. Try various shades of reds, yellows and browns.

Get In the Halloween Spirit

If the Halloween spirit hits you, add orange moss to bring out your already dark soil. Although plant stakes are used for top-heavy plants, a couple of pumpkins or ghost plant sticks are a nice touch for autumn Halloween homes. (If you’re brave enough to say “Beetlejuice” three times, go for white and black sandworm tail stakes.)

Time To Set the Autumn Table

A tablecloth can work wonders in a dining room or kitchen. You don’t have to have the fanciest glasses or cups, or plates and silverware. Just that one piece of cloth can change the home decorating game. Instead of just buying an already-made tablecloth, you can buy a solid color (red, yellow or brown), and use acrylic paint to decorate it with an autumn theme of leaves, pumpkins or cornucopias.

Or, buy a few cloth placemats to switch out between autumn-themed decor, Halloween and Thanksgiving. Even better, get the little ones involved. Often, when children have some kind of creative role in decorating the house (like toy organization), they’ll be that much happier to do the chore that lets them show off their work.

Create Your Own Autumn Candles

Instead of paying for overpriced fall-themed candles, create your own. You’ll need a few supplies from a crafts store: double boiler, fragrance oils, mason jar (or votive holder), tin can, wax flakes, wick and a wick holder (ex. chopsticks or popsicle sticks).

In your candle jar, securely glue a wick in the bottom center area. While the wick is drying in place, melt your wax flakes. Keep in mind that two containers of wax flakes equate to one candle. Soy wax and beeswax also require hotter temperatures to melt versus paraffin wax.

Once melted, pour approximately 30 to 40 drops of autumn-themed essential oils into your wax mixture. This should be enough for an 8 oz. candle. Then, with two wick holders laying parallel on top of the jar and pinching the wick into place, now it’s time to pour the wax mixture into the jar. Pour slowly to avoid bubbles. Depending on what type of wax you used, your autumn candle will be ready to light in four to 10 days.

If you’d rather just have a fall color scheme instead of candle making, you can just buy a white candle in clear glass, and spray paint it.

Light Up Your Table Centerpieces

And one of the easiest DIY projects can make use of something you may already have on your home office desk or bedroom nightstand: a lamp. Buy decorative leaves to sprinkle around the base of your indoor/outdoor solar lantern, which gives your home an even cozier vibe. Only thing missing is the hot chocolate.

All of these DIY projects can be done in less than an hour and should be fun for the family.  As far as the raking when the leaves really start coming down, pumpkin leaf bags are an easy way to “decorate” for Halloween. Happy Halloween, and Happier Autumn!