Turn your pumpkin decorations to jam

In my last post I wrote about autumn decorations, and about taking advantage of the harvest season and decorate with fruit and vegetables such as apples and pumpkins. But what do you do with all these apples and pumpkins when it’s time to change the decorations for a more wintery theme? There are so many things you can do with apples; apple cordial, apple sauce, apple pies… the list is long! It’s more difficult when it comes to the pumpkins!

Many people don’t see their autumn/Halloween pumpkin decorations as anything else than just a decoration, but you can definitely take advantage of this fruit (Yes, I’m calling it a fruit, cause although it is treated like a vegetable, it is technically a fruit.). The most common thing to make with pumpkins are pumpkin pies, but I’m stepping away from the tradition, and I’m now going to share a recipe for pumpkin jam;

Ingredients:

    825g pumpkin puree

    1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

    1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

    1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

    1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

    1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

    55g dry pectin

    900g caster sugar

Preparation time: 15 minutes     Cooking time: 10 minutes

Mix pumpkin puree, spices and dry pectin in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil. Mix in sugar all at once. Stirring constantly, return to a full boil and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Transfer immediately to sterile containers. Seal and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

It’s the simplest pumpkin jam recipe I could find, with a cooking time of only 25 minutes. It’s a perfect autumn jam, and if you put it in some pretty jam jars with homemade labels on, this jam would be a perfect autumn present for your nearest and dearest. You can find really pretty old fashioned jam jars at Wares of Knutsford, who are professionals in preserving equipment.

10 reasons to love autumn

Many people fall into a sort of post summer blues when autumn comes. It gets colder, darker, rainier... but I’d say it also gets cosier! Who doesn’t love cuddling up in the sofa with a blanket or an open fire with a hot drink. Autumn is harvest season, and you should really take advantage of all things natural when it comes to decorating for this season.

It’s all about orange and other earthy hues. Fill your home with pumpkins of all kinds, candles, apples, fallen leaves, etc.

Below are 10 photos to inspire you for your season decoration. 10 reasons to why you should love the autumn rather than feeling blue about it.

The art of recycling old wood

Nowadays, furniture of solid wood is becoming more and more of a rare thing. Due to the mass production of trendy furniture, companies have swapped their solid wood furniture to cheaper "saw dust furniture" with simple wooden veneers. Therefore, when you get your hands on some proper wood you should make the most of it. Just look at the picture above - an old window can easily be turned into a shabby chic style photo frame.

Some drift wood can be turned into a hanging fruit basket. You don't need to be particularly handy, but it's only a very simple design. Just add a lick of paint to it, and print some simple letters on it. Very stylish, and perfect for a country style or a nautical inspired kitchen.

Got a bunch of old wooden fruit and vegetable boxes laying around at home? Why not turn them into a bookcase?

Pallets are good for nothing outside a warhouse... or are they? If you saw one in pieces it can easily become a few hanging shelves for the livingroom. Perfect for placing smaller things like photo frames on.

Don't throw away those old window shutters! Although they might not be in style on the outside of your house they can work as a super trendy headboard for your bed.

Wall decor ideas for a nursery

It's a baby boom going on at the moment - at least amongst my friends. And therefore, I have put together some inspirational images on nurseries, with a theme on trees and owls. I found the above picture on some website a while back, and was super inspired by it. I love everything about that wall decoration - the colour, the shape of the branch, the cartoon-like owls... it's just a perfect detail for a child's bedroom!

A more simple version of owls and trees above and below. I like the fact that the design of this is more as if a child has painted it. Very cute, and the colours are really nice, buit can of course be changed to your own taste.

Below is a slightly more grown up design, but it would still be suitable for a child - just look how gorgeous this nursery is! I love the combination of this bold blueish turquoise with the black, white and bright yellow.

The picture below is actually a creation made by myself. When I moved in with my boyfriend in the summer of 2011 I made one of the guest rooms into a creative project. The purpose of this room is not to be a nursery (there really aren’t any plans of babies yet!) but I simply call it my “creative room”. You can read all about how I painted this olive green tree on my other blog The CreativeArtista. This tree is kind of like my masterpiece – I am so happy with it! And sure… if we were to have kids in the future and we still live in this house I guess this would be suitable as a baby room…

 

Creative thinking...

I'm thinking of some ways to make my teal coloured kithen wall look a bit more interesting. I just created this on my computer after having read this great life motto somewhere. It's definitely something to keep thinking about, and I'll probably make a few variations of this text before I decide which style to go for, but this is a first idea. What do you think? I'm a bit obsessed with life mottos and the fact that you only have one chance to live, and I think this sentence is great.